Preferred fonts for autism

American Typewriter is my go to, but it suits my writing rather than everything.

When doing creative writing, I mix fonts according to the speaker/meaning/atmosphere. They're all like pictures really. 

Comic sans is just plain ugly, but can have it's uses.

Absolutely. I can manage all fonts (even Wingdings!) but if it doesn't fit the material it's unreadable.

I personally like the font used on this site! I also like Arial, Georgia and Tahoma. I like simplicity. Comic sans was never my favorite font, it somehow irritates me. 

There may be a difference between individual personal preferences versus achieving a consensus based on ease of use and efficiency e.g. In an inclusive team where a range of people's needs are considered.  

For example,  I have worked in engineering teams (where neurodiversity was well represented) where we all agreed to adopt a font of Arial, in 12 point size, for our standard use in:

- emails,

- documents and

- presentations.

We realised that Calibri had become more regularly used in Microsoft Office products etc., however, we stuck to our team-choice of Arial - as that is what worked well for our cohort.  This was particularly so where the language of the programme was English.  

Just occasionally, we might instead opt to use Times New Roman e.g. particularly if we knew that we were planning to translate a document into other languages - as we found the rendering of multiple languages included in the same document was of more consistent / reliable formatting from a base document in Times New Roman.  We found this to be so even when also inserting e.g. Chinese or Arabic script.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arial 

en.m.wikipedia.org/.../Times_New_Roman 

There is a font named LEXIE which was developed to be dyslexia friendly.  Dyslexia is a common co-morbidity with autism.  www.dafont.com/lexia-readable.font

Reported this post. Uncalled for and serves no purpose other than to cause upset here.

I like constantia. It's a nice font and I'll normally use it when writing in word.

I've recently started using Aptos and I find it very pleasing ️ 

There's a font called "Spectral" which I thought was nice, and apt.

Coperplate looks great https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copperplate_Gothic

But in terms of what's easy to read I like helvetica https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetica

I'm not versed in differentiating human from AI generated text, so do not have an informed opinion. Though the motivation for unleashing AI dissention on a marginalised group seems a bit weak to me. I can see the motivation of Putin's regime sowing discord and disinformation on voters in Western countries, but what advantage is to be gained from irritating a bunch of autistics?

Don't you find this interesting Martin?  Is this a truly "misguided" human.....or do you think it is not a human (in the literal sense, rather than a metaphorical sense?).....and that this post has [potentially] only been made by a 'machine learning' tool...or a 'machine programmed to sow division tool' within a subset of humanity...ie the autistic community?

You seem like me, without some of my weaknesses? [Disambiguation = I'm not looking for a date here.....and I presume (strongly) that I have some strengths that you cannot readily muster...or simply choose not to muster?]

You and I have not really made / have not had the opportunity to make.....any sort of genuine human connection together......but I don't doubt you are a human!  That's a win for me these days !!!

I would sincerely be grateful for your feedback on this.  I can't trust NT's to be straight with me.....and because I'm autistic, I GENUINELY don't care/won't take offence no matter how your respond.  Can you punt me a line please gov?

NAS92555 said:

For this autistic person, any serif font is the worst. All those squiggles that one user said they loved out of nostalgia for the times pens and cursive were used and talked about how skillful people were then... like wth is that comment even doing here in this conversation? Absolutely unnecessary to have said (written) in this space.

Well, that is a pleasant sort of posting. Not at all censorious or controlling!

For your information, the original poster said, "Any thought, feelings and expressions welcome." I would assert that this includes my own. Notwithstanding your attempt at 'shutting down' a fellow autist.

I suggest you look at yourself and work out whether you might wear the concept of being 'plain mean'. 

I find the use of the word 'like' as a meaningless filler unpleasant, but would not attempt to exclude you from a conversation because of your use of it.

Golly.  What a firm first-ever post for you 92555.....you deciding to tell others how and when they are (by your standards,) permitted to respond to threads.

It doesn't really work like that here.

Do you like foxes btw?

How about if people who can easily read any font or don't care about fonts, stop responding to this thread and wondering why people feel so strongly about this topic? Isn't this the National Autistic Society?? Isn't this supoposed to be about acceptance and not making fun of people or questioning them? I envy all of you who have posted about how easy it is for you to read any font or this font or that font. That's great. Just wonderful. I wouldn't change any of that for you. Perhaps you can stay out of the spaces and conversations that talk about the difficulties you clearly don't have though. And leave that space for those of us who do struggle and feel strongly about it because of those struggles.

For this autistic person, any serif font is the worst. All those squiggles that one user said they loved out of nostalgia for the times pens and cursive were used and talked about how skillful people were then... like wth is that comment even doing here in this conversation? Absolutely unnecessary to have said (written) in this space.

Those squiggles make it hard to read for many. I can't read most physical books because that's the standard for publishing industries and has been for centuries. Centuries of being excluded from the space of physical books. So thanks for that experience, or rather non-experience I guess. As an academic, I was ecstatic with the latest APA edition and their updated and accessible font guide! Yaasss! That will eventualyl trickle outside academia, like all things do and I expect the publishing industry's standards will then change as well. Good riddance.

There are specific fonts more accessible and less infantilized than Comic Sans for neurodivergent folks today.

In my post-sec work experience so far, all of them are sans serif. That seems to be a key component of neuroaccessibilty. Spacing between letters is also important. And weight. Either weight at the bottom of the character, or weight in the first few letters.

Hope that feedback is useful!

And I hope people who don't care about fonts or don't struggle with fonts, stay out of these conversations next time. You're being unhelpful and in some cases, ableist and just plain mean. Stay out.

Hello CG Oakling - lovely to hear from you.

Arial and Calabri are the only ones I ever use.  The former is slightly more compact than the latter.  I like the 'look' of Calabri the most. ...BUT... I am blessed with good handwriting so I do exercise that skill whenever possible.

A hand written letter of complaint OR compliment is always a 'power move' in my experience.

Writing for some journals and university theses, which insist on sans-serif fonts.

I remember, during GCSE Computer Studies, the text was in courier, and the headings in bookman. 

Then, along came ECDL. Which, at the time, shoehorned Times New Roman. Fast forward to Windows 7, standardised calibri. 

Great answer. May I ask in what circumstance you’re not allowed to use tImes new Roman ?