Common Misconceptions About ASD

With the world becoming more aware of Autism Spectrum Disorders, there is a lot of educational and informative information being spread. Unfortunately, many misconceptions also tend to circulate. With all the information going around, it might be difficult to separate fact from fiction.

What Are Some Common Misconceptions About Autism?

Some common misconceptions bout ASD are:

1. Autism Is a Disease. Some people may believe that autism can be acquired and that autistic people can be cured using medicines, procedures and treatments. This is not true. Autistic people are not ill, and no medicine can cure them. Instead, autism is a neuro-developmental disorder that can be treated and managed with therapies and interventions by professionals.
2. Vaccines Cause Autism. This misconception has been widespread, especially on social media. A large group of people view this as fact, but there is no evidence to support this statement. There was a 1998 study linking autism to vaccines, but it has since been retracted, and several studies have disproved a direct link between vaccines and autism.
3. Autistic People Don’t Have Emotions. People with ASD can feel emotions; they might just have a hard time communicating them in a way that others would understand. This can lead to strange reactions due to a lack of joint attention. Since autistic people tend to avoid face-to-face contact, they have a disadvantage when it comes to sharing emotions and understanding the emotions of others.
4. Children With ASD Have Intellectual Disabilities. This misconception can often occur because of a lack of understanding that all people on the autism spectrum are different. Because of this lack of awareness, some people may believe that all people with autism have intellectual disabilities or can not speak. However, this is not true.
5. People Can Outgrow Autism. Many people view autism as a stage that someone goes through and then outgrows. They think that this disorder is mainly experienced by children who will grow out of it using therapy, intervention, or their own. The truth is that autism is a lifelong disorder for which there is no cure.
6. Bad Parenting Can Cause Autism. Historically there has been a long-standing misconception that autism results from emotionally distant or cold parents. Autism may not yet be fully understood; it is now established that the development of ASD has no connection with parenting styles.
7. Autistic Individuals are Violent. This misconception has often been very harmful to children with ASD, as it is believed that these children are more violent than their peers. The truth is that although there are children. All children may struggle with emotions and act out but will eventually learn to regulate these emotions into adulthood.
8. People With Autism Can’t Form Meaningful Relationships. Though many people diagnosed with ASD might find it more challenging to engage in social interactions, this doesn’t mean that they can’t form any meaningful bonds with others. Many people with ASD can have close friendships, get married and successfully raise children.
9. All Autistic People Have Savant Skills. Savant skills, caused by savant syndrome, is a rare condition in which an individual displays extraordinarily exceptional skills and mental abilities. Although there are cases of autistic individuals with savant syndrome, this is not always the case.
10. The Appearance of Autism is Relatively New. Many people believe that autism is a new disorder or has significantly increased in the last few decades. The truth is that the first documented case of autism might go back to 1799.  The reason that documented cases have increased in the previous few decades can also be attributed to how much our ability to diagnose ASD has improved.

It is crucial to point common misconceptions about ASD out, as they can be very harmful to those diagnosed with this disorder. Many of these misconceptions can create negative perceptions of autistic people, leading to judgment and rejection.