Autism

choi

Sarah Emily Baum, What My Twin Understands. New York Times, Aug 4, 2019 (under the heading "Tiny Love Story" -- as an inset n Modern Love column of SundayStyles section).
("My twin brother has autism and can't talk much. I'm a writer. Mother says I sucked out all the words from him in the womb. When we were 12, I walked into my brother's room and simply said, "I'm Gay." I had never said those words out loud before. I figured he couldn't tell anyone even if he wanted to. He looked at me, his expression unchanged. I started to cry. My twin didn't understand what I had told him, or what being gay meant, but he saw that I was sad and reached out for my hand")

My comment:
(a) That is the entire content of this "Tiny Love Story."
(b) Despite being a biologist, I have not been able to comprehend what autism is. Now I have some idea.
(c)
(i) Autism Spectrum Disorder. National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Health, undated
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/ ... ers-asd/index.shtml
("Autism is known as a 'spectrum' disorder because there is wide variation in the type and severity of symptoms people experience")
(ii) Autism Spectrum Disorder Fact Sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes, NIH, undated.
https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disord ... Disorder-Fact-Sheet