I was agreeing with the author. My writing was ambiguous there.

Asperger Syndrome is an impairment that descends to some level of disability. I would not think that having "quirks" would entitle anyone, say, to disability parking privileges or social security disability benefits. Indeed, it could be argued that having quirks is within standards deviations of typical.

Autistic Licence

Another fatuous exercise in Pin the Label on the Dorky that trivializes autism.

The House character is anything but autistic. He is, in fact, super tuned into,
empathetic to the psychology of those around him. It allows him to manipulate
everyone close with impunity. This is NOT autism - it is just the
opposite.

The Bones character, while nerdy, is also not autistic. Her department and team
runs smooth and does not roil in dissent and turnover often found when people
are lead by those who lack critical communication skills found in Asperger Syndrome.

Just because a character, real or fictional, is odd, does not grant them
automatic autism license. If autism comes to mean anything merely odd, it will mean
nothing.