6. Reframing Autism

The preceding sections have laid the groundwork for understanding autism not as a deficit or disorder, but as a structurally distinct mode of cognition. This section reframes autism through the lens of Monotropic Expansion—not as a label for traits that deviate from a neurotypical norm, but as the outward expression of a coherent, internally driven cognitive architecture. By grounding this reframing in cognitive structure rather than behavioral inference, the model offers a path forward: one that restores interpretive clarity, dissolves pathologizing language, and invites a more accurate, ethical, and empowering understanding of autistic experience.