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.
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.