Describing high-functioning autism as a "fad" which excuses those with it from having to "improve themselves" is both unpleasant and ignorant. Some autistic peo

Describing high-functioning autism as a "fad" which excuses those with it from having to "improve themselves" is both unpleasant and ignorant. Some autistic people have perfectly normal intelligence and language skills, yet may suffer from some or all of: - incomprehension of and bafflement by social cues and conventions that the rest of us take for granted; this is far more than just being "socially awkward", and was famously described by Temple Grandin as like being "an anthropologist on Mars" - a heavy reliance on routine, and discomfort or distress when that routine is disrupted - over-sensitivity to sensory stimulation, which can make things like a trip to the supermarket (strip lighting, PA announcements, crowds, the smell of produce and other people's bodies) hellish.