Is Alec Lightwood Autistic?

One of the most popular headcanons and theories about The Mortal Instruments world at the moment, is whether or not Alec is high functioning autistic. As someone with high functioning autism, I can safely say, since the first Mortal Instrument book, I have been wondering this. In both the books and the TV show he displays many of the common quirks most people with high functioning autism display; so much so that there is an entire category of fanfiction in Archive of Our Own for autistic Alec. I was always pretty sure that Alec was autistic, but the one thing that always stopped me from being sure was my wondering if a Shadowhunter can be autistic. It isn’t something we have seen until very recently with Ty from Lady Midnight. Many people say Alec isn’t autistic because Cassandra Clare never said he was, but she also never said Ty was autistic, and it is very obvious he is. In fact, Ty and Alec are very similar in many ways, especially when it comes to social interaction; Alec just seems to be a bit more high functioning. Trying to deduce if Alec has autism or not, I made a list of the top ten reasons I think he is.

1. He has a very firm belief of right or wrong. Alec tends to see the world in a very black and white way. He feels very strongly about what he thinks is right, and he has no problem telling someone that they are doing something wrong.
2. He doesn't understand why people can't just follow the rules. When looking at a situation, Alec is always frustrated when people don't see the logical way to handle things, and gets irritated when people are ruled by their emotions rather than what they are supposed to be doing.  Most high functioning autistics typically think things through thoroughly before acting, and do not just react on emotion.
3. Alec tends to avoid eye contact and physical touch.  He struggles especially when he’s having a conversation with someone or is worried they can tell what he is thinking when he doesn't want them to. At times, he even flinches away from being touched and is only okay with it when it is someone he feels extremely comfortable with.
4. He has a hard time conveying his feelings. Alec tends to speak with actions more than words, and has mentioned many times how hard it is for him to talk about his feelings. People tend to think Alec hates them, just as Simon did in Tales from Shadowhunter Academy, even though that is the exact opposite of how he really felt. Clary, Simon, Magnus, and even Jace are always surprised when they can get Alec to open up, because the things going on in Alec’s mind are never what they expected.
5. He hates change. For most of his life, Alec has stuck to his small group of friends and family. A big part of the problem he originally had with Clary and Simon is that he viewed them as outsiders coming in and trying to take away his family. He didn’t like the thought of any new things happening he wasn’t completely familiar with, and has been upset multiple times from running into demons he thought were extinct, as he wasn’t expecting it. He even wears certain clothing and refuses to change when Magnus tries to convince him to wear something different. And when Alec is stressed or going through a lot of change, he typically gets very quiet and withdraws into himself as the tension builds up and up until finally Alec can’t take it anymore and has an outburst or quickly leaves to someplace he can be alone and calm down.
6. He never knows how to deal with people. Alec sticks close to his friends and family and almost always lets them speak for him rather than doing it himself. Many times in Tales from Shadowhunter Academy, Alec had Magnus or Jace speak to Simon or say goodbye while Alec sat in a corner. Sometimes Alec even ignored him entirely. This can also be seen in The Mortal Instruments. When he was still uncomfortable with Simon and Clary and he had to be around them, he typically talked to Jace or Isabelle and acted as if Simon and Clary weren't even there. Alec was also very uncomfortable with the thought of having to interact with people on his date with Magnus. He expressed his longing to be glamoured and invisible and Magnus had to make an excuse for them to leave quickly as Alec nearly had a panic attack when strangers began talking to him.
7. He misunderstands people and never knows when he is being flirted with. There are many examples I could give for this, as it is something Alec does quite often. He has misinterpreted people's words or feelings many times in the books and the show. This is very common with Magnus as seen when Alec was asking him out on their first date, and when Alec thought Magnus wanted to keep the baby from Tales from Shadowhunter Academy forever. There are also times where Alec has even yelled and or had an outburst because he gets frustrated when he can't figure out what someone is thinking or trying to convey. When Magnus flirts, Alec never gets it or wonders if he actually means it, so it typically results in Magnus having to be straightforward and just tell Alec how he feels.
8. He doesn't understand sarcasm. This is a very common thing for Alec in the books. Whenever someone jokes around or is sarcastic, it typically goes right over his head leaving Alec to think they are serious. And Alec is practically never seen using sarcasm either. Alec also has a very odd sense of humor that typically only makes sense and is funny only to Alec himself.
9. Alec is blunt. There aren’t really any examples I can give for this except that every time Alec has even appeared in the books or show he has absolutely no problem telling people how he really feels, and doesn't really have a filter. More often than not on Magnus and Alec’s first date, Alec was accidentally very blunt and it ended in him apologizing and becoming embarrassed, but thankfully Magnus found it endearing. This could even be one of the reasons why Alec and Jace get along so well. Jace is also very blunt, except he typically does it on purpose. There is no guessing with Jace. If Alec wants to know how Jace feels about something, he need only ask and he will receive a straightforward answer. Jace also isn't the type of person to get offended when Alec accidentally says something a little too blunt.
10. He stims. This one is mostly from the show, but it has been mentioned in the books a few times; in the show, it is something that he does almost constantly. In Tales from Shadowhunter Academy, when Alec was having a conversation with Simon, Alec avoided eye contact and fiddled with his baby's hands. But in the show whether it is rubbing his hands, fiddling with his clothes or an arrow in one scene, it is something he typically does in stressful or uncomfortable situations. 

There are many more reasons I think Alec is autistic, but this post would go on forever if I got into them and it is already long enough. So, do you think Alec Lightwood is autistic? Let me know!