More on autism "spectrum"

Kids were artists or "autists" and they were said to be "autistic" or to have "autism" in a mid-to-upper class suburban strip mall clinic setting.

The "spectrum" may refer to a artist's palette including potentially every color in the rainbow, or else radio frequency spectrum used by ham radio enthusiasts etc.

The Artist’s Palette

A beautifully illustrated look at the paints and palettes used by many of the world’s greatest artists from the sixteenth century to today

Princeton University PressAlexandra Loske

Ham Radio Outlet

World’s Largest Supplier of Amateur Radio, Ham Radio, and Communication Equipment. Sales, Supplies, and Service.

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"Autism spectrum" is a mid-to-upper class pediatric diagnosis for kids who have hobbies or want to do something constructive with their time, but they're relatively wealthy and they do not have to work for money.

There is also an extremely communistic culture in those neighborhoods where paying jobs are reserved for mid-to-lower classes of persons who are not perceived as too well-born or privileged for the job.

There's a mob beating up the "rich kid" on the school bus, but the kid is not really ever "rich" in the sense of having money or property to enjoy in this life.

The term "diagnosis" is effectively singular only, and does not have a usable plural in the English language. We simply say "diagnostics" which includes medical tests and other interpretations or explanations of symptoms. A diagnosis of two simultaneous disorders is sometimes referred to as a "dual diagnosis."

The medical textbooks offer "diagnoses" as a plural noun, but that form is really only a singular verb: one doctor "diagnoses" a patient with one or more disorders.