Mild autism can give you a genius like Einstein. If you have severe autism, you could remain nonverbal. You don’t want people to be on the severe end of the spectrum. But if you got rid of all the autism genetics, you wouldn’t have science or art. All you would have is a bunch of social ’yak yaks.’

Grandin contrasts different levels of support needs on the autism spectrum to argue against viewing autism solely as a deficit to be eliminated. She suggests that traits often associated with autism—intense focus, atypical social orientation, and strong visual or systems thinking—can contribute disproportionately to innovation in science and the arts. At the same time, she acknowledges the real hardships of severe disability, especially for nonverbal people, and rejects romanticizing autism. The provocative “yak yaks” line critiques a culture that prizes social fluency over substantive, technical, or creative work, implying that neurodiversity is socially valuable even when it challenges conventional norms.