EVERY one of us is on the autistic spectrum 'just to varying degrees'

The genetic risk for autism exists in every person, scientists today revealed. As a result, the principal signs of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) are seen in each individual - just to varying degrees. Those with the most severe symptoms are the proportion of the population officially diagnosed with ASD, the scientists from the University of Bristol, Harvard and MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital found. They set out to identifying if there is a genetic relationship between ASD and ASD-related traits in people not considered to have ASD. Their findings reveal the risk underlying ASD affects a range of behavioural and developmental traits in all people.