I know in my case it's because prior to finding out about being on the spectrum and having Aspergers I just thought it was everyone else who was defective. For some people on the spectrum including me, the biggest difference was that everyone else was some kind of weirdo who knew rules without being told them. As a kid, you are told to be careful on a road and that's why you are, you are told not to have your hands on a soccer ball but you aren't told make sure to lie to people when it comes to certain conditions. In a way, it's weirder than most people figure out without being told by anyone okay don't tell people that they are fat and don't ask questions about why someone is so certain that their religion is correct.

I had to be taught that but outside of that, most people who didn't spend too much time with me then think I am smarter than average and are willing to rely on me for help with some stuff. I am proud because Asperger's is related to how one's brain is wired if I was embarrassed or considered Asperger's to be defective it would take a toll on my mental health because then I would be thinking of myself of a defective thing and defective things are usually thought of as something that should be thrown out.

The more that I learn, the more I realize how much medicine as a field is in its infancy. It is far safer to assume that supposed conditions are real and science just hasn't caught up yet.

Anyway, it appears to be only a matter of time until there is a "provable" test for autism. See, for example: https://molecularautism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s...

There are also observable (via fMRI) differences in the brains of people on the spectrum: http://time.com/3614487/fmri-autism-diagnosis/

This shouldn't be flagged, it is spot on.

Autism is the ADD/ADHD of the 'oughts. Overly diagnosed (come on, 1:55, really?), misunderstood (is the creepy guy who stares too much and never says anything a freak or is he autistic?), and often times used like a crutch by those who both want an easy out and/or don't want to take responsibility for their actions (oh, I have mild Aspberger syndrome and your offending me).

The notion of a "spectrum" is ludicrous too, how ever can we lump in someone who's a bit slow yet fully independent with someone like the above poster who's 8/10 year olds can't go potty on their own? This is a disservice to people on both ends of that "spectrum."

Autism is a well known disability.