[nicoburns]

> What is up with questioning people's mental health just to explain bluntness and lack of social tact?

For one thing, I wouldn't necessarily consider Autism or Aspergers a mental health condition. It's certainly a difference in mental functional, but unlike something like depression it's not so clear cut that it's always a negative thing.

Secondly, I think the quality of an autistic outlook on the world is very different to simply lacking social tact. It also typically includes a disregard for social norms (sometimes because they are not understood, but sometimes also because they are understood but are rejected), and a very strong sense of morality, both of which are relevant here.

[viraptor]

> For one thing, I wouldn't necessarily consider Autism or Aspergers a mental health condition.

Are you thinking about high functioning autism? Sure, sometimes it's just "that person has weird behaviours". But on the other side of scale there are people who cannot communicate at a level required for independent daily living.

[nicoburns]

> But on the other side of scale there are people who cannot communicate at a level required for independent daily living.

There certainly are. But it's pretty clear that isn't what was being talked about in the original article as the person in question was university student who was writing papers and having an extended conversation with the author of the article.

> Sure, sometimes it's just "that person has weird behaviours"

I don't think that's quite the right way to look at it. This is true on a surface level, but I think there is quite a fundamental difference in cognitive processing going on under the surface. And FWIW, a lot of those differences in thinking are shared between those who are better at communicating and those for whom that is a real struggle.

[viraptor]

Sure. It wasn't clear from your post if you meant this person's condition specifically or were talking about autism in general, so just wanted to add the context in case people aren't aware.

[skissane]

This discussion ignores the whole topic of subclinical autistic traits (broad autism phenotype, or BAP for short-commonly found in close blood relatives of those diagnosed with ASD, and also among STEM professionals); and also the significantly heightened prevalence of autistic traits among people with other diagnoses (such as ADHD; personality disorders-especially BPD and ASPD; OCD; PTSD; eating disorders; the schizophrenia spectrum)-for some of those people a comorbid diagnosis of ASD may be considered appropriate, for many of them it would not be. In short: many people “seem a bit autistic” without actually “having autism” (in the sense that an ASD diagnosis would be viewed as being clinically appropriate for them).