And it’s observations like that that someone on the spectrum would make.

Perhaps we could agree that “on the spectrum” in this case is a messy neurotypical shorthand for being on the colourful end of the spectrum (autistic) rather than the grey boring end (non-autistic).

Haha yes... I was also wondering what the article (or the headline) is actually stating. In that light it's also very questionable to assume that "people on that spectrum" create cost - even if you limit it to some range that makes intuitively sense.

No, the spectrum is from severe autism through and including the old asperger's syndrome, however mild; it ends there definitionally, leaving the vast majority of humans outside the spectrum.