Laura Nagle loves physics. She peruses scientific papers for her
own enjoyment, and she can sometimes work out the answers to
cosmological mysteries in her head when she watches
documentaries about the universe. She has read, in her
estimation, about 12,000 books. You might say Nagle, 58, is a
geek. But if you knew that she also has had severe problems
communicating with others throughout her life, and had trouble
in school because she's not "well-rounded," you might guess that
she also has autism. "I find that physics, engineering -- these
things speak to my heart, and I see details, relationships and
patterns that most people don't," says Nagle, who lives near
Flagstaff, Arizona. Nagle's experience speaks to a pervasive
stereotype in popular culture that people with high-functioning
autism -- a form of which is called Asperger's syndrome -- are
geeks. As with most generalizations, it excludes a vast swath of
people on the autism spectrum who don't fit it -- plenty have
interests or talents in the arts or li