<![CDATA[Autistic people are not dumb, idiots, or have a lower IQ. They just process information differently and have an inabilit]]>Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Forrest Gump

RomanceNovelist — 9 years ago(December 13, 2016 08:13 PM)

Autistic people are not dumb, idiots, or have a lower IQ. They just process information differently and have an inability to form relationships with others. They also have a propensity for talent (art, math like "Rain man" etc), and in Forrest's case, it was Ping Pong and running. They can come across as distant or not social, and happier on their own. He was not stupid. Autistic people tend to have language issues as well. My son is 26 and on the high functioning end of the spectrum, he tends to do everything better than others (though sometimes heavy handed). If you met him you wouldn't know he's on the spectrum, until you have stayed with him for a while and realize he occasionally misses social cues. They also tend to love very faithfully and stick to routines.
Forrest would have a lower IQ because the test was not presented in the right format for an autistic person. I work in special education as well, and there are certain ways information needs to be presented depending on the child.
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]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/topic/217236/autistic-people-are-not-dumb-idiots-or-have-a-lower-iq-they-just-process-information-differently-and-have-an-inabilitRSS for NodeTue, 12 May 2026 17:57:57 GMTSat, 02 May 2026 01:52:16 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Autistic people are not dumb, idiots, or have a lower IQ. They just process information differently and have an inabilit on Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:25 GMT]]>glynnpadraic — 5 years ago(November 04, 2020 09:54 PM)

He just has a low IQ

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825415https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825415Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:25 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Autistic people are not dumb, idiots, or have a lower IQ. They just process information differently and have an inabilit on Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:24 GMT]]>RomanceNovelist — 9 years ago(December 31, 2016 06:32 PM)

Agreed. I thought the same about Sherlock(BBC). He lacked all of the social cues, even though he was high functioning in other areas.
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]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825414https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825414Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Autistic people are not dumb, idiots, or have a lower IQ. They just process information differently and have an inabilit on Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:23 GMT]]>ZakkWyldeMyLittlePony — 9 years ago(December 30, 2016 08:14 PM)

I've heard people speculate Sherlock Holmes is autistic too. Forrest did strike me as autistic too since he seemed very talented and then he also reminded me of Dustin Hoffman from Rain Man in some ways.
Aerosmith ships Fluttershy and Discord

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825413https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825413Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Autistic people are not dumb, idiots, or have a lower IQ. They just process information differently and have an inabilit on Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:22 GMT]]>Snaggelpuss — 9 years ago(December 28, 2016 11:01 PM)

Autistic people are not dumb, idiots, or have a lower IQ.
Some are
also have a propensity for talent
Some are in some ways

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825412https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825412Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Autistic people are not dumb, idiots, or have a lower IQ. They just process information differently and have an inabilit on Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:21 GMT]]>aliholly-62819 — 9 years ago(December 20, 2016 10:04 PM)

Forrest displays no signs of autism. He just has a lower IQ. The autism spectrum today is considered very broad, but if we're talking about true autism, then Forrest doesn't have it.

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825411https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825411Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Autistic people are not dumb, idiots, or have a lower IQ. They just process information differently and have an inabilit on Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:20 GMT]]>kaneforgov — 9 years ago(December 14, 2016 08:51 AM)

I work in special education"
so I can diagnose a fictional malady in a fictional character in a totally fictional movie. Congratulations!
Remember what Forest said, stupid is as stupid does.

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825410https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825410Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Autistic people are not dumb, idiots, or have a lower IQ. They just process information differently and have an inabilit on Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:19 GMT]]>kaneforgov — 9 years ago(December 15, 2016 09:54 AM)

You know why he's not autistic?
Because the movie never says he is.
You may see some recognizable behavior but Robert Zemeckis purposely didnt include Forests diagnosis specifically so people wouldnt second guess or speculate on the validity of his condition. He is a fictional character with a fictional condition.

]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825409https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825409Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:19 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Autistic people are not dumb, idiots, or have a lower IQ. They just process information differently and have an inabilit on Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:17 GMT]]>RomanceNovelist — 9 years ago(December 14, 2016 05:47 PM)

In psychology, anti-social has a different meaning that the way we use it in everyday language. Autistic people are not anti-social. For example, my son has a lot of friends, people love him. He makes us laugh and he has a great sense of humor. But he doesn't like public places, crowded events, or rooms filled with strangers. he's better in one on one situations. Every autistic person is different. Forrest comes across as autistic. Retarded means you are stunted developmentally. You can't really learn. Forrest learned, was trainable, and he had intelligence. He just didn't seem to pick up social cues.
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]]>https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825408https://filmglance.com/discuss/post/1825408Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Autistic people are not dumb, idiots, or have a lower IQ. They just process information differently and have an inabilit on Sat, 02 May 2026 01:52:16 GMT]]>jory220 — 9 years ago(December 14, 2016 04:22 AM)

I disagree, I don't think he came across as anti social or happier on his own. I think he was quite the opposite. I just think he had low iq. Yes there are similarities and I know there is a lot of variety of traits on the spectrum but I just don't think he shows that social inadequacy of people on the spectrum. He opens up to and has no problem making eye contact and having interactions with people who are kind to him

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