I would like to point out that autism is an actual specified condition. Being socially different or feeling inept about social situations does not put you on the autistic spectrum.
In some ways it’s incredibly insulting to imply that any discomfort in social settings is a sign of autism. Not least because is implies that autistic people can’t be capable, extroverted and able in social settings, which they absolutely can be.
It would be nice if the article provided more detail on the actual condition, the tests for it, and how it differs from the common 'i am a human' anxiety. Virtually everyone, men included, has experienced the same things that the article describes as being experienced by women with autism.
I think there is a risk with these sorts of articles that many people will make a lot of unwarranted assumptions about other peoples' abilities and behaviors.
Regarding subgroups, I found that they were just as unaccepting, they just have different standards for who/what is in/out.
I think your comment about autism is mistaking the cart for the horse. This happens because people are on the spectrum, not people are autistic because sometimes they don't fit in.
Lastly, I'd just like to mention that I didn't mean to only talk about school or work or situations like that, where there is always going to be some amount of difficulty fitting in. I could also tell that people very close to me, like my parents, thought something was off about me. They later copped to that when I was an adult, as well as their relief that I turned out to live a pretty normal life.
I only got to know fun with people in various subcultures, and the more off people around me were, by looks or by spirits, the less I needed to worry about fitting in and learned to simply enjoy myself.
Until I realized what the actual problem was. Most people tend to make life hard for themselves by needing to fit in and pretending and aspiring. It's okay. Let go and drop your misery and do whatever the hell you happen to think is best.
If you want to build a UFO and take over the world, please go do it. Autism is a terrible name for whatever slight - or not so slight - imbalance of mental traits, and seeing the shit that regular people mutter you're probably better than that anyway - because you wouldn't believe what an autist's mental hygiene is like.