Beloved ‘Bluey’ character may be neurodivergent with ADHD

To many of us, Bluey isn’t JUST a TV show about a dog and her family. It’s a relatable Aussie show with hidden meanings and lessons (and the occasional sausage dog) carefully woven into each episode.

And while fan theories have been taking up plenty of internet space since the show launched on our TV screens back in 2018, there’s a new one that has been getting a lot of chatter.

According to some fans, Bluey is so active and playful because she is, quite possibly, neurodivergent.

The conversation recently fired up when a fan asked the question about the rumour in the Adult Bluey Fans Club Facebook group.

Is Bluey neurodivergent?

“So I have a question? I’ve seen other people say that Bluey is neurodivergent and is why she goes to a special school,” the fan asked other members of the group.

“My question is how is she? Because she reminds me a lot of myself as a kid making up games and playing with her sibling. Although she [is] way better at making friends than myself.”

The post attracted over 300 comments from fans who weighed in on the observation.

Many fans insisted that Bluey was just a normal ‘child’ (read: dog) doing normal things a ‘child’ (read: dog) her age would do when playing with her siblings and peers.

“I feel as if Bluey is just a kid. Lots of younger kids have loads of natural energy. I was wrongfully diagnosed with ADHD as a child when in reality I just wanted to play and be active,” one person commented, adding: “I know there are messages in the show about certain topics and that’s amazing, because now as a parent it can help me navigate certain conversations or situations. Or my daughter can learn new games to play with me or her dad. But all in all, she just has a very active imagination and loves to play.”

“She isn’t, people like to say she has ADHD, but she doesn’t, Jack does have ADHD, there is a clear difference in how they behave. Also I have 2 children and a husband with ADHD, she is just a normal kid,” another insisted.

Another pointed out: “They’re Heelers aka a hyperactive breed. But also she’s a young child aka a hyperactive stage of life. It’s not that deep, y’all.”

Others pointed out that while she does indeed go to a different school that doesn’t mean she needs special help.

“She’s a normal child. She just goes to a Waldorf/Stainer school. Honestly some of y’all read far too much into this show. Not everything has some hidden deep meaning behind it.”

Meanwhile, others claim seeing the question posted wasn’t the first time they’ve thought the same thing. 

“I could totally see her having ADHD. I wasn’t as good at making friends, still not, at 28 lol but the hide-and-seek episode where she kept losing focus, is me. Bluey seems very impulsive and somewhat controlling, but in a nice way, and definitely lacks focus lol I see a lot of myself in her,” one fan shared. 

“I think she is implied to have ADHD or something similar. Like one episode where she can’t sleep and Bandit says ‘you know she can’t help it’,” another added. 

And another viewer weighed in: “I agree that she’s neurodivergent. But I don’t think that’s why she’s at that school. As far as I can tell it is a Waldorf school. It may just be that Bingo hasn’t aged into that school yet and that’s why she’s at a different school.”

What the experts say

While fans continue to speculate and Bluey creators keep to their “however you want to interpret it” stance, Kidpsot took the theory to paediatric psychologist and co-founder of the Toddler Toolkit, Amanda Abel, to see what her expert opinion was. 

“While there are questions about whether Bluey might be neurodivergent, what is important here is to remember that the window of ‘normal’ childhood development at Bluey’s age is quite large, meaning that these behaviours or traits can be developmentally age-appropriate,” Amanda tells Kidspot. 

“In addition, Bluey’s potential neurodivergent characteristics don’t appear to be causing her considerable ‘functional impairment’ which is an important component of the assessment process for ADHD and Autism. This is where we look at the negative impact of these ‘symptoms’ on an individual’s daily life which assists our formulation of their experience.”

So the basic message from this is, whether or not you think Bluey is neurodivergent, it isn’t really affecting her life negatively or our love for the TV show, so carry on, binge and continue loving the best Aussie cartoon of all time!