Mental Disorders/Disabilites in the Characters?

[EggStealerGirl]

So far, I think that both Spike and Sierra have mental disorders.

Perhaps Spike has some sort of autism that I have?

I also think that Sierra has psychopathy. His actions and verbal responses are proof of that.

Now that I'm on the subject, two of my LBT OCs have mental disorders;

Byron, my LBT villain, has psychopathy as well.

And Zeek, an OC that I have yet to introduce, has kleptomania.

Kleptomania is a disorder in which a person constantly steals things in order to get some sort of pleasure out of it.

Not to worry, though; he usually steals things such as rocks, and practical stuff like that. Stuff that really isn't worth too much value.

Wow, looking back at this, I posted something very stupid... :blink:

I'm not trying to ruin anyone's fun here, (as I occasionally speculate whether or not some of my favorite fictional characters have mental disorders), but I kind of stopped doing it with the LBT characters, (even though I think Pterano might be narcissistic). But, whatever.

Also, coming from someone who has actual Asperger's, I don't think Cera has it, much like some of the other posters have pointed out.

[EggStealerGirl]

I have aspbergur's syndrom myself.

I have it, too.

As well as a few other things.

[LittlefootAndAliTogether]

I think that Ozzy and Sierra are psychopaths.  Nothing else explains their bizarre and murderous behavior.

Sharptooth might be a bit out there too, as you can see him snapping at thin air, even though he's got to know he can't get at the Gang of Five.   Also, he seems so willing to get the kids that he goes into a thorn patch (even the hyenas from Lion King knew a thorn patch was a bad idea and got out quickly.)

Pterano I don't think is nuts, just thinks too highly of himself.  

Spike, I used to think had some kind of mental disorder, and that was why he almost never talked.   However, after seeing "Through the Eyes of a Spiketail", I can't conclude that anymore, though I can conclude that he's color blind.

Topps's behavior is more of a mystery, though perhaps, like the Gang of Five, he was bullied by some Hyp types as a kid, and eventually was taught to stand up for himself by Grandpa Threehorn (Topps's father), and is now taking the standing up thing too far.  As Topps actually says that his father made him what he is today, we can surmise that Grandpa Threehorn is just as bad, if not worse, than his son, including possibly in species bigotry.


Cera might be narcissistic, on a lower level, as she seems stuck up, and, even at the end of the first film, never admits she was wrong for leading the others the wrong way (heck, Pterano got banished for such an offense!  The only difference between his herd and Ducky, Petrie, and Spike is that the latter 3 lived, though she had kept going and they could easily have died in the first film.)  and Ruby says in the TV Series that talking about Cera is one of Cera's favorite things to talk about.  

Petrie might be somewhat panicky or insecure as, of the Gang of Five, and, indeed, Chomper and Ruby, he is the only one that seems to lack a father figure in his life.  

Ducky's Father might be really shy as he never seems to talk ever despite having made it to the Great Valley (though perhaps this might have something to do with what happened to Judith)  

Ducky actually seems quite stable, and, in fact, rarely gets mad.  On the other hand, she was really odd in the Sky Colored Stones episode where she was ignoring Spike when he was stuck and hoarding those stones kinda like Gollum and it doesn't take much to see her going "My precious!  Don't worry my precious!  Ruby and Cera won't get you!"  In fact, she seems to have trouble with that last stone, wanting to hold onto it even though her life was in danger (Chomper behaved similarly with his tooth that fell out, but, to his credit, he thought he had to get it back in or he'd fall apart into bones.  That wasn't the case with Ducky.  Yeah, Littlefoot was like that with the Tree Star his mother gave him, but that's more understandable and, also, he leaves it to save himself and the others when they run from Sharptooth.)  

As for Bron, i personally believe that he ran from Sharptooth or something and got away, but hit his head in the process and got Amnesia and forgot his family for years.  Also, this chased by a Sharptooth scenario makes it plausible why Littlefoot's mother or Littlefoot's grandparents never mentioned him to Littlefoot in the films.   They would all think he had died, which explains why they never went looking for him.  

I know, Grandma and Grandpa Longneck don't appear too shocked to see Bron still alive, but the Bron scenario seems it's gonna have problems somewhere no matter what they add to it later on.    Perhaps they thought Bron might have died but weren't sure, and assumed his long absence meant he had either left or died.  They never told Littlefoot as they didn't truly know what had happened to him.  

