I agree it isn't entirely separable. I assume that personality / self develops differently due to the "issue" identified in the study, and if it were "rectified", then it would no longer be a factor. That doesn't mean that you'd wake up the next day as a completely different person. Everyone changes over time, and the prior "self" is still there and you can still choose how to integrate the new "changes".

Of course, this is just my imagination, it may not actually be anything like that. But I will double down on the thrust of my original comment, which is that although autism is not simply a "disease" because the self has developed differently, doesn't necessarily mean that we want it to stay.

Don't forget that the S in ASD is for "spectrum". There are parts of this spectrum with people for who ASD is debilitating to their happiness and participation in society. "Rectified" might not mean complete change, but enough to give someone the tools to handle things better.

But also removes the tools of autism.

Neurotypical peopple often lie about things for social convenience, overly value fitting in, have trouble exploring the depths of their interests, and have a poor sense of smell and taste.

For people who are high-functioning, it may be that the benefits of autism you mentioned are worth the downsides. But I think most medium and low-functioning people would not agree with that.

I’m technically level 2, which means there are periods where I cannot communicate. I have at least one level 3 friend that I’m sure would feel the same, I’ll ask her and find out for sure though.