"We're all on the spectrum"

[bluetinpinkteapot]

No we're not! We're really, really not.

Please people who don't have autism or don't know anything about autism, please do not say this to people who do have autism or their carers/families.

It is wrong, it is offensive, it does a huge disservice to autistic people.

If you truly think this, do some reading. Or don't if you don't care - but stop saying it!

From one exhausted mother who has just had to have this conversation yet again with I'm someone who I thought was a good friend.

To echo a previous poster, I think the most important thing to say regarding research is that scientists can speculate as much as they like but unless someone has personal experience of living or working with someone with autism, it doesn't mean much.

The reality of an autistic person's day-to-day struggles is very different to scientific theories. Families and special needs teachers are the experts.