Even within the medical field, which I am a part of, most trained professionals do not understand what autism is nor what Asperger's is. When I bring it up with my co-workers, the usual response is no response. I had to write a very detailed letter to my manager about my sensory experience, how I navigate my world, how communication and behavior is affected, the functional neuroanatomy, etc....then,...and only then, did she have some peripheral understanding. Keep in mind, I work in one of the largest children's hospitals in the US,...and most just don't understand autism, nor are able to see it in a co-worker that has worked along side them for over 30 years. Yet, we are dealing with autistic children every day. This absolutely befuddles me. I wear my autism awareness puzzle piece on my ID badge,...have for years,...I literally had one person say something,...and this was a father of an autistic child.
So, I think there needs to be some mass media coverage on this. As I posted on another thread, there are plenty of books and documentaries, there is social media pages, YouTube channels,...yet,...here we are. The public,...even medical professionals who should know better,...are unaware unless they have been personally affected by it.