Autism is NOT a disorder

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So?! Why does that matter at all?!?! Why would being a programmer and website developer rather than a sociologist nor a psychologist disqualify someone from being an expert in the field of Autism? ...

Because he (apparently) has no officially recognized formal training in autistic studies, and it is fallacious to consider an expert in one field to automatically be an expert in any other field.Source: This article on the "Logically Fallacious" website

LGBT is the umbrella of both groups you mention. That group has between 8-13% of the overall U.S. population (if you're in another country, can't help you because I don't know, but I'd assume it's about the same).

Autistics are <2% of the population, we don't have the numbers, thus we don't have the power to effectively argue for change.

We can scream and shout all we want, but we're so small nobody is forced to listen and thus they don't care

Nietzsche is correct. Unfortunately that never changes, even when one points it out. That's because humans don't care a damn about "truth", they care about power: thus power will overrule truth every single time.

Again, Mead represented the women's right movement...the "small group of thoughtful, committed citizens" she's talking about are literally over half the population.

Nice sentiment, but also untrue.

If you're trying to move people from their instincts to something logical and productive the charade tends to only last a short time before old behaviors crop back up.

Augustus Caesar's reign is a prime example of this: through pure power Augustus established a strong moral code in Rome that actually worked...until he died and the power wasn't there to keep s**t up to shoe level thus it all fell into the decaying Rome we know today.

Power is the only thing that matters, all other things are merely tools to acquire power or tools to defend it-- that's not just limited to weapons, it includes ideologies, academics, literally everything.

it is fallacious to consider an expert in one field to automatically be an expert in any other field.

We live in a society designed by and for Neurotypicals.
One might argue as well that Neurotypicals are disabled because they're ill-suited for a society designed by and for Autistic people.

Neurotypicals are by definition not disabled. They are the functional ones who have found success.

If autistic people were the most functional we would be the ones who made the world the way it is. So in this world, autism is a disability.

Are they?

How many of them are totally stressed out?
How many are on anti-depressants?
How many are addicted to Ritalin, Adderall, caffeine or some other kind of stimulant?
How many of them commit suicide every year?

Just because they're the majority and set the norm, that doesn't mean they're sane or healthy.

Nope, but they are the more successful.

Advantages of Autism

People with Autism often have exceptional memories, and can remember information they read weeks ago. They are also less likely to misremember something.

People with Autism often outperform others in auditory and visual tasks, and also do better on non-verbal tests of intelligence. In one study by Mottron, on a test that involved completing a visual pattern, people with autism finished 40 percent faster than those without the condition.

People with Autism often notice details other people don’t notice. Rather than starting with an overview and then zooming in on the details, the mind of the Autistic person goes the other way around. They collect detail after detail and will zoom out to an overview only after they’ve gathered enough details to come to a conclusion.

People with Autism are often non-conformists. They don’t follow the crowd. They look at a problem devoid of political or religious conventionality and pressure. They think out of the box and often come up with ideas no one else in their environment had thought of before.

People with Autism often have a strong ability in fields like science and technology (superior Paleomammalian complex) or fields like art and design (superior Reptilian complex). As a consequence, Autistic people are found among our best programmers, scientists, engineers, inventors, designers and artists.

People with Autism often are extremely honest and very passionate about the things they enjoy. They tend to have a strong interest in solving problems in their areas of interest for their own sake, independent of monetary reward.

People with Autism often have the ability to hyperfocus on a single task for many hours straight. While hyperfocusing, their mind is exclusively focused on that particular task.

Note that not all of these traits are present in every person with Autism, however they are all very commonly found within the Autistic community at large.

Autism and genius

Some of the world’s greatest engineers, programmers, scientists and artists are known to have been Autistic or believed to have been Autistic.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart reportedly had repeated facial expressions and unintentional constant motion of his hands and feet It was also believed that Mozart’s hearing was very sensitive and intense and loud sounds made him feel physically sick. Other reports indicate that he was excessively active. Mozart was unable to carry on an intellectual conversation and existed in a careless and reckless way with impolite and frequent mood changes. It is reported that one day, Mozart was particularly bored and jumped up and hurdled over tables and chairs, meowed like a cat and did somersaults. Mozart’s letters indicated a presence of echolalia. Together, these characteristics seem to point to the conclusion that Mozart most likely had some form of Autism.

