Autism is a topic you’ve likely heard of at some point.
It’s a condition that can impact how autistic individuals learn, socialize, and move through the world.
The autistic community makes up roughly 1% of the population, and there’s plenty of information and research out there surrounding autism that has improved society’s understanding of it.
But despite how common it is and how much research has improved, there are still several myths about autism.
These myths can be offensive to the autism community.
They can also make it more difficult to access support, which can include an autism coach or therapist.
At Blue Sky Learning a team of neurodivergent-affirming therapists and coaches have debunked some of these myths within this blog.
Read on to discover more.
Myths About Autism
Thankfully, the increasing understanding, research, and definition of autism have improved over the years.
But while society can celebrate these improvements, there is still a lot of work to be done to debunk the myths.
Here are some of the most common myths about autism:
Autism is a mental illness.
Autism is caused by vaccines.
Autism has become an epidemic.
Autistic people can be cured.
Bad parenting causes autism.
Autistic people are more violent than the general population.
Autistic individuals are all savants.
Autistic individuals are antisocial.
Only boys can be autistic.
Autism is new.
Autism is a childhood condition.
Autism is caused solely by environmental factors.
People with autism can’t stand to be touched.
Autism is a learning disability.
Myth: Autism Is a Mental Illness.
It’s more complicated than this.
Autism is not itself a mental health condition. It’s instead a neurodevelopmental condition.
Similar to other neurodevelopmental conditions, it causes differences in the way the brain is wired. For instance, the differences in ADHD and autism are displayed in AuDHD.
Key brain areas, such as learning, memory, attention span, emotional regulation, impulse control, and more, have differences in brain structure or function.
Despite the fact that autism is not a mental illness, it can co-occur with mental health conditions such as anxiety, OCD, and depression.
Autistic individuals are more likely to experience some mental health conditions.
For example, a systematic review of the literature suggests that as many as 40% of autistic children and 50% of autistic adults have an anxiety disorder.
These co-occurring mental health conditions may require treatment while taking into account the neurodevelopmental nature of autism.
Myth: Autism is caused by vaccines.
This is an old, yet frequent, myth that still gets spread around.
It comes from a study that was run in the 1990s by Dr. Andrew Wakefield.
They suggested that MMR vaccines cause a series of health effects that would lead to the development of autism.
This study was subsequently retracted because it did not hold up to scientific standards. This study was so bogus that Dr. Wakefield had his medical license to practice revoked.
Since then, there have been several studies that indicate that there is no scientific evidence that vaccines and autism are linked.
Myth: Autism Has Become an Epidemic.
You may have fallen for this myth, given that the number of individuals diagnosed with autism has increased substantially in the past three decades.
But this myth does not account for the fact that this increase in autism is not due to an epidemic.
It’s due to an increased societal understanding of autism.
As society’s understanding of autism improves, so does professionals' ability to diagnose autism.
In the past, there may have been many individuals who were considered socially awkward but didn’t receive an autism diagnosis.
Old studies on the signs of autism were also largely focused on white, cis and straight boys, so these populations were more likely to receive a diagnosis and care.
For this reason, today, many autistic adults, especially women, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and other marginalized populations, are just now being diagnosed with autism, despite the fact they have been autistic all along.
Myth: Autistic People Can Be Cured or Grown Out Of.
Autism is not something to be fixed or cured. Many experts agree with this and believe that there is no known cure for autism and that there never will be one.
Instead, it’s a neurodivergence, meaning it involves a different way of navigating the world based on differences in how the brain is wired.
Moreover, many autistic individuals embrace their autism as an integral aspect of their identity.
One study even showed that 87% of autistic individuals prefer identity-first language, using “I am autistic” to describe their autistic identity.
Therefore, autism is generally considered, among experts and autistic individuals alike, to be a difference and not a disease that will be cured or that you or your children will “grow out of.”
Myth: Bad parenting causes autism.
This myth goes all the way back to a past theory on parenting and autism.
This theory, which started in the 1950s, is known as the refrigerator mother theory.
This theory suggests that mothers who are emotionally distant or neglectful will traumatize their children so much that it will cause them to develop autism.
Despite the fact that this myth has since been debunked, it caused a lot of grief for parents of autistic kids and the autistic community alike.
We understand now that autism is a difference in brain development.
While we don’t know the exact cause of autism, we do know that parenting is not the cause.
Anyone can be autistic, regardless of whether they have good parents, horrible parents, or parents at any other point on the parenting spectrum.
Myth: Autistic people are more violent than the general population.
Movies and TV shows related to autism may have you falsely believing that autistic individuals are violent.
This myth perpetuates a stigma that can be harmful to autistic individuals and stop them from getting the support and accommodations they need.
The truth is that aggression can occur as a result of sensory overload or emotional distress, and this can occur in anyone.
Sensory overload and emotional distress may be more common in autistic individuals.
Despite this, autistic individuals do not act violently out of malice or pose an increased risk of danger to society.
