Is Everyone on the Autistic Spectrum?

Oct 31, 2025

Is Everyone on the Autistic Spectrum?

I often hear comments that people make about ‘everyone being on the spectrum’, or ‘a little bit autistic’. I don’t think people say this to be nasty, but it is just a lack of understanding about the condition. After all, I used to think this way too.

The answer to this is no. I was told this by my assessor, who gave me my autism diagnosis, who was very experienced in their field. Everyone on the autism spectrum is unique, with varied levels of difficulty, but we all fit into the diagnostic criteria.

Another reason I know this is because the world is designed to fit in with neurotypical people rather than neurodiverse people, and autistic people struggle in different environments. This would not be the case if everyone were autistic.

Image by NVD from Pixabay

What do you think? How can we support autistic people while also recognising the differences in the ways we all experience the world?

Sources:

Autism spectrum disorder

Criteria and tools used in an autism assessment

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6 responses to “Is Everyone on the Autistic Spectrum?”

Warren

Oct 31, 2025 at 9:17 pm

my daughter knows she’s different, but is so far on the other end of Austim she wouldn’t understand what the term means…I do think though, way to many say that they’re autisic without understanding that…..i almost think autism is something, someone else that knows and understands the spectrum should diagnose, like depression, we would know, but just am not sure what?

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1. Louise
  
  Nov 1, 2025 at 7:50 pm
  
  Autism can look like lots of other conditions. There are lots of overlap with ADHD for example. Learning the life history is important to get the correct diagnosis. Self-diagnosing before assessment is valid as you are learning about yourself, however, in order to get the correct treatment for the condition, it needs to be assessed by someone who knows what they are doing :).
  
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  1. Warren
    
    Nov 1, 2025 at 8:30 pm
    
    exactly. I continue to read and reread everything I can. there a great great collection of books by Donna Williams who’s on the high functioning..her second of a series called somebody somewhere, there’s a part where she talked about walking into a school room with a variety of children with special needs, and she goes through an understands and describes each and how each has different needs and will need to learn different ways…I actually cried reading that, spoke so much to the challenges we’ve had with my now adult daughter…we and those that worked with her did our best, but we still keep looking for someone with the insight and maybe something we’ve never found….we keep and have always been looking for someone like Helen Keller’s Anne Sullivan….
    
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    1. Louise
      
      Nov 3, 2025 at 8:12 pm
      
      I have found something on Helen Keller. Is that the lady who lost her sight and hearing?
      
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      1. Warren
        
        Nov 4, 2025 at 2:54 am
        
        yes. her story is amazing. I read about her way back when I was really young….but thinking about her relationship with her aid/nurse is really I think the key, the right person at the right time
        
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      2. Louise
        
        Nov 4, 2025 at 12:50 pm
        
        I will read some of her books 🙂
        
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