I did create a villain named Gallim, who is quite manipulative, and also chameleon like, being an omnivore, he can pose as both a Sharptooth and a Flattooth and secretly hates both kinds, though he often works more with Sharpteeth as they are more brutal and more to his liking.  However, brutality isn't his greatest weapon, but his mind is.  He especially likes to keep herd segregation around forever as he knows that if they were to ever work together, they could pose too great a threat to his new world order plots.  

He can gloat over horrible tragedies and has no pity on anyone.  Near the end of the two part finale film, like Claude Frollo, is starting to lose it and is cackling madly and, like Frollo, is saying that he wishes he'd take out Littlefoot 20 years ago and how Littlefoot's mother died trying to save Littlefoot from him (Sharptooth turns out to be Gallim's past accomplice, with Red Claw, who turns out to be Sharptooth's brother, being his current Sharptooth accomplice.)  and now Littlefoot is trying to save Ali.  He vows to slowly kill Ali in front of Littlefoot just to torture Littlefoot and is seen getting more maniacal as the final fight progresses.  

Gallim even has other creeps (Sharptooth, Sierra, Red Claw, and Ozzy) working for him at various points.


As for asperger's, I have that too.  

[Ducky123]

I think that Ozzy and Sierra are psychopaths. Nothing else explains their bizarre and murderous behavior.

Sierra is definitely a sadistic psychopath. As for Ozzy, he isn't as badass as Sierra is so maybe one could say he's showing some psychopathic and violent behavior but he isn't an outright psychopath?

Sharptooth might be a bit out there too, as you can see him snapping at thin air, even though he's got to know he can't get at the Gang of Five. Also, he seems so willing to get the kids that he goes into a thorn patch (even the hyenas from Lion King knew a thorn patch was a bad idea and got out quickly.)

Well, Sharptooth is tricky. I suppose he must've been really hungry if he took the risk of going into the thorns (which costed him one of his eyes). That is possibly why he so desperately chases Littlefoot and his friends.

Pterano I don't think is nuts, just thinks too highly of himself.

Yep, I agree with you

Spike, I used to think had some kind of mental disorder, and that was why he almost never talked. However, after seeing "Through the Eyes of a Spiketail", I can't conclude that anymore, though I can conclude that he's color blind.

Yeah, Spike's behavior would be considered odd by our society at least. He's special in his own way and I'm not sure if I can call it an actual disorder. "Through the Eyes of a Spiketail" is not really something I base my overall picture of Spike on to be honest since for thirdteen movies and twenty-four episodes he was just Spike and then everything changes in the last episode. (OT: I'd have liked if they had never made that episode in the first place. It's rather confusing than contributing to Spike as a character which is just my very personal opinion of course )

Topps's behavior is more of a mystery, though perhaps, like the Gang of Five, he was bullied by some Hyp types as a kid, and eventually was taught to stand up for himself by Grandpa Threehorn (Topps's father), and is now taking the standing up thing too far. As Topps actually says that his father made him what he is today, we can surmise that Grandpa Threehorn is just as bad, if not worse, than his son, including possibly in species bigotry.

Yeah, his behavior is a product of his upbringing, seemingly. That sometimes makes him quite a jerk to say the least

I think that Guido might have a sort of disorder which deletes the memory every now and then. Otherwise I couldn't explain just why he is so... clueless. I mean he can barely remember his own name  

[LittlefootAndAliTogether]

I think that Ozzy and Sierra are psychopaths. Nothing else explains their bizarre and murderous behavior.

Sierra is definitely a sadistic psychopath. As for Ozzy, he isn't as badass as Sierra is so maybe one could say he's showing some psychopathic and violent behavior but he isn't an outright psychopath?

Sharptooth might be a bit out there too, as you can see him snapping at thin air, even though he's got to know he can't get at the Gang of Five. Also, he seems so willing to get the kids that he goes into a thorn patch (even the hyenas from Lion King knew a thorn patch was a bad idea and got out quickly.)

Well, Sharptooth is tricky. I suppose he must've been really hungry if he took the risk of going into the thorns (which costed him one of his eyes). That is possibly why he so desperately chases Littlefoot and his friends.

