awiddershinlife, I understand genetics. You don't seem to understand codominance; if you inherit the alleles for A *and* B type blood, you don't end up with A or B, you end up with AB. As was suggested before, Autism may be somewhat similar (though it's complexity argues for it being polygenetic) - if you inherit two copies of the allele A, you end up with what would be called severe Autism; if you inherit two copies of the allele a, you end up being what is considered Neurotypical; and if you inherit the Aa combination, you end up with Aspergers. I fail to see why you consider this to somehow be degrading to those with "severe autism".

I also fail to see why you can't accept that some people are more able to live independently than others, when it's quite clearly true... pointing out that someone isn't as good at maths as you doesn't make them less of a person, for example. However, you can only do this when it's actually true.

Nature doesn't care about the intrinsic worth of human beings, though.

None of that is valid.

Autism is genetically complex, beyond simple genetics 101phenotype/genotype and  dominant/recessive discussions. Additionally the differences b/t LFA/HFA are abstract and based on judgement because it is a spectrum - a multifactored spectrum, not at all analogous to single feature inheritance (e.g. eye color) - which actually is less straightforward than you surmise.

My concerns are not about who is good at math and who cannot preform heart surgery (personally, I can do neither), but pointing out the demeaning comments made about some of us.

These negative judgments are so entrenched that people don't even want to consider that some of the comments are hurtful. Saying that some of us are evolutionary junk is hurtful. The fact that we locked up the people we are dismissing in abusive *** holes is an abomination that could reoccur with this kind of ignorance being bandied about.

You did not appreciate me targeting you (none of which I actually believe, Magneto) because it was a terrible way to talk about someone: IT WAS WRONG. So I will not accept it as a way to talk about anyone.

True, nature is a harsh mistress. I would have died young w/o antibiotics. If I did make it though childhood, I would have died in childbirth. So, are you talking euthanasia for those of us who don't rate the "aspie" label?

I am just so surprised at you!

I'm not saying that we should euthanise anybody. I'm just pointing out that if we didn't do anything, nature would kill them off - they *are* an evolutionary dead end, as are infertile people, homosexuals etc.

Think of it another way - if you're talking about the services that need to be provided for autists, you're going to habe to take a proper look at ability. If someone can't live independently, refusing to admit that they can't helps nobody. You may think it's demeaning, but sometimes it's necessary. I'm not saying they should be locked up in institutions, but if you want an alternative, you need to know just what needs to be provided.

What I'm concerned about is that, for fear of demeaning people, you're not going to take a realistic look at their strengths and weaknesses. If we want to get them out of institutions - and I do - we have to look at things from a practical, somewhat utilitarian standpoint.

Hence my comment about extrinsic value - extrinsic value depends on how useful someone is, and hence changes as circumstances change. It's like having to choose who to save in a plane crash on an uninhabited island - the doctor, or the teacher? Both have the same instrinsic value, but the former will be more useful where you are.

I never said that Autism was dependent upon a single gene, though... I wrote:
"though it's complexity argues for it being polygenetic". However, that doesn't negate the fact that those who are severely autistic are less likely to reproduce...

Is it possible to imagine that in some cultures at some times this cluster of traits was just another sort of thing, and the surrounding context didn't result in children with these traits being tormented or adults having severe difficulties because of being forced to "socialize"?    And that this sort of thing happening now is a kind of glitch resulting from some sort of abnormal swing to what looks like "NT" social practices?