What Do People Mean When They Say Autism Is a Spectrum?
Autism is a relatively common developmental disability that most of us are at least somewhat familiar with. In the past couple of decades, experts have begun to refer to autism as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with the implication that autism itself exists on a “spectrum.”
But what exactly does that mean? And why is it so important to understand?
Why It’s Important to Understand the Autism Spectrum
There are three big reasons why it’s important for everyone to understand the autism spectrum, even if they don’t have autism and don’t know anyone with autism.
- Dispelling myths. First, understanding the basics of the autism spectrum helps to dispel myths and misconceptions that can make living life with autism more difficult. With greater understanding, we can become a more inclusive and respectful society.
- Helping more people. Recognizing autism as a spectrum allows us to help more people. People with a peculiar or unusual range of symptoms can be included in studies based on our understanding of autism as a spectrum, while they may be excluded from studies that focus on autism more narrowly.
- Providing adequate treatment and care. Properly understanding the spectrum of autism symptoms facilitates better treatment and care. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), for example, is designed to be highly flexible and responsive to the individual, recognizing that each person with autism is different. Adapting our approach to different people means we can see more meaningful results.
The Facts: Autism as a Spectrum
Autism is sometimes referenced as:
- Pervasive developmental disorder (PDD)
- Pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)
- Asperger syndrome
- High functioning autism
Historically, people with ASD have been miscategorized as suffering from separate, distinctive disorders; and some people with ASD were overlooked entirely.
Professionals who study ASD now believe that autism isn’t a single, readily identifiable disease, like the flu. There’s no single, comprehensive test that can tell you if you have autism; blood tests and genetic tests can’t serve as diagnostic tools.
Additionally, autism manifests differently in different individuals. Any person with ASD could potentially suffer from any number of symptoms; some people have so few symptoms that they blend in perfectly with neurotypical society, while some people have so many symptoms that their disorder can be readily identified. On top of that, symptoms range from mild to severe.
There isn’t a single, “typical” autism case. Everyone is different. But this collection of different signs, symptoms, and behavioral patterns can be collectively understood and addressed under the ASD umbrella.
This is what it means for autism to be on a spectrum.
Key Takeaways
If you’re looking for key takeaways from this insight, these are some of the most important:
- Every experience is unique. Every individual experience is unique. No two people with autism will act exactly the same, nor will they have the same symptoms or the same ideal treatment plan. You can’t dismiss someone as not having ASD just because they’re missing a certain symptom, and you can’t categorize someone as having ASD just because they exhibit one or two symptoms.
- Diagnosis is tricky. ASD is notoriously hard to diagnose. There’s no definitive testing that can provide a reliable, meaningful diagnosis, and many of the hallmark symptoms of this disorder can be challenging to identify and subject to interpretation. In many cases, diagnosis is up to the opinion of the professional studying the individual in question – and it’s possible to have an ASD diagnosis from one professional, and no diagnosis from another. This is a complicated and tricky area, even for the most experienced professionals.
- Treatment must cater to the individual. There are many different strategies that can effectively treat the signs and symptoms of autism, even if there is no cure. The important thing to realize is that each individual responds differently to different strategies. Behavioral therapy may work incredibly well for one patient with ASD, but be practically useless for another. It’s important to experiment and adapt so that you can provide the best possible treatment for the person with ASD in your life.
- Not every behavioral quirk is autism. Understanding that autism is a spectrum, many amateurs are tempted to diagnose anyone with behavioral quirks as having this disorder. Indeed, many of us suffer from issues like difficulty with focus and social anxiety, but these aren’t guarantees of ASD.
- There’s still much we don’t know. If there’s one thing you should take away from this article, it’s that there’s still a lot we don’t know about ASD. Part of the reason we treat it as a spectrum is because there are so many gaps in our knowledge base on it.
If we all work harder to better understand ASD, and the people struggling with this disorder, we can create a more inclusive society and support neurodivergent individuals. If you suspect that you or a loved one is on the autism spectrum, consider getting treatment and talking to a trained professional.