Autism

Introduction

Myths vs Facts

  • Autism is a mental health condition.
  • Autism is actually a neurological difference – MRI scans show distinctions in the ways that autistic and non-autistic brains receive and process information
  • Autism mainly affects young children
  • Neither age, gender, nor ethnicity matter – people are born autistic. Some people don’t get a diagnosis until adulthood but have still been autistic their whole lives.
  • Everyone is a little autistic.
  • This is a common misconception. Some people have autistic characteristics, e.g, being hyper-focused or rigid in routines, but that doesn’t make them autistic.
  • All autistic people have a learning disability.
  • Current research shows that over two-thirds of autistic people don’t have learning disabilities or learning difficulties. However, many autistic people have learning differences – different ways of learning. And this shouldn’t be viewed as negative: it might mean a greater ability to read as a young child or a way to identify patterns more easily.
  • You can tell someone is autistic by looking at them
  • There are autistic people in all walks of life; in different ages, genders, ethnicities and religions. Autism doesn’t have a ‘look’. Nor does it always have visible identifying characteristics; when it does, they don’t apply to all autistic people. .
  • Autistic people like to be on their own. They are anti-social
  • This may be true of some autistic people, but it is certainly not true of all. Some non-autistic people love socialising, whereas others prefer a quiet night with a book.
  • Autistic people can not show empathy.
  • Many autistic people feel extreme empathy for others but may respond in a way that non-autistic people would not. For example, by sharing a similar experience of their own to indicate solidarity, by offering practical help, or by freezing and doing nothing because they are unsure how to respond in a way that is wanted.
  • Autism can be cured
  • Autism is not an illness. Being autistic is part of who a person is, like their eye colour, and not something that can be changed or grown out of.
  • Autistic people always have other conditions.
  • Not always. But more than half of autistic people have co-occurring conditions that can accompany autism. Aspergers is becoming more well-known, but this syndrome sits within autism and is not a separate diagnosis.
  • All autistic people have special skills like Rainman.
  • This isn’t true either. A small percentage of autistic people are savants, which means they have mathematical skills beyond compare or can produce incredible artwork. However, most are regular people.
  • Autism wasn’t around when I was at school.
  • Not true. You don’t just become autistic overnight. You are born autistic. At school you may not have been aware of the neurodiversity around you. Many autistic adults were not diagnosed until well after they had finished their education. That doesn’t mean that autism wasn’t around when you were at school. It simply means that we didn’t recognise that it was there.
  • All autistic people are the same.
  • No two autistic individuals share the same characteristics, just like no two non-autistic individuals ate the same.
  • Autistic people can’t work as part of a team.
  • Many autistic people enjoy working as part of a team. Often, autistic people have a different communication style to many others, which can lead to misunderstandings. Some autistic people can find it challenging to interpret other people’s behaviours and find it harder to read between the lines. Many autistic people are usually very honest and forthright; what they say is what they mean.