"Everyone is on the spectrum," or are they?

Not if by spectrum you mean the autism spectrum. 

Everyone is on A spectrum. But not the autism spectrum. 

The one everyone is on is the spectrum of human needs. 

We all have them. Literally. All 8 billion of us.

But no. Not everyone is on the spectrum of AUTISTIC needs. 

Our spectrum is made up of a very specific constellation of needs. 

If everyone were on our spectrum, autism would never have been identified as a disorder.

It was identified as a disorder because those of us who ARE on the autism spectrum showed up differently enough that it stood out. 

See how that works? 🙂

Ok, so now that we're on the same page about that, let's talk about what being on the autism spectrum actually means. 

It means we need external support to get our needs met. 

If you're not on our spectrum, you don't need the same support. 

That's why autism is a disability and not a "different ability." 🙂

So how about we not say "everyone is on the spectrum" unless by that we mean, everyone is on the spectrum of human needs. (But let's not do that either because it'll still confuse people. 😅)