The increasing use of 'Autistic' as an insult

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If someone was to call me autistic as an insult, I'd tell them that I am on the spectrum and thank you for the compliment.

Wanna see them? My collection is growing and is quite impressive so far.

Either I've happened on the initiator for this trend, or it is more pervasive than thought...

There's a show called "Betas" produced by Amazon.
It seems to revolve around a bunch of computer geeks.
The first few episodes are suppossedly free to all.
In the pilot episode, a girl at a bar uses the term in an insulting tone, in an effort to insult one of said geeks.

The set up of the show is (to me) obviously intended to garner amusement from the audience at the misfortunes (social and otherwise) of the four main characters, rather than set them up as people who deserve the audience's respect in any way.

I don't really give that much of a s**t. If you're going to use what's considered to be a psychiatric disorder or disability as a means of attacking someone, it's clear you're an incredibly juvenile and pathetic individual. Expressing visible outrage to them only gives them a sense of sanctification considering a majority of the people that use it are internet trolls. You can often accomplish more by reporting it or even just ignoring and rightfully dismissing as pathetic.

The meme originates from the /jp/ board of 4chan, and/or 99chan in totality. Those are the two places where I saw it as a major part of 'board culture'

havent noticed it any more recently than before. but a woman i know (nt) told me the people in her last workplace are "autistic". they dont talk to anyone, and all they care about is work.
although this isnt really using autistic as a bad word, the way people constantly call people they dont like "ret*d". i dont even know if they mean to insult people suffering from retardation when saying that. it's just something they say without thinking.

It's becoming common for adolescents to use autistic in a derogatory/insulting way. Were talking about immature boys who occupied their minds with FPS video games or playing sports, usually using such terms in a joking matter despite the offensive of the word. A student in one of my electives would call his friends "ret*ds" or "autistic" while bounding with each other. This rxample of behavior is usually why I don't have many friends .

I've heard people use it as an insult in real life. It comes off as SO ignorant especially when they do it in front of me as I have the autism puzzle tattooed on my wrist. Then they say I'm an ass for getting offended but they aren't the ones who live with someone with autism and they will never understand how it is. But I'm the ass.

I hate it.

"You just insulted someone by calling them autistic? How psychotic/borderline personality disorder/passive aggressive/etc"

Why not downplay it that way?