“It’s a Spectrum” Doesn’t Mean What You Think
Much the same idea as an earlier post I shared. Autism is just a grab bag for a lot of different traits that seem to happen together to varying degrees. We aren’t going to have a handle on it until we understand the genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors at play. It will be very complex.
At best, psychiatry is trying to categorize many different traits as all being on a one-dimensional spectrum because they tend to be associated with each other more often than not and they occur with differing degrees of intensity. It is too simplistic – maybe even a bit lazy – but it is what we’ve got.
In reality, there are as many dimensions as we decide are facets of the syndrome. And that itself is s subjective call.
Another similar article:
Understanding the Spectrum
I'm Not Dead Yet... 