Autism and the Sliding Scale of 'Normal'

Is autism an illness that needs to be "cured," or is it more like left-handedness ~ an innate difference, one among many traits that characterize an individual? Of course, any loving parent wants his/her child to enjoy a successful, painless life, and one of the things that most often means is fitting in. A person who is too different can be seen as a threat and therefore is met with varying degrees of hostility and/or ridicule. No one wants that for a child. So, many parents have turned to various therapies designed to "wipe out" autism, and some seem to have done exactly that for some children. Teaching a child the necessary basics ~ communication, social, and independent-living skills ~ is one thing, but at what point does one run the risk of killing one of the defining characteristics of a child's very being, that thing that allows for the out-of-the-box thinking that could come up with the next great novel, invention, or theory? The answer depends on whom you ask: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/03/magazine/the-kids-who-beat-autism.html?hpw&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpHedThumbWell&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well