Pterano I don't think is nuts, just thinks too highly of himself.

Yep, I agree with you

Spike, I used to think had some kind of mental disorder, and that was why he almost never talked. However, after seeing "Through the Eyes of a Spiketail", I can't conclude that anymore, though I can conclude that he's color blind.

Yeah, Spike's behavior would be considered odd by our society at least. He's special in his own way and I'm not sure if I can call it an actual disorder. "Through the Eyes of a Spiketail" is not really something I base my overall picture of Spike on to be honest since for thirdteen movies and twenty-four episodes he was just Spike and then everything changes in the last episode. (OT: I'd have liked if they had never made that episode in the first place. It's rather confusing than contributing to Spike as a character which is just my very personal opinion of course )

Topps's behavior is more of a mystery, though perhaps, like the Gang of Five, he was bullied by some Hyp types as a kid, and eventually was taught to stand up for himself by Grandpa Threehorn (Topps's father), and is now taking the standing up thing too far. As Topps actually says that his father made him what he is today, we can surmise that Grandpa Threehorn is just as bad, if not worse, than his son, including possibly in species bigotry.

Yeah, his behavior is a product of his upbringing, seemingly. That sometimes makes him quite a jerk to say the least

I think that Guido might have a sort of disorder which deletes the memory every now and then. Otherwise I couldn't explain just why he is so... clueless. I mean he can barely remember his own name  

Sierra wants to rule the dino world and is pretty evil.   Ironic considering that he's probably a leaf eater and Sharpteeth are supposed to be the wicked ones.  

Ozzy is very nuts, as even Strut thinks he's going too far over a lousy egg.   Also, his "I'm first, I'm first, I'm always first!" comment exposes his to be as self-centered as Sierra.  

Also, though Strut, who I had always thought was just bad cause his brother was pushing him around, suggested throwing Littlefoot off the Great Wall, oddly enough, it is Ozzy holding Littlefoot and about to murder him.  

I'd like to see Strut get redemption and turn on his brother at some future point.   As for Ozzy, I'd like him to have a bad encounter with an older Chomper and, preferably get killed in some fight, perhaps trying to kill Chonper, and then Chomper would decide that since he's dead, it's ok to eat him and do so and find that he likes the taste of Egg Stealer and now end up eating Egg Stealers, which would fill him, and also make the Great Valley very happy.

As for Sierra, I think Pterano should be the one to kill him.  Sierra would try and murder Petrie and Pterano would fight Sierra.  

Also, it is possible that Red Claw might be a psychopath, as why he'd go after Chomper otherwise doesn't make much sense.  We'll have to wait and see to find out about Red Claw.


I think that Chomper might be not disabled, but, er, gifted.  He seems to know Leaf Eater despite having only been around the language for a few hours.  Also, he still remembers the Gang of Five, despite only having met them before on the day that they hatched.  He is even seen replying to the Gang of Five, particularly Littlefoot, in the second film, though he can't fully talk yet, despite having just hatched.   He definitely is smarter than any of the other Sharpteeth we've ever seen.  (Which could mean BIG trouble if someday he were to turn on the Gang of Five.)  

On the other hand, he seems to be pretty naive and pretty gullible, though not as bad as Petrie or Ducky.  

[DaveTheAnalyzer]

As an autistic person, I can see and support headcanons about Spike being nonverbal and autistic. Some have noted he buries or covers his head when scared or stressed at times. There are moments where he doesn’t grasp the social mood and is sheepish when called out on it. He’s social but there’re autistic people who are social. He does often hover at the edge of the gang and go on his own sometimes to do his own thing.

He could be nonverbal because he has no interest in talking and/or that talking is a stressful endeavor. Thankfully, the gang doesn’t press Spike much about not speaking, so he’s mostly a laidback sort. That one time they did press him near the 4th film’s end, Spike did have a momentary nervous “Oh crud” expression before he smoothly covered himself by chomping on grass. As he grows up, I do wonder if he would feel social pressure to become verbal, or become interested in being verbal on his own. Googling around does indicate nonverbal individuals becoming verbal is possible, and has been explored with Spike in a few fan stories. But though Spike might be able to speak a few words, it’s also possible he’ll never become fully verbal. Sometimes with a disability, there’s no “getting better.” Spike might struggle in his older years but come to self-acceptance again and believe there’s nothing for him to “get better” from. And that’s okay. As I’m going to stay Autistic for life, I find that encouraging.

