I thought the most interesting piece in this series was the article about how autism can be a positive advantage in some areas of human activity, including science.
It reminds me of Temple Grandin’s line:
“Who do you think made the first stone spear? That wasn't the yakkity yaks sitting around the campfire. It was some Asperger sitting in the back of a cave figuring out how to chip rocks into spearheads.”
I have two ASD sons, both very "high functioning" -- and I don't mean "high functioning asperger's", I mean high functioning people. I have always told them that their various issues are two-edged swords. This was a major cornerstone of raising them to cope effectively with being so different from the norm. FWIW, here are some things I wrote 500 million years ago on the topic (probably full of dead links and things I don't recall saying): http://www.kidslikemine.com/aspie.shtml
You have to be careful taking this line of reasoning too far. For some, autism is completely debilitating and offers no upside--not to mention that it can have an overwhelmingly negative toll on family members, health care providers and law enforcement officials.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v479/n7371/full/479033a...
It reminds me of Temple Grandin’s line: “Who do you think made the first stone spear? That wasn't the yakkity yaks sitting around the campfire. It was some Asperger sitting in the back of a cave figuring out how to chip rocks into spearheads.”