Commentary – Autism Spectrum Disorder: Spectrum or Cluster?

Autism is increasingly considered a spectrum disorder – autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, considering ASD as a cluster in a feature space defined by variables related to aspects of dyadic interacting may explain the anecdotal rapidity of the casual “detection” of ASD, and refine our understanding of its phenomenology. Evidence suggests that dyadic interaction is one of the most important levels at which to consider ASD. Here, we propose that there may only be a few cardinal things that can go wrong in dyadic social interaction. Characterizing these aberrancies will aid our search for causal biomarkers, mechanisms, and more effective treatments for ASD.