I think high-functioning autistic spectrum disorders can really be a gift rather than a curse sometimes...especially Asperger's, where you retain normal to high intellectual functions!
I have not been formally diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder but my psych once said that I have traits similar to those seen in Asperger's, such as limited range of affect (this could also be a negative symptom of the psychosis), lacking social skills, and only good (I am not bragging but I think I am pretty good at what I enjoy doing- i.e. Psychopharmacology!) at very specific tasks. I can say that I am proud of these traits too!
So please don't worry about it- almost everything in life can be viewed from at least two different angles. Sometimes I even think that my psychosis is a gift as I can think/perceive what 'neuro-typicals' (thank you for the term disappear
) cannot even imagine (even if it's mostly negative)!! But at other times I think it is a curse, especially when I feel isolated and blame myself for suffering from it.