I'm late-diagnosed as well. Feel free to "stop by" anytime.

I have some theories as to what autism is and what it isn't. Comparing the experiences of other autistics without the bias of mainstream interpretation resets the exploration.

I'm open to the science, but prioritize lived experience.

Agreed. Autistics often have a stronger sense of empathy and often find ourselves in trouble when bad faith actors exploit this.

Neurotypicals have empathy, but their neurotype is socially dependent. Group consensus can sway them, while autistics have a much greater resistance.

I'm curious about your perspective.

I've noticed the literature often stipulates we lack a Theory of Mind (ToM), which runs counter to the fact none of my social scripts would work without ToM.

At best, we fail at being neurotypical but we're too structurally stable for autism to be a disorder.