The Autism Scene is dedicated to promoting the creation and inclusion of explicitly autistic characters in kids pop culture

Authentically Creating Autistic Characters

Autism is historically underrepresented in pop culture. With increasing rates of autism (the CDC currently estimates 1 in 36), there is an increasing demand for autistic characters in our pop culture from both executives and audiences. But for the creatives in the middle, especially the neurotypical ones, it can feel like a daunting challenge. How can I fit an autistic character in my goofy animated show? Autistic people are in our world, so whether it’s a YA fantasy graphic novel, a family sitcom, a high-octane hospital drama, a post-apocalyptic zombie comic, or whatever -- authentic autistic characters belong there, too. The Autism Scene aims to gather autistic and neurotypical creators to successfully add autistic characters to pop culture, and how you can too!

Events

Sunday July 27, 2025 at 1pm

Marriott Marquis Room 11

San Diego Comic Con International

The (sometimes troubling) history of autistic characters in comic books, and how comics as a medium can foster a modern understanding of autism among its readers and creators.

THE 2026

AuSPEC SCRIPT

COMPETITION

The Autism Scene will be holding a kids animation spec script competition starting in December, culminating in the AuSPEC AWARDS on April 2, 2026. There will be cash prizes for the top winners, and meetings with animation executives, showrunners, managers or agents for all of the AuSPEC AWARDS category winners. Each script should be an episode of a recent animated show, and have at least one series regular meaningfully interacting with an explicitly autistic character. Autistic characters should be in every type of show — comedy, drama, sci-fi, romance, YA, fantasy, everything! — and the AuSPEC AWARDS will show the industry how it’s done!

  • The Autism Scene is pleased to invite you to submit to the 2026 AuSPEC SCRIPT COMPETITION. We are looking for submissions of spec scripts for existing kids animation shows. The only expectation is that each script will include a series regular meaningfully interacting with an explicitly autistic character. A great submission will feel like it could be a real episode of the animated show you choose — in tone, characterization and format.

  • For the money and prizes! Each category winner will get a meeting with an executive, manager, agent or showrunner who has read their script. These will include folks from Gersh, Nickelodeon, The Gotham Group, etc. We will do our best to match the winners with an appropriate meeting. AND ALSO— We will hold an AuSPEC AWARDS SHOW where three scripts will have a staged reading with professional Hollywood VO talent, which should be pretty cool. And the grand prize winner will be awarded $5,000! Sweet!

  • Any human person, really. We hope this will provide an opportunity for people new to animation to get an introduction, and to help working animation writers get to the next level. The awarding team is comprised of television animation show runners, writers, executives and autism consultants.

  • An average kids television animation script will be for an 11-minute segment. Well-known shows or shows currently in production are more likely to help your ideas and writing come across quickly and clearly in a competition like this. All submissions should include the following:

    • A covering email with a log line or brief summary of the episode

    • A sentence or two about yourself

    • A sentence about the autistic character, and

    • A pdf of your script submission. 

    Please DO NOT include your name on your script or in the title of the PDF, to help us be as unbiased as possible. 

  • Once the competition opens to submissions in December 2025, you will be able to submit through this page. Or email to AuSpec2026@TheAutismScene.org.

    We recommend that a tax deductible $25 donation to The Autism Scene accompany each submission, used to defray costs of running the competition.

  • The submission period will open December 1, 2025. Entries are due by January 15, 2026. The awards will be announced on Thursday April 2, 2026.

  • Prize Categories

    • Grand Prize

    • Top Five

    • Best premise

    • Best new young kids character

    • Best new big kids character

    • Best new adventure character

    • Best script for existing young kids show

    • Best script for existing big kids show

    • Best original pilot

    • Funniest script

    • Best educational script

    • Most moving script

    • Best Script from a Newcomer

    • And more!

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Interested in getting involved? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!