simple defination of autism

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a lack of natural instincts.

To me that explains all the symptoms associated with autism.
most people are born with instincts.
tests have even shown that babies who do not make certain movements that most babies make are often later diagnosed with an autism spectrum diagnosis.
I think autism is simply a lack of natural instincts.
we just make up our own.

it explains why autistic people dont understand facial expression
why we have chaotic sleep patterns
it explains the impaired motor skills
problems with social skills
and even obsessive intrests are manifested from creating our own instincts.

thats why most of us feel different from others.
most people all have the same instincts.
autistic people have self created instincts.
thats also why every case of autism is so different from each other.
because no two people are going to come up with the same instincts when they have to.

Ive heard it was an abundance of natural instincts

unfortunately natural instincts dont work in an unnatural world. Sorry

My simple definition would be (different severity of each one explains the several hundred thousand different manifestations):

Social retardation + altered sensory system + intense focusing = ASD

I would say that our natural instincts are present but they just don't come to the fore when they should. We are out of synch with the rest of the people so we try to fill the gaps with something we make up.

For severe autism I reckon your description is too simplistic.

My description for autism and AS would be: Inability or miss-ability (if thats a word) to process external information. This would lead to a mismatch in our natural instincts and the current situation.

That is an interesting theory, but how does one invent instincts?

my definition would be the contrary....we must have missed the evolution train somehow. i react much more instinctively than NTs, and had to be taught not to shy away from eye contact, not to physically attack whoever is bugging me ( resulting in freezing from not knowing how to react) , not to run and jump over stuff because i don't need training for hunting or escaping animals, i had to be excused from endurance running at school because running for a long time gave me panick attacks ( the feeling of being chased) i mean...i feel more like an animal that has been tamed. Partially.Enough to look like a recalcitrant pet.

I asked Tenzin, who just turned 7, what he thinks autism means.

He said, "It means you have to practice more."

I rather like that.

Autism is a collection of unique strengths and deficits, just like most people.

If we're talking about instincts here, I've always felt more kinship with animals. In a sense, I've always felt more 'animalistic' than most people. My ability to perceive this and play it out in a 'cheshire cat' sense of humor hides it well from others.

It's not really a problem. It's just a different way of being.

Whereas I don't think we're missing instincts. Nor do I think we have more of them. Indeed, what I've been thinking is that our instincts resemble those of nonhuman animals more closely than they resemble those of NT humans.

Basically, the brain develops in a different way than NT's.
There's not a balance of the senses; they're either under or overdeveloped.
I do agree that we make our own rules about the world (or interpretation) because we don't pick it up from or parents or siblings. Or whether people learn these skills through socialising and experience and because of our intense focus in other areas and our lack of interest in others we miss out on learning these skills.
New study says that we have too many copied number variant genes and have many of them deleted so we lack skills in certain areas. Would explain my social/math/ working memory problems. But I have strengths in memorising facts /creating visual concepts / theorising.

I'm talking from my own personal experience. It may vary from individual to individual.

However, this de-evolutionary model intrigues me.