Ok, I'll bite. What's that threshold to be considered "on the spectrum"? Is there a threshold on the other end? If so, what is that? My point is that everybody exhibits some of the symptoms typically associated with autism or Asberger's. For example: getting exhausted from being around people; sensory overload; pattern-finding in everything. It differs for each person. I frequently look for visual patterns around me, and it's satisfying to find one. Does that put me "on the spectrum"? Some sounds make me cringe. What about that? How many do there have to be? The whole reason it's called a "spectrum" is that there is no one thing that can define it.

DSM-5 is the current standard for diagnosing and classifying mental health conditions. I don't have the direct quote from the book handy, but I believe this guide from Stanford is accurate: https://med.stanford.edu/content/dam/sm/neonatology/document...

Essentially, there's a collection of behaviors you need to exhibit to be considered autistic. Then, the "spectrum" part is the severity of those behaviors.