I think people stating that “everyone is on the spectrum” or “maybe I’m a bit autistic too” (when they exhibit some very minor trait) would qualify. The thing is, since every autistic person is different, I don’t think we have shared physical, tangible cultural artifacts that make us unique compared to other cultures (e.g. hair style, clothing, art). Since autism is “inside us” and a deep part of who we are (regardless of cultural background), I think there is very little on the surface for people to “appropriate”. However, I do think some people can appropriate behaviors / traits – claiming they also have them, or can relate, for whatever reason. I think this leads to very poor cultural representations of autistic people in film and TV.
