It's true -- with adult spectrum disorder being more widely discussed than ever (*big* article in the NY Times last month), the Wired reporter could be doing a real service by raising it explicitly. But it's quite possible that the reporter shares some of those same qualities, and therefore didn't see it the same way.

-- Chris, who took till she was 30 to know how to end a conversation and still wonders where she is on the spectrum

Is it also possible that he's an INTP on the Meyer-Briggs scale? INTx's are notorious for such behavior and excel at computer programming and the like. Or perhaps the two are related?

I'm an INTx and a Star Trek geek. I had heard of AS but did not think it aplied to me. But after reading the Wired article, I took their little Autism-Spectrum Quotient test. Didn't think I would score as high as I did...hmmm.

I read the article and wondered the same thing myself.

I constantly "diagnose" people with possible AS now that I see through the filter too, children and adults (my son has had a dx of AS for two years now).

It's a good thing for awareness to be raised, that there are a lot of people out there with these issues, even if a journalist doesn't mention AS specifically. I hope over time the "average" person won't be so quick to look at a kid who can't handle sensory overload and think "what's wrong with that kid's parents?" or look at an adult who doesn't know how make eye contact during a conversation and think "what's wrong with this person?"

Paula, I devoutly hope the same. It could happen. Young kids are going to have a whole lot more peers on the spectrum than we ever did. Of course, that brings up the whole do-you-reveal-the-diagnosis issue...

Brad, Chris, I'm fairly certain neither of you are on the spectrum. I think I'd have picked up on it. But I see some traits in myself too (mostly sensory issues). I think there's probably no human being who qualifies as completely neurotypical.

Oh, and the INTx? I suspect a lot of people with AS would test that way, but that they're a subset of INTs. When is a nerd not just a nerd?