Autism

Wednesday, September 10, 2025 10:16AM

Relationship to Autistic Community

While Henry David Thoreau was never formally diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or another related condition, some people in the autistic community strongly identify with Thoreau's lived experience, as described in his essays.^[86]

It is speculated that Thoreau may have had ASD himself; Julie Brown, author of "Writers on the Spectrum: How Autism and Asperger's Syndrome Have Influenced Literary Writing", claims that Thoreau "demonstrated so many traits of Asperger's Syndrome (AS) that it seems very likely he was affected by it".^[86] Brown specifically names Thoreau's social difficulties and desire for solitude, strict routines and desire for sameness, formation of identity through oppositional behavior, and restrictive and intense interests, citing examples from Thoreau's essays.^[86]

For example, in Walden, Thoreau describes the (perceived) superiority of a simple diet and a limited wardrobe, as well as his construction of a rather spartan living space in the woods; Brown connects these traits to the repetitive, simple diets and clothing of other people with Asperger's Syndrome, and asserts that the small size and limited decoration of Thoreau's living space was a sign of his desire for consistency and simplicity, which she asserts are "rooted in his place on the autism spectrum".^[86]