Orius

In my experience with autistic children or children who struggle through life, it's not a result of any deficiency, but that our society is not really constructed to fully integrate these people. In a lot of fields there is a general focus on the kids--it's they who have the problem, it's they who need to be taught how to function in society, etc. There are functional autistic adults in society who have never been diagnosed for the simple fact that their mental differences do not hinder their ability to blend and perform.

Something only becomes a syndrome or a disorder when it affects one's functionality in relation to the rest of society, which, if inadequate, causes suffering. A premie growing up to not be as successful is only seen as a problem as it relates to productivity. In an ideal world, it shouldn't matter what one's level of development is (as in, forget the hierarchy of proficiency), because the rest of society would be able to adapt to them and not just the other way around.