i'm a daily forum reader and poster.. I have never seen anyone ever use autism as a put down.. my clan had an issue with someone with autism who used his condition (sorry not sure what to call it) as an excuse to act out of order, disrespect our members etc. we eventually had to kick him out of the clan for his abusive actions. I am a firm believer that one must carry themselves and act appropriately regardless of your own maladies. You are always accountable for your own actions. re tard was more widely used as a word to mean slow, as in re tard breaks for big semi trucks.. it started to be used widely by many refering to people with all sorts of mental and physical limitations to the point that they took on the word and now feel it is disrespectful to use . perhaps the population is using Autistic as a put down, but, I really cannot see how that impacts anyone who has the condition or knows someone with it.. It would seem more likely you are just looking for ways to feel slighted by the world..