#and he's just been convinced that it's a problem because ripped sleeves aren't part of the uniform code for work

[steakout-05]

my new and improved Barry Steakfries autism headcanons :D

Barry is the type of autistic who actively seeks out sensory input and loves to talk to people! he does this by blasting rock music through his whole house, flying really high in the sky on his jetpack and feeling the wind on his face, causing loud and destructive explosions, listening to the whirring of his MGJP, going out for drinks with a lot of friends including Craig and watching action movies with a lot of carnage. most of these get him in serious trouble with the law, but they can't catch him because he has a jetpack and they don't >:)

he's the type of guy to listen to death metal screaming to feel Delightfully Whelmed and sit there calmly on the floor like it's nothing

Barry's main stim is ripping his shirt sleeves, usually as an expression of super strong emotions (excitement, rage, fear. etc) or to combat his tactile sensory issues. he also bounces his knee and clenches his fists when he's bored or nervous.

most of Barry's sensory issues are tactile, like the way certain (and by certain i mean most) types of sleeves feel on his arms. they can make his arms feel scratchy and tight, which can get worse if they're wet and just hang onto his skin. he's a lot more comfortable wearing loose soft sleeves or wearing them when it's cold. a lot of people have asked Barry why he doesn't just wear tank tops if he hates the feeling of sleeves, to which he says that ripping them off is way more satisfying and fun, like he's killing the bad sensory feeling itself by tearing it off him.

Barry mentions in one of the episodes of his vlog that his shirt ripping stim was passed down through generation to generation and that his dad rips his sleeves as well. my headcanon is that this is generational autism and their children learning their parents' stims! (Barry also mentions that the only generation that didn't rip their sleeves was in the medieval generation when they wore chainmail which i think in this context is really interesting!)

Barry isn't very good with emotional regulation. he can get frustrated, impatient and angry really quickly, which we see a lot of in the 'Rainbow Barry' short. he also struggles with executive functioning and frequently forgets or struggles to do tasks he finds boring, misplaces things, procrastinates a lot, struggles with impulsiveness and planning.

Barry also has inattentive type ADHD (otherwise known as ADD) which he shows traits of in the 'Rainbow Barry' short as well.

he picks up a lot of catchphrases and personality traits from his favourite action movies!

i mentioned before that Barry loves to talk to people, but he struggles with quite a few social skills. he forgets people's boundaries, has trouble controlling his volume, accidentally interrupts people, can come off as scary sometimes and forgets what the conversation was about. a lot of other people don't really like him because they think he's just being rude and self-centred and he's never really understood why. Craig understand though, and that's why they love each other :)

his special interests are jetpacks, action movies, his dad's record collection and dogs! he may not be an expert but he loves them :)

Barry has no idea he's autistic and thinks he instead has a disease that makes him rip his sleeves because no one's ever told him and he doesn't remember getting diagnosed.