Today is ‘Autism Sunday’ or ‘International Day of Prayer for Autistic Spectrum Disorders’, which originated in the UK. Not really a fan of that second name since that makes me think people are praying for a cure or something. Anyway, the day is supposed to be about raising awareness of autism. So, I thought I would touch on some misconceptions that I’ve run into being the parent of an autistic child and working with neurodivergent students.
- Autistic People are Nonverbal– This isn’t true at all. Many people think of the side of the spectrum where the person cannot communicate, operate in social settings, or understand the world around them. It’s the ‘extreme’ version that Hollywood will push if they aren’t going for the ‘Autistic Savant’, which is another fallacy. Being that autism is a spectrum, you will find a variety of communication abilities.
- Only Boys Get Autism– Not really true. In reality, boys are more likely to be diagnosed due to how society perceives them. Girls are more likely to be misdiagnosed.
- Autistic People Are All Introverts– While many can be nervous about social situations, they still want to interact with others. Yes, crowded settings with loud noises and flashing lights can trigger overstimulation, but there are tools to help get through such things. If nothing else, just going to a quiet place to decompress for a bit before going back. Others don’t have this issue and will dive into a gathering like every other extrovert.
- Autism is a disease– Not . . . True . . . At . . . All. Never compare this to something like the flu or polio. It’s just how a person’s brain has been wired, which stands out more due to our societal standards. It’s just who they are. Calling it a disease makes it sound like it’s something that needs to be cured, which many with autism would find insulting.
- Autism is Caused by Vaccines– Comprehensive studies have been done and shown that there is no connection. The two Wakefield studies that ‘proved’ a connection were deeply flawed. The first one was done when 90% of children in England were getting the MMR vaccine, which is administered around the age one would normally see signs of autism appearing. Correlation does not imply causality. The second report focused on presence of measles being more prevalent in those with autism. The problem is that there were no signs it was a blind study, the method used had a history of creating false positives, and various pieces of distinguishing information were omitting from the report to make it look like a clear connection.
- Increase in Autism is Due to the Environment– I wondered about this years ago, but then I did some reading. Got to thinking about how kids were treated when I was growing up. Autism wasn’t really common in the 80’s and 90’s beyond the two stereotypes of savant and screaming meltdown kid. We did have a ton of ADHD, ADD, learning disorders, and other labels that have reduced since we have gained a better understanding of autism as a spectrum. So, many of the people we knew growing up who didn’t fit in, had trouble comprehending school, or received of the labels probably would be diagnosed with autism today.
- Only Children Can Be Diagnosed as Autistic– Given that autism was barely understood when many of us were kids, it does seem like it’s only the younger generations getting diagnosed. Of course, nobody was evaluating us for autism. This means that many adults can be diagnosed if they go through the testing. For some who do this, it can bring a greater sense of understanding of themselves. It can also be hard to accept after a lifetime of being diagnosed with something else or firmly believing you were neurotypical all along.
- Autistic People Have No or Fewer Emotions– From experience, I can tell you that those with autism have all of the emotions. In fact, they can feel them stronger than neurotypicals since they don’t always have filters. Overstimulation can create big emotions in those with autism, which can cause meltdowns or pulling away from social settings. They can also show their emotions in unique ways since they are navigating a world that wasn’t designed to accommodate their habits. This also means that one can easily hurt their feelings, which some don’t think are possibly, especially if the autistic individual is nonverbal. I can tell you from experience that even a person who cannot speak their mind can tell when they are being ridiculed, insulted, and bullied.
- Autistic People Lack Empathy– Again, this is something that they can feel more of because they lack the filters to handle. Empathy may also be very different for someone with autism. From a young age, they are taught to watch their own words and feelings to keep them in check. They are raised to primarily look inward to watch their own actions in a social setting. So, they can miss emotional cues from others, but that doesn’t mean they lack the ability to make a connection. When relaxed and not fixated on something else, they are adept at picking up on voice tone and body language.
Legends of Windemere 