Having observed many of them perform at a VERY high level in my technical classes, I’ve wondered whether it is rightly considered a disability at all?
Well, that depends on how you define disability:
- It’s a significant difference from the norm (not neurotypical)
- It’s not transitory (i.e. not like the neurological effects of eating certain mushrooms)
- It can potentially impede or cause difficulty with day-to-day activities, without some sort of accommodation (classrooms are possibly the easiest place for them, but lunchrooms could be baffling)
Now, if you think there’s more to the definition of disability, then maybe it doesn’t fit. But the fact that someone can “pass” doesn’t make them not disabled. In fact, it can make things a lot more complicated because they still may need the accommodation, but nobody recognizes/respects that fact. And autism is really honestly not that well-defined, and it covers a huge range of people–many of whom could not pass as easily. So those in your classroom may not be representative of the whole spectrum.
Also, just in general for everyone–meet someone with a disability and talklisten to them. While I’m sure it’s important to get answers to your own questions, if you meet a deaf person and start right in with cochlear implants, you’re more likely to get punched in the face than get an answer.