I see what you're saying. To be fair, I don't recall seeing the word "disabled" explicitly mentioned in my diagnostic report either. But once I was diagnosed, I started seeing the disability adviser at the Jobcentre, so as far as the "system" was concerned, I was considered disabled. But for years I wasn't sure whether I was disabled, and I never seemed to qualify for disability benefit, so perhaps it is somewhat a grey area?

This NHS page says that autism is a disability:

https://www.cntw.nhs.uk/services/learning-disability-and-autism-services/

So does the National Autistic Society:

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism

I don't agree that calling autism a disability will hold people back with employment. In fact, the Equality Act 2010 was created to prevent discrimination of disabled people:

https://www.employmentautism.org.uk/FAQs/the-equality-act-and-employment

However, that page does say "It is important to note that although the Equality Act 2010 defines autism as a disability, an autistic individual may not necessarily define themselves as such."

So, I appreciate that some autistic people may not consider themselves to be disabled. But legally, they are, and that's important because it prevents them from getting discriminated against.