“Autistic” vs. “On the Spectrum”

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PC has nothing to do with the subject.

A "spectrum" is something that is spread out over a range. Like the colors of the spectrum are a range of wavelengths of light.

If you are at either end of the spectrum you are still "on the spectrum". But if its the autism spectrum, and you're on the severe end then you don't need to say that you are on "the autism spectrum", because the severe end is what most folks already associate with autism. So you just say "I am autistic".

Its folks on the high functioning end who need to spell out that they are on "the autism spectrum" (ie "I am autistic, but I am only a little wee bit autistic, and not what you think").

However...there maybe more autism awareness now than when I was diagnosed even a few years ago.

I am just going along with the DSM, and with most austisitcs, and saying that it ranges from having some degree of some traits (enough to need some support), to having a whole lot of intensly disabling traits that a need a lot of support .

Don't know why you are reading something beyond the consensus into what I said.