Facts Vs Fiction: Breaking 5 Myths About Autism
Introduction Imagine navigating a foreign land using a guide book that’s written in a foreign language. Sounds scary, right? Life with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) feels a lot like that. ASD is a spectrum of cognitive disorders related to brain development. ➔ ➔
starts in childhood affects a person’s perception of their world
Since people with ASD experience the world uniquely: ➔ ➔
they exhibit abnormal social behaviours often have difficulty communicating with others.
A general lack of understanding and awareness of the disorder, has led to abundant misinformation. So, let’s clear the air about some myths surrounding ASD.
Myth 1: Every person with ASD experiences it the same way ASD is a spectrum. No two people experience it the same way. Children with ASD may exhibit different symptoms and coping mechanisms from each other. It’s important to look at people with ASD: ✔ as individuals – understand individual needs, stimuli responses, manageable interactions and communicate on their terms ❌ not as a collective representation of the disorder Individual therapy and one-on-one classes are as important as group interactions for children with ASD. What applies to one will not necessarily apply to another.
Myth 2: Every person with ASD is either secretly a genius or is mentally inadequate A paradox of the perception of ASD — the latter being the general belief. People with ASD are as intellectually capable as anyone else. Expression of thought is what is troublesome. Autistic Savants are people with ASD who display remarkable abilities or skills in one or several domains. A trope popularly pushed by media – Rain Man, Sheldon Cooper, Sherlock Holmes. This is not always the case. Many people with ASD have areas of special interest which they might fixate on. Though this is common, it indicates interest, not intelligence.
Myth 3: People with ASD are emotionless and lack empathy Most children with Autism can recognize emotions as their peers by matching them. Often, children with ASD, may struggle to recognize their feelings, or might not be able to articulate what they’re feeling. This doesn’t mean they have no emotions. Some people with ASD may: ➔ ➔
have ‘flat affect’ or difficulty conveying tone with their voice. This can make their speech seem emotionless or rude. have difficulty in picking up on other people’s tone and non-verbal cues and therefore fail to respond appropriately. This is misunderstood as a lack of emotion or empathy.
Myth 4: People with ASD need to be taken care of throughout their lives This may be true in case of some severe cases. Note that ASD is a spectrum. People with ASD aren’t always open about their diagnosis, they are usually provided with the tools they need to navigate the world at a young age. Most people with ASD grow to manage their symptoms and live fully independent and healthy lives.
Myth 5: Stem Cell Therapy for Autism is a cure for ASD There is no cure for ASD. Many activists who have ASD themselves, believe it doesn’t need a cured, rather needs to be better understood and accommodated. Several treatment options help manage symptoms and make interaction easier for people with ASD. Stem Cell Therapy being one – extracted and processed from the bone marrow, Stem Cells help detoxify the surrounding area and replace damaged cells to reduce inflammation.
Conclusion Popular media and genuine misunderstanding have painted a cloudy picture of ASD over the years. Eg: many people still believe that Autism is caused by vaccines despite being proven false repeatedly. As we learn more about ASD through the eyes of the people living with it, this picture clears a bit. We learn to put aside the image of the ‘Autistic Savant’, the idea of ‘Emotionless Monotone’, and misunderstandings around Stem Cell Therapy for Autism. We learn to see the people behind the condition.
Thank you.