Thanks, Luke. This was posted to the Galt's Gulch Online site, similar, but different:

http://musingsofanaspie.com/2013/01/10/what-is-neurotypical/

 

Perhaps the most obvious giveaway is an NT’s tendency to make “small talk” or to want to “chat” with you. While small talk appears to be nonfunctional, for NTs it serves a very specific purpose. It’s a good idea to humor them and participate to whatever degree you can tolerate. If you’re patient with them, many NTs will soon feel comfortable enough to move from small talk to more interesting, in-depth conversations.

 

Another common sign that someone is an NT? Touching. NTs enjoy all sorts of physical contact and often use touch to greet friends, family and even casual acquaintances. While it’s hard to fathom why your real estate agent or hairdresser feels the need to send you off with a hug, try not to be judgmental while fending them off. NTs are simply wired differently.

She has links at the bottom, one of them to the Institute that you cited.

• Neurotypical individuals show difficulty in forming an individual identity, or in thinking outside of the bounds of the accepted norms of their social groups. 
• They do not perceive themselves as individuals in the manner that you or I do; they see themselves as individual members of a group ... 
• They tend to state things implicitly rather than explicitly, and with a level of vagarity that often results in miscommunication.
• They make guesses as to the level of knowledge of the listener, and omit parts that the listener is presumed to know. It is rather obvious that this guessing will often be wrong. Unfortunately, the listener that does not understand will generally not ask for clarification of such ambiguities, for fear of the speaker thinking that he is stupid or ignorant.
• And much more here: http://speciaal.forges55.be/neurotypicals/understanding-neurotypicality/

The last point was interesting to me because I enjoyed Dr. Temperance Brennen of Bones who never hesitates to say that she does not understand a cultural reference, which is all the more curious coming from an anthropologist.  Of course, her interns are quite an array. The popularity of that show and, of course, Big Bang Theory, suggests that what is Neurotypically Normal may be changing, along with our IQs, and standard of living.

Pete, I agree to a point.  It is less about "stigma" and more about "presumption," i.e. "presuming" that all traits of that condition are a bad thing.  They are not always.

I personally think there is too much "medicalizing" of personality traits based on perverse incentives such as school districts who get more money the more "diagnosed" students they have to serve.  Imagine thoughtful, introverted, nonconformist, budding young proto-Objectivists in grade school diagnosed with any of the alphabet soup cognitive conditions listed in medical journals and labeled accordingly.  Imagine their unique traits being muted by mandatory medications.  You get the idea.

The main thing that made me laugh was the contrast in viewpoints expressed in the article.  I can say the same about introverts like me versus everyone else.  In that way, we share something in common when we say that most other people just talk too damned much while saying too damned little, and they behave presumptuously while doing so.

(Edited by Luke Setzer on 3/14, 3:06am)