I&#x27;ve noticed a huge shift in peoples opinions towards autism since I&#x27;ve had my daughter and I do think it will affect the overall help available to people with autism. The more you add higher functioning people to the spectrum, the more people don&#x27;t see it as a debilitating mental illness.<p>Whenever I mention to someone these days that my daughter has autism, they don&#x27;t really get what that means. They say things like &quot;oh, is she really good at math&quot; or &quot;my coworker has autism too&quot;. And I&#x27;m thinking no she doesn&#x27;t really understand even the most basic math, she&#x27;ll likely not ever be able to have a real job, and who&#x27;s going to take care of her when I&#x27;m gone because she needs help all day every day just to get through the day.<p>I strongly believe there needs to be a clear distinction between higher functioning people on the spectrum and the people that are really struggling with the most basic aspects of life.<p>Anyway, I get that people have different opinions, that&#x27;s just mine. :)