Is autism a mental illness?
The autistic brain quite simply has a notably different neurology in how it functions, much like a cat and dog are different in neurology, though seem mostly alike in many ways: a cat isn’t a defective dog, just a cat. Likewise, if a cat attempts to be a dog, it doesn’t work so well in practice: a cat that tries to be something it’s not (a dog) will end up with mental problems from attempting to live that lie. So, too, will autistics have more psychological problems brought on by trying to (or being forced to externally) act like neurotypical (aka “everyone else”) people, because it isn’t natural, and results in a lot of long-term stress. Mental illness is something that’s transient, or at least it develops over time: autistics are born that way, and it can’t be cured, and it doesn’t go away with time: it is a developmental difference, and some types of expected developments may not happen, or happen much later, while still other developments may be something neurotypicals never have t
