If there is a point on the spectrum that’s “minimal to no autistic indicators”, then everyone is included.
I think there are a lot of undiagnosed people who are “normal enough to pass” (forgive the term, but it describes the mentality that lets people slip through the cracks) myself possibly being one of them. I think it’s likely that everybody’s a little autistic, but not LITERALLY EVERYONE.
Autism is many spectrums but in discourse we typically merge all the parts of what we call autism into a single spectrum. And that spectrum is the degree to which behaviors associated with austism cause functional difficulties in your life. The diagnosis of autism requires the autistic behaviors to limit your ability to function. So, everyone is on the spectrum of “the degree to which autistic behaviors limit your capacity to lead a life independently,” with many being on the “basically not at all limited” end, but when we say “on the autism spectrum,” we are typically referring just to the side of the spectrum where someone’s life is notably limited in some ways by the effects of autistic behaviors or learning disorders.
Kind of.
If there is a point on the spectrum that’s “minimal to no autistic indicators”, then everyone is included.
I think there are a lot of undiagnosed people who are “normal enough to pass” (forgive the term, but it describes the mentality that lets people slip through the cracks) myself possibly being one of them. I think it’s likely that everybody’s a little autistic, but not LITERALLY EVERYONE.
Autism is many spectrums but in discourse we typically merge all the parts of what we call autism into a single spectrum. And that spectrum is the degree to which behaviors associated with austism cause functional difficulties in your life. The diagnosis of autism requires the autistic behaviors to limit your ability to function. So, everyone is on the spectrum of “the degree to which autistic behaviors limit your capacity to lead a life independently,” with many being on the “basically not at all limited” end, but when we say “on the autism spectrum,” we are typically referring just to the side of the spectrum where someone’s life is notably limited in some ways by the effects of autistic behaviors or learning disorders.
This. My college psych professor said, “It’s only a disorder if it interferes with your daily life.”