Unfortunately, there have been cases in england when people with ASD have been taken to court for injuring someone. One 21 year old man was fined £500 by the court for biting a police officer. One police officer said to me 'autism is no excuse for bad behavior,' so there you go. People do stare, criticize, and refuse to offer assistance in public which may help prevent meltdown. Add individuals are forced to fit into a world not adapted to their needs, so often asd individuals melt down over bright lights, loud music etc. Little progress is being made because you can't change human nature. There will always be judgemental people around and it only changes when they have a close relative of their own with autism
