Autism is not your enemy

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I first learned I was on the Autism Spectrum when I was 64. Initially I thought I'd done pretty well in life for someone who was Autistic and then I wondered if any other Autistics had also done well. Then I goofed. I searched the Internet to see if any known or suspected Autistics had also done well.OH, MY, GOSH. There were!!

Autism is a Spectrum. We're all different. And, I suspect you'd find that not only were we born different but also raised differently in different settings.

I think a significant portion of our differences from Society are due to Autism. And a significant portion of our differences from each other are due to when/where/how we were raised.

It certainly isn't my friend either. Sure there are successful geniuses who may or may not be autistic but I'm not one of them. I have no tech or engineering prowess to offset it and I'm not that interested in academia. Oh wowee I'm good at remembering facts about chimpanzees and not much else, so impressive. Nah, it isn't worth it. I want to be NT. I was in denial for years because I want to be normal. The success stories make me feel worse rather than better.

There are people far far lower functioning than us out there, for whom the entire world is one long sensory nightmare, and these articles don't really acknowledge them and their struggles. If there was a way to make their lives easier using medicine then I'd be happy about that. As long as it remained optional. If you consider your autism a boon and a superpower then that's great for you. But not everyone feels the same way and there's no correct way to feel about it.

My Autism is not severe...which was a good start. Actually, my "Autism" could be better described as "Asperger's" but, these days, it is officially "Autism".

And I was born in 1954 so I was not a even candidate for being officially anything until they pulled Asperger's Syndrome into the DSM in 1994. Before that I was just ME (who many would've characterized as "strange").

But, with hindsight, I could see how being strange with the wrong parents could've been devastating. I was very, very fortunate that my parents accommodated my strangeness rather than try to change me.

...and I got some lucky breaks that allowed me to earn comfortable retirement when I was 56.

So, Autism was not my enemy. Looking at my siblings I think Autism may have been my friend.
^{Except for socializing and romance}

Your life and your Autism are quite likely different than mine...even if we are officially both "Autistic".

Perhaps the medical professionals should refine their terminology.