I have often mused over whether some Aspies were once thought of as witches in past centuries because they would tend to fit the profile. Aspies are often socially isolated and may be thought of as being eccentric, something I gather, that witches tended to be and also knowledgeable about certain things such as herbal remedies and chants, which were used in an attempt to cure various maladies. I believe some witches were considered to be 'wise women' and often feared, due to the incorrect belief they could communicate with supernatural forces. In fact, an Aspie personality would have been well suited to such a profile because Aspies are independently minded, unconventional, and tend to look deeply into things and discover stuff that others are not aware of. Also (we are told in popular mythology), they had cats as 'familiars', which again fits in because cats behave in an Aspie kind of way. I think it is possible that some Aspies may have been the early forerunners of physicians. Is it just a coincidence that the highest occurence of Aspies today happens to be within the medical profession?
It is thought that Isaac Newton exhibited significent Aspie traits so that it is no wonder he set out in his equiries to 'know the mind of God' and to also discover how to turn base metals into gold, etc. This would have at one point in history been considered as alchemy and black magic and may well be an illustration of how people on the AS have been unjustly persecuted and demonised in the cause of contributing to our knowledge of nature and the progress of the human race over the centuries.
I know it is easy for me to talk because I'm not even sure I'm on the spectrum, however, isn't it nice to know that people within the AS may well possess gifts that have the potential to relief suffering and bring happiness to many others and generally contribute to the improvement of life in general and future generations?. I think nature has provided such people for the benefit of all and it is just a pity that there is a darker side to being one of these remarkable individuals.
