I don't believe modern psychiatry has yet discovered all there is to know about the human mind and personality. Now and then, they abolish a particular diagnosis. Occasionally, they come up with a new one. I expect that process will continue.

A child doesn't have to be on the autistic spectrum to have traits and tendencies that make him seem rather unusual . . . maybe even odd. (I was that kind of a kid, myself.) When you think of how much a child has to learn to be fully competent at socially interaction, it's amazing that so many kids turn out as capable as they do. It's possible, I think, for a kid to miss out on some social learning.

Maybe your family were reclusive types who didn't mingle a lot. Parents don't always role model the best social behavior. There can be a lot of ways whereby a child just doesn't learn how to "blend in." The drive to blend in is strong in humans, and most humans dislike seeing someone not blend in. I think nature programmed our species to produce a non-blender once in a while, so the status quo gets shaken up and change becomes possible. The non-blenders are different. They can make great discoveries that benefit everyone. They walk a hard road though.