The message was, "If you've never heard of autism before, that's on you and not because it's so incredibly rare. And look how great this autistic kid is!"
I think They did not foresee how the ability to hyperfocus would boomerang back. They thought it was going to be all stamp collecting and baseball stats.
To mark a point in time, here's where they had to start promoting autism to us:
Life Goes On (TV series) (1989-1993)
The message was, "If you've never heard of autism before, that's on you and not because it's so incredibly rare. And look how great this autistic kid is!"
I think They did not foresee how the ability to hyperfocus would boomerang back. They thought it was going to be all stamp collecting and baseball stats.
Down syndrome is not autism though....though I believe a lot of people who have down syndrome are at risk of autism as well.