Based on personal accounts, I've noticed that those afflicted with autism (the type that impairs cognitive reflexes and response times) are noticeably afflicted with it in the earlier stages of their life, but with proper therapy, can reach a level of control over their affliction that makes their autism unnoticeable by many and might even grant them unique mental dexterity.
One of my relatives has gone through this; when they were a toddler, it was very apparent that they were slow to react or respond to anything or anyone around them. They were then diagnosed with autism and went through several years of therapy before they could properly acknowledge and address others, let alone strike up a conversation with them. Now, as a pre-teen, they can engage others, albeit in small snippets of dialogue, and can answer others. They're cognitive reflexes are also improved to the point where they can play sports and video games with others their age.
The most interesting thing about them is that they are constantly jotting down seemingly random facts and numbers. Also, if you give them any date, past or future, they can say, almost instantly, what the day of the week for that date is. It's unbelievable and I believe that their notes are just their own mind racing with vast amounts of data.
So while I can initially see that autism of this degree can be seen as a disability, it can be proven that with proper therapy it can become manageable to the point of allowing the affected individual to reach higher plains of mental capabilities.
