autism awareness month
Autism Myths You Should Ignore
There are a lot of stereotypes about autism spectrum disorder that just aren’t true—here are the five biggest misconceptions. By Katelin Walling
W
hile the awareness of autism spectrum disorder has grown due to social media, increased research, Autism Awareness Month, and more, there are still many misconceptions about ASD, from its causes to the characteristics and abilities of those on the spectrum. As its name denotes, autism is a spectrum, meaning not everyone diagnosed with autism displays the same traits, exhibits the same behaviors, or has the same abilities—just like you or me. Applying blanket statements to those on the spectrum would be like saying girls can’t throw or boys don’t cry. We spoke to experts about stereotypes of ASD and uncovered the truth behind five big misconceptions about the disorder and those diagnosed with it.
environmental chemicals and such that may be at play, but not knowing everything in the environment that may be affecting a fetus, either seen or unseen, makes it hard to decipher that.” “What we do know about autism is there seems to be a genetic component, and about 10- to 20-percent of cases with ASD are linked to an identified genetic disorder,” Dr. Kuriakose says. “We anticipate that that number will go up with more genetics research. But even in identical twins, the concordance rate is not 100-percent, so we know there is some factor that is not genetic as well.”
Myth 2: PeoPle on the sPectrum are antisocial and don’t haVe feelings. Dr. Kuriakose says parents, teachers, and even doctors will tell her things like, “that child can’t have autism because…he’s affectionate, …she makes eye contact, or …he’s interested in other kids.” “So what can end up happening is people have this very black-and-white picture that a person with autism is someone who is anti-social and isn’t interested in other people,” she says. “We know that those aren’t necessarily true.” Yet thanks to this persistent myth, a child who does have autism might not be given a diagnosis—his parents may be hanging on to the fact that their child is affectionate though he is struggling in other ways. “It is often thought that people with autism don’t have feelings, which is a very sad misconception and very far from the truth,” adds Janet Koch, CEO of Life’s WORC.
Despite what many people may think, individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder do like spending time with peers. In fact, interacting with people on the spectrum is the best way to battle these misconceptions.
Myth 1: Vaccines cause autism. Unfortunately, we do still hear the misconception that autism is related to vaccinations, commonly the measles, mumps, rubella vaccination, says Sarah Kuriakose, Ph.D., BCBA-D, statewide director of psychology services at NYS Office of Mental Health. “Not only was the initial study that showed that a fraudulent study, but followup studies have debunked that many times,” she explains. There are other concerns that autism is caused by “various environmental factors that a pregnant mother may be exposed to,” says John Pfeifer, assistant executive director at Life’s WORC, a Long Island nonprofit that supports people with developmental disabilities and autism. “There’s still ongoing research about the expansion of electromagnetic technology and various 38
April/May 2021 | nymetroparents.com
Myth 3: PeoPle with autism exhibit challenging and/or maladaPtiVe behaViors. “It’s not fair to say that challenging behaviors are inherent in the diagnosis,” Pfeifer says. “They are often a byproduct of ineffective treatment of some of the things that are inherent in the diagnosis, which are communication and socialization difficulties.” These behaviors could include flapping hands, rocking, or other selfstimulatory behaviors. “We still, unfortunately, have the misconception from previous media portrayals that kids with autism are nonverbal, are going to sit in the corner, and just rock or flap their hands,” Dr. Kuriakose says. As society becomes more educated about autism, people are learning about adapting communication efforts. “It could actually help a person [on the spectrum] to not escalate to such a significant behavior because they’ll be able to communicate more easily with people who have been taught how to communicate with them,” Koch says.
