"Asperger's is not a disease," he writes. "It's a way of being. There is no cure, nor is there a need for one."
People with Asperger's stand out as "odd" because they're different. Their behavior seems unusual to most people because their brains work differently. The easy social cues that most of us take for granted – the chitchat, the appearance of interest or concern – don't make instinctive sense to a person with Asperger's.
"Those just aren't automatic responses for these kids," said Dr. Michael McLane, a Dallas pediatric psychologist whose practice includes many children with Asperger's. "The good news is that these are concrete behaviors someone can learn."