XPT

Your post is EXACTLY spot on and how it is for most of us. We hide it and through abnormal ability to concentrate on anything we are interested in, become experts at it. Guess what the first thing is that we [all] become obsessively interested in? Hiding it !!! :-)

I slipped up here because of a booze-up.

PS. the case of your friend's child is a rare case of advanced Autism [not an aspie], who is going to be a burden on the parents for the rest of their life [no fun for the kid either]. A tragedy.