The “Through The Eyes of a Spiketail” episode doesn’t seem that strange to me. I’m not nonverbal but his thought process were similar to mine. I’ve checked a few articles where nonverbal autistic adolescents communicate through computers and it’s not that different either. From what I research, nonverbal people do have rich thoughts and opinions they have difficulty communicating with others.  

I can see Mutt from Hyp’s gang being disabled as well. I know he’s the “Dim” Archetype often found in kids’ show Bully Gangs, but he still interest me. I don’t know of a specific disability but he can be a bit slow on the uptake and doesn’t appear to act his age. He seems pretty agreeable until prodded by Hyp and Nod. As for why he fell with that kind of crowd, well…disabled people have a huge variety of interests like everyone else. And some of them like being punks (Even if not successful ones). I surmise Mutt could have found how Hyp and Nod’s antics amusing and exciting, and wanted to be part of that action. He seems pretty used to the occasional insult or slap directed at him but I wonder if there’s a point where that would affect him.

I do see the yellow bellies, or the herd Foobie leads, as disabled. They can only concentrate on one subject at a time and can have a hard time grasping the magnitude of certain situations. Foobie is different but he’s nonverbal and tends to go with the flow of his herd (I do like the small, cute friendship he shares with fellow green nonverbal Spike). I’ve seen one or two interpret them having more severe autism that leaves them with little choice but to depend upon Foobie and others for survival. I do like that though Littlefoot and the gang do find them in turns weird, annoying, and/or frustrating, they don’t value their lives any less because of whatever disability they might have causes them to have difficulty taking care of themselves (Though Littlefoot was a bit patronizing about it).

I would caution against diagnosing antagonists and villains. Not that they can’t be disabled but it can lead to trying to explain their badness through their disability, which has a bad history. Though unintentional, it can paint disabled people as violent even though we’re far more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence. Neurotypical people have been logiced and logiced themselves into doing all sorts of terrible things just fine on their own throughout history. I’m probably being a bit paranoid but it’s something I’ve become aware in my disability readings.  

That was fun. One of the things I’ve liked about The Land Before Time are the characters that can be interpreted as having disabilities and I hope I explored them well.

[DiddyKF1]

I can actually relate.  I happen to have Asperger's.  Also, my youngest brother has Asperger's, and another one of my younger brothers can't talk due to mental retardation, so I would most certainly agree with the theory that Spike being nonverbal is because of some form of autism.

However, one character whom I think has autism is Petrie.  I can think of a possible reason for his timidity and nervousness, and maybe even his broken English.  He probably has Asperger's as well.  My Asperger's basically just causes me to be a more quiet and not very social person, and autism obviously delays mental development.  My guess is that Petrie has Asperger's Syndrome, and that's why he speaks in broken English (he might have suffered from delays in speech development), why he used to be afraid of flying, and why he's not as brave as his friends are.  From my perspective, I can easily relate.

I'm not sure if maybe the "disappearance" of his father might also have played a part in it.  Ironically, my parents divorced when I was about three or four, and I've since remained living with my mother, so for Petrie to have his father suddenly out of his life at about the same age (my theory being that he tried to do what Bron tried to do, and got eaten by a Sharptooth) could also have effected his personality in the slightest.  As mentioned in "E.T: The Extra Terrestrial," family problems can effect a child badly.

And, of course, his uncle Pterano's mental issues.  I'm with you all that Pterano has got some sort of mental disorder that influenced his behavior in the seventh movie.  Now, I doubt that Petrie inherited any of his uncle's mental problems, but this once again proves my point on family problems greatly affecting children.  Although nearly all of the Gang's families have had rough histories, Petrie's has definitely been the roughest.  Littlefoot lost his mother so tragically, Cera lost her mother and siblings, Spike has no known biological family, and Chomper and Ruby were separated from their families by Red Claw, but Petrie?  His is the worst: his father is gone and he hardly ever knew him at all (since we've never heard him being mentioned by anyone throughout the series), he is the occasional laughing stock of his siblings (Asperger's may also have been why he initially did poorly and kept screwing up while practicing for the Day of the Flyers, because some individuals with Asperger's prefer to do certain things alone rather than with others), and his possibly-mental uncle has committed multiple crimes and was subsequently exiled.  Again, Petrie's family issues probably affected him badly and even left some side effects to his possible Asperger's Syndrome that seems to have influenced his timid behavior (and, if I may say so, his sensitivity throughout the seventh movie).

