In England, are people with an ASD considered disabled and/or vulnerable under English Law?

Longman, I experience similiar self-doubt and confusion. Although diagnosed with AS, I often feel an 'inbetweener' ,as you put it, because I am very high-functioning in some areas (self-awareness, higher thinking abilities) and so I often feel distanced from other aspies who might be less aware. But I don't fit into the NT world either and I fit all the AS diagnostic criteria. My mental health problems are more disabling than my AS, but they are clearly neurological and there is no doubt in my mind that my OCD/anxiety stems from my AS complex.  If I did not have OCD I would probably not have obtained a diagnosis. It was only because my OCD was not being treated right, because of my AS thinking patterns, that I was finally diagnosed. Because my OCD is neurological, I am not in denial that I will always have it to some extent, just as I will always find it hard to relate to other people due to my AS. Like I said, we are all affected differently and each person has their own reason for diagnosis. But there is still a debate worth having about what it means to have AS in todays society and where the cut-off points are between AS and normality.

Longman, I experience similiar self-doubt and confusion. Although diagnosed with AS, I often feel an 'inbetweener' ,as you put it, because I am very high-functioning in some areas (self-awareness, higher thinking abilities) and so I often feel distanced from other aspies who might be less aware. But I don't fit into the NT world either and I fit all the AS diagnostic criteria. My mental health problems are more disabling than my AS, but they are clearly neurological and there is no doubt in my mind that my OCD/anxiety stems from my AS complex.  If I did not have OCD I would probably not have obtained a diagnosis. It was only because my OCD was not being treated right, because of my AS thinking patterns, that I was finally diagnosed. Because my OCD is neurological, I am not in denial that I will always have it to some extent, just as I will always find it hard to relate to other people due to my AS. Like I said, we are all affected differently and each person has their own reason for diagnosis. But there is still a debate worth having about what it means to have AS in todays society and where the cut-off points are between AS and normality.