Aspergers and Evolution

Is Asperger's Syndrome an evolutionary or devolutionary step?

I am introducing this topic as it does get discussed - but I don't pretend to have a definitive answer. This page is simply my musings on the subject. There is linkage between my theories in the Framework, and Autism which seems to be due to developmental changes in the brain. There is nothing inherently wrong with the brain of Autistic/Aspergers people, it has just developed in a different way to the majority of the population.

There is a tendency to class Asperger's as a handicap, and to consider such people inferior to the general population. However, as illustrated in the section on Famous People, some of the brightest and most talented individuals fit the Aspie classification. In her book "Congratulations! It's Asperger Syndrome", Jen Birch book mentions that Aspergers could be a throw-back to Neanderthal man (see Chapter 25).

However, whilst reading esoteric texts I uncovered the exact opposite - that the Aspie is going through brain evolutionary stages leading to the next stage in the evolution of man. (Of course, the people writing such works are highly likely to be Asperger-afflicted, and hence biased in their views!).

I welcome further arguments for and against.

The case against - Asperger's is a devolutionary step

Neanderthal theory - speculation on what caused Neanderthal man to die out (despite their brain capacity being larger than Cro-Magnon Man, who lived side-by-side with the Neanderthals and eventually prevailed) ascribes Neanderthals as conservative, lacking innovation, social structure, forming groups, difficulty with language and other traits which do seem to parallel Aspie behaviour.
Some additional links on the Neanderthal theory (thanks to Perry for these) probably warrants further research.
The Neanderthal Theory
Neanderthal Traits in Aspies
Relationship to Paleolithic Diet
Brain executive function - it is generally thought that the advancement of intelligence has resulted in humans becoming better at organising and multi-tasking, dealing with complex political and abstract issues rather than being absorbed in solving a problem of logic or memorising the numbers in a phone book. There is no doubt that parts of the brain are capable of solving specific analytical problems, but it is thought that as the brain develops these lower functions are called like subroutines by the evolving executive brain. Aspergers and Savants seem to excel because they have access to these lower brain functions which are capable of focused attention on specific problems, but these people have great difficulty with the multi-tasking and wider organisational functions that would be handled bythe executive brain. By this reasoning, the Aspie is less evolved.

The case for - Asperger's is evolution of the brain

Lack of interest in sex - Aspies do have sex, but in general are far less pre-occupied with such activities than NTs. It certainly isn't the main object of life. The sex drive is base instinct, something that drives the animals. The fact that Aspies are less sexually driven than the population at large suggests that they have evolved further from these base animal instinct. Socrates described man as being part animal and part Divine. Following this reasoning, the lack of interest in sex demonstrates an evolutionary step away towards the divine.
Not socially driven - NTs are perfectly happy in social situations. They will sit and talk and drink happily all day. There is a basic chemical/hormonal mechanism at work (Oxytocin, etc.) which in a way is an addiction. This is similar to the social animals, and there is nothing wrong with this - it creates a harmonious society suitable for supporting a large population without conflict. Aspies are chemically/hormonally different. The social interaction does not affect them the same way - thus suggesting they have evolved away from it.
Honesty - Aspies are known for being frank and honest. Individuals with the opposite trait, those who are shady, sly, dishonest, are often regarded as being of lower standing and less advanced. Honesty and integrity are qualities of evolved persons.
Advances in art, music, science - history has shown us that some of the greatest advances have been made by individuals who would probably be classified as Aspergers. For example, Einstein, Mozart. This enhanced ability in certain areas suggests an evolutionary step.

My Current Theory

After reflecting on the above arguments the conclusion I have reached is that neither is correct. The emergence of Autistics and Aspergers individuals seems to recur throughout populations at a constant low level (< 1%). This suggests to me that these individiuals are naturally part of humankind - emerging according to some natural law (I am sure there are examples in the animal kingdom where particular individuals occur at low levels in natural populations for specific purposes). Throughout history individuals have emerged whose preoccupation is with interests other than drinking and sex, and in instances this has lead to advances in art, medicine, science, religion. It is as though nature manifests these individuals to assist with the evolution of the human race.