Now, I may be making it sound as if Petrie is a mess compared to the rest of the Gang, but I know that deep down he really isn't. Sure, he's nervous and has speech problems, and his family has a black mark, thanks to Pterano, but he's gradually gotten braver and more adventurous as the series has progressed, and he's gotten along very well with his friends, for the most part. The truth is, he shares many traits that I have: nervousness, often afraid to try something new, and possible signs of delays in his mental development, and because of that, I can greatly relate to him.  That's why he's always been my favorite LBT character, and I'll always have a soft spot for him, especially with his very notable character flaws.

[Gentle Sharptooth]

Littlefoot exhibits signs of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). BPD is triggered by feelings of rejection or the preception there of. As long as BDP person thinks you are for them, they are kind and loving, but if you trigger their rejection feelings they become your enemy and mean. Littlefoot exhibits this in LBT I and XIV, when the Gang differs and wants to listen to Cera, Littlefoot abandons them in a rage. While you could argue in LBTI he didn’t know them as well and had his mother’s conviction of the Great Valley, in LBTXIV, it is obvious he doesn’t accept a challenge to his vision and authority. Granted, Littlefoot is trying to save a parent, but I sense Littlefoot has Borderline Personality Disorder because of the death of his mother. He now cannot handle rejection. I will watch more LBT filmx to try and support this theory and turn it into hypothesis. 

[Compsognathus]

I think, that Petrie and Guido have both Asperger's syndrome. They do not fit in much, are very nervous, timid. Petrie has big problems to fly in group, but when he flies alone, he is immediately much better, and Guido would sure have the same problem.

[LittleDas75]

The Yellow Bellies definitely have a learning disorder of some kind and perhaps short term memory loss as well.

[LittleDas75]

I think, that Petrie and Guido have both Asperger's syndrome. They do not fit in much, are very nervous, timid. Petrie has big problems to fly in group, but when he flies alone, he is immediately much better, and Guido would sure have the same problem.

I agree especially since I have Asperger's myself and the traits you describe definitely sound like me.

[Dr. Rex]

I think that Ozzy and Sierra are psychopaths. Nothing else explains their bizarre and murderous behavior.

Sierra is definitely a sadistic psychopath. As for Ozzy, he isn't as badass as Sierra is so maybe one could say he's showing some psychopathic and violent behavior but he isn't an outright psychopath?

I never got a psychopathic vibe from Ozzy. The writers gave him too much comical traits and contrasted him with a legitimately comic character in Strut for me to really see anything psychopathic in Ozzy.

Sierra, on the other hand, is most certainly a psychopath. He's constantly threatening the children and even relishes in the thought of feeding eggs to Sharpteeth. I also headcanon Rinkus as a sociopath, or more of a low-key psychopath, because he's clearly got a cunning, conniving side behind all that cowardice he shows in front of Pterano.

[chomper94]

Not sure why, but from watching the TV series, I cannot debate whether or not Chomper has a disorder.

Like I think it’s autism, because he seems to get scared and angry very easily.

But I dunno, I could be wrong…

[Dr. Rex]

Not sure why, but from watching the TV series, I cannot debate whether or not Chomper has a disorder.

Like I think it’s autism, because he seems to get scared and angry very easily.

But I dunno, I could be wrong…

Those traits sound way too general to be considered symptoms of an autism diagnosis.

[chomper94]

Not sure why, but from watching the TV series, I cannot debate whether or not Chomper has a disorder.

Like I think it’s autism, because he seems to get scared and angry very easily.

But I dunno, I could be wrong…

Those traits sound way too general to be considered symptoms of an autism diagnosis.

Huh, I guess you may be right…

[Gentle Sharptooth]

Not sure why, but from watching the TV series, I cannot debate whether or not Chomper has a disorder.

Like I think it’s autism, because he seems to get scared and angry very easily.

But I dunno, I could be wrong…

Well he is the only Sharptooth in the Great Valley, and Mr. Threehorn is always threatening him. There was that whole exterminate him crusade with Rhett.