On a related note, autistic people do tend to have more than the normal difference between our skills and deficits. Ability or inability in one area should not be considered indicative of overall ability or applied to any other area. My parents were told I would never love anyone. That would come as news to my partner and my daughter. Even very severe autistics can form bonds, show affection, and have concern for the feelings of others.
Autism is pervasive.
It affects how I think, feel, perceive, process, comprehend, react, and interact. It's not possible to change all that and be left with me. To wish away the autism, is to wish the autistic person were someone else. I have quite clear memories of how I was as a non-verbal child, but it is impossible to express with words. I can say for certain that I didn't experience it as negative.