I recently came across a great article written by The Atlantic which I strongly suggest you read, about the first man who was diagnosed with autism. Now 77 years old, Donald Triplett has had quite a life !
He is a damn good golf player and has visited over 30 countries in his life, went on a safari and played several PGA tournaments. This is a man whose biggest pleasure as a child was to spin other objects, as well as spin himself.
He also had numerous problems in mingling with society, but drew everyone’s attention when he calculated how many bricks there were in the local school just by looking at it. Just goes to show autists can take care of themselves sometimes, and quite well. You really should read the article, and spread it around to people dealing with autism.