Recent research suggests that autistic people are no more likely to be violent than allistic (non-autistic) individuals.
Myth: Autistic Individuals Are All Savants.
Savant syndrome is a condition in which someone has exceptional cognitive abilities.
This could include things related to memory, music, math, or other cognitive functions.
Autistic individuals are generally depicted in many popular movies and TV shows as having savant syndrome.
In particular, two that do so are the movie Rain Man and the TV show Big Bang Theory.
This may cause you to believe that all autistic people are savants.
In actuality, no more than 1 in every 10 autistic individuals displays savant skills.
What may make this myth more believable, however, is that autistic individuals generally display a specific interest in a specific topic.
This can cause people to confuse special interests with having savant skills when these are not the same thing.
While those with special interests focus more on a specific topic, sometimes to the exclusion of other topics, this usually results in an increased knowledge of the topic.
Those with savant skills actually have more than just knowledge of a specific topic. They have exceptional cognitive abilities in that area.
Myth: Autistic Individuals Are Antisocial.
This myth is based on societal norms that suggest how we should communicate, interact, and be in the world.
We assume that autistic individuals are supposed to navigate the world in the same way that allistic people do.
Autistic people, however, navigate the world differently. More so, autism exists on a spectrum, so no two autistic individuals are the same in the challenges they face.
Some may struggle with social interactions and have difficulty with body language, eye contact, and emotions, which may present challenges in social situations. Some may not have any difficulties at all.
Regardless of whether they have difficulties in this area or not, just like any other human, autistic individuals have a desire to connect with other humans.
They may just do so in a more discreet way or communicate in text, email, or written communication over verbal communication.
We’re all unique, and we need to understand that a lack of one form of communication does not mean antisocial behavior or a lack of all modes of communication.
Myth: Only Boys Can Be Autistic.
Research suggests that boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism. This may have you thinking that only boys can be autistic.
But this is simply not the case.
Anyone of any gender can be autistic.
Past research, however, focused on white, cis, and straight males. For this reason, due to the lack of understanding the signs of autism in girls, girls are likely to go undiagnosed or be misdiagnosed until adulthood.
Girls are also more likely to mask or fit in socially than autistic boys. Due to this, some evidence suggests that professionals should use different diagnostic criteria to diagnose girls.
Myth: Autism Is New.
The CDC suggests that right now 1 in 68 children in the United States are autistic.
This is a sharp increase from decades ago.
Thankfully, this is due to our increased understanding of autism, which has enabled more people to get diagnosed and get the care they need.
This increase may then have you thinking autism is a new diagnosis, but that is not true.
In fact, autism was first described by scientist Leo Kranner in 1943.
Even more so, the earliest description of a child now known as autistic was written back in 1799.
But there is no reason to believe that autism didn’t exist even before this date.
Back in history, many individuals who were seen as weird may have been autistic. Technology was just not advanced enough to know.
Myth: Autism Is a Childhood Condition.
This is one of the many conditions that do not only exist in childhood and then go away over time.
While many individuals are diagnosed in childhood, autism is a chronic condition that continues into adulthood, with many individuals being first diagnosed as adults.
Interestingly enough, autistic adults outnumber autistic children in the UK. However, there is a lack of research on autistic adults.
More research is required to understand the unique challenges and supports autistic adults need.
Myth: Autism Is Caused Solely by Environmental Factors.
Scientists aren’t sure what the exact cause of autism is.
But they do understand that it may include a mix of genetics and environment.
Parents whose first child is autistic are more likely to have a second autistic child. Moreover, identical twins are more likely to both be autistic than fraternal twins.
Once a person has been diagnosed with autism, environmental factors may play a role in symptom severity.
Myth: People With Autism Can’t Stand to Be Touched.
You’ve likely met an autistic individual who does not like to be touched. While this may be true for this autistic person, autism is a spectrum.
This means that no two autistic people can be placed in the same bubble. Even if one autistic person doesn’t like being touched, others may.
Many autistic people may have a desire for connection and enjoy hugs and other forms of touch.
Myth: Autism Is a Learning Disability
This is more complex. While autism is not a learning disability, it consists of traits that may impact learning
This can include difference's n the brain areas responsible for learning, memory, attention span, emotional regulation, impulse control, and more.
Moreover, Autistic individuals are more likely to experience other other learning disability than non-autistic individuals.
Continue Learning About Autism.
Here, you just learned about 14 myths related to autism. We encourage you to continue to learn about autism from autistic individuals.
It would also be appreciated if you could share this post with those you know, because the more people who understand autism, the better off society will be.
Book a Free Consultation With Blue Sky Learning
Blue Sky Learning team members embody values of compassion, empathy, and person-centered approaches to care.
Are you autistic and looking for autism coaching or therapy?
Book a free 20-minute consultation with one of the Blue Sky Learning team members by emailing hello@blueskylearning.ca or go through the link below.
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