I am autistic - there's so many things wrong with how it's spoken about

The phrase autism spectrum is misleading, says expert who has the condition. Education editor Abbie Wightwick reports

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Dr Aimee Grant, senior lecturer in public health at Swansea University.

THE phrase “autism spectrum” is misleading and “has outlived its usefulness” and may even be harmful, a Welsh expert on the neurodevelopmental condition warns.

“The idea of a single spectrum, which stretches from “mild” to “severe”, may be misleading. And some autism experts, including me, argue the term has outlived its usefulness,” says Aimee Grant, associate professor in public health and Welllcome Trust Fellow at Swansea University.

The phrases “autism spectrum” or “on the spectrum” have become “part of everyday language” since the phrase was coined in the 1980s by psychiatrist Dr Lorna Wing, whose work transformed how autism was understood in the UK.

At the time, Dr Lorna Wing's “autism spectrum” concept was groundbreaking in suggesting autism has a wide range of traits and experiences.

But using the term “spectrum” suggests autistic people can be ranked from “more autistic” to “less autistic” when that’s not how autism works, says the Swansea University academic.

“Autism is made up of many different traits and needs, which show up in unique combinations. Some autistic people rely heavily on routine, while others find comfort in repetitive movements known as “stimming”.