Isaac Newton was very quiet and not very good at ‘small talk’, or typical day to day conversations. He was extraordinarily focused on his work and had a hard time breaking away. He was often so focused that he forgot to eat during these times of intense focus. He was not good at keeping or making friends as he did not appear friendly, nor did he know how to talk with individuals he did consider to be friends. He also relied strongly upon routines. For example, if he had been scheduled to give a lecture, that lecture was going to happen whether there was an audience or not. Together, these characteristics seem to point to the conclusion that Newton most likely had some form of Autism.

Charles Darwin was a solitary child, and even as he grew to be an adult, avoided interaction with people as much as he could. He wrote letters often, but did not often partake in face-to-face communication. Writing letters was his preferred means of communication. He collected many things and was very intrigued by chemistry and gadgets. He was a very visual thinker as well as a rather obsessive-compulsive and ritualistic man. Together, these characteristics seem to point to the conclusion that Darwin most likely had some form of Autism.

Michelangelo had obsessional behavior, a fiery temper, and the propensity to be a loner. He had a single-minded work routine, unusual lifestyle, limited interests, poor social and communication skills. He was obsessive and followed repetitive routines. If he did not follow these routines, it would create great frustration. He has been described as strange, without affect, and isolated, as well as being “preoccupied with his own private reality.” Together, these characteristics seem to point to the conclusion that Michelangelo most likely had some form of Autism.

Nikola Tesla was a foremost inventor and engineer, more brilliant by far than his contemporary Edison, who ultimately exploited him and stole many of his ideas. Known as a very eccentric person, Tesla harbored a crippling series of phobias, maintained his celibacy, had a sensitivity to light and sound, and was intensely focused on numbers (especially the number three — he wouldn’t stay in a room whose number was not divisible by three). He was very soft spoken, but could be nasty in defense of his strange beliefs. While generally reclusive and fanatically driven by his work, he could grandstand and was good friends with Mark Twain in his middle years. As he aged, he became even more bizarre, ultimately earning the derision of the scientific community and dying alone in a hotel room, nearly penniless. Together, these characteristics seem to point to the conclusion that Tesla most likely had some form of Autism.

Bill Gates is the co-founder of Microsoft, and frequently tops the list of the richest people in the world. The only living entrant on my list, Gates exhibited a marked technical acumen from youth — his computer programming skills and attention to detail were remarkable, and he racked up an almost perfect score on the SATs. He has a distinct rocking motion when he is concentrating, a clipped monotone speech pattern, and has developed a reputation for being distant, avoiding eye contact, and lashing out at subordinates when he is displeased. Together, these characteristics seem to point to the conclusion that Gates most likely has some form of Autism.

Note that this list is far from complete. In fact, it’s but the tip of the iceberg.

Source

This is a bad article, I get the point of trying to boost your self-esteem and to make yourself feel like a special snowflake but Autism in my experience is definitely a "disorder" and in my opinion a disability. It's not just "different" if we're not being adequately being accommodated and are stuck in isolation. I don't have any super special aspie savant skills.

Autism may represent the last great prejudice we, as a society, must overcome. History is riddled with examples of intolerance directed at the atypical. We can sometime fear that which diverges from the “norm”, and sometimes that fear leads us to frame those who are different as being in some way lesser beings than ourselves.

Autism is framed as a disability, with mainstream theories presenting autism via deficit models. Popular theory is often passed off as fact with no mention of the morphic nature of research and scientific process. Most mainstream theory is silent regarding autistic strengths and atypical ability; indeed, what is in print often presents a damning image of autism as an “epidemic”. Hurtful words such as risk, disease, disorder, impairment, deficit, pedantic, obsession are frequently utilised.

A common misconception around autism is that it is inextricably linked to intellectual disability. However, many of the world’s great thinkers and innovators displayed autistic characteristics. “Autism and intellectual disability often occur together in clinical settings, and this has made many researchers think that the conditions must share the same genetic causes. Our research challenges this assumption,” says Dr Rosa Hoekstra, lecturer in psychology at the Open University, who led a recent study which found that the genes for autism are distinct from those for learning disabilities. Autistic people exhibit a range of intellectual ability, including exceptional intellect. An obvious cause of this discrepancy is that very intellectually able people are less likely to be diagnosed. Furthermore, some diagnosticians actively withhold diagnoses in those deemed to be coping.