What is the Autism Spectrum, and what does that mean exactly? The vast majority of people unwittingly contribute to the stigma and misinformation surrounding Autism because they fundamentally misunderstand what the Autism Spectrum is.
People believe that Autism works on a sliding scale - that someone can range from slightly to severely Autistic. It is simply not true. This has contributed to harmful beliefs and stereotypes such as, everyone is at least "a little bit Autistic" and Autistic individuals range from"high/low functioning". It is also largely why people and some medical professionals still cling on to clinically invalid diagnoses like Asperger's Syndrome (which was removed from the DSM in 2013).
All of these beliefs reflect a fundamental misrepresentation and misunderstanding of Autism, and these stereotypes have contributed to Autism being significantly underdiagnosed, especially amongst AFAB (assigned-female-at-birth) individuals and People of Color.
The "Spectrum" in "Autism Spectrum" refers to the spectrum of Autistic traits and their various presentations amongst Autistic individuals, and the spectrum of support needs that Autistic individuals have. You are either Autistic, or you are not Autistic, and no one Autistic person is more Autistic than the next.
There is no one presentation of Autism or support needs. Autism presents and impacts every Autistic individual differently.
*This is an example of how I measure my own presentation of Autistic traits.
SOURCES:
Arky, Beth, et al. “Why Many Autistic Girls Are Overlooked.” Child Mind Institute, 16 Sept. 2022, childmind.org/article/autistic-girls-overlooked-undiagnosed-autism.
“Autism Spectrum Disorder.” National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-asd.
“Functioning Labels Harm Autistic People.” Autistic Self Advocacy Network, autisticadvocacy.org/2021/12/functioning-labels-harm-autistic-people.
NCBI - Racial/Ethnic Disparities in ASD. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2661453.
NCBI - When Asperger’s Disorder Came Out. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28953765.
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