Misconceptions About Autism

Misconceptions & Truths

Misconception: Autism is an emotional condition that is caused by a child’s withdrawal from parents who are cold and unwilling to accept him/her.

Truth: Autism is a neurological disorder resulting in a developmental disability characterized by difficulties in social reciprocity, language acquisition, and attention to the normal range of environmental events. The cause of this neurological disorder is largely unknown. Recentevidence indicates abnormalities of the cerebellum, the limbic system, and of neuron-chemical transmitters may be involved. There is no evidence that autism is caused by an atypical parenting style. Families of children with autism exercise the same variations in parenting as families of typical children. Also, many children with autism have typical siblings without autism.

Misconception: Dustin Hof man’s character in Rain Man is a typical example of a person with autism.

Truth: People with autism present with an enormous range of differences. Although the autistic individual depicted in the movie “Rain Man” possessed special abilities, the vast majority of autistic people do not. Autistic individuals who possess “genius” abilities are often called “savants” or “autistic savants”. Approximately 50% of all savants have autism, while only about 5 to 10 percent possess extraordinary skills. However, most autistic individuals display uneven or scattered skill development (e.g., do better on nonverbal tasks, motor tasks, and concrete tasks). Additionally, most autistic individuals display significant cognitive/intellectual impairments.

Misconception: Children with autism are withdrawn, avoid eye contact, engage in self-injurious behavior, rock, spin objects, and lack the ability to form emotional attachments

Truth: Individuals with autism tend to be diverse. Some autistic individuals engage in eye contact while others enjoy tickles and hugs. However, not all autistic individuals engage in rocking, spinning, or self-abusive behavior. Some may present with sensory integration dysfunction (e.g., overreaction to touch, vision, sound, etc.), which lead them to express and receive affection in unconventional ways. However, the stereotypical child with autism who is indifferent to the social world does not fit in most cases.

Misconception: Autism and mental retardation are two separate diagnostic categories. 

Truth: Historically, more than half of children with autism have scored within the mentally retarded range on IQ tests designed for the mainstream population. However, these statistics should be regarded with great caution for several reasons: 

1. Many children with autism are untestable prior to treatment
2. Most intelligence tests include abundance of verbal items and are, therefore, biased against children with autism prior to treatment; 
3. Children with autism have historically been grouped together with other children who have disabilities. This grouping has prevented them from having access to peers who could model appropriate behaviors and from opportunities to adapt to typical environment; 
4. Adequate treatments for children with autism are just beginning to be defined, and outcome measures involving these treatments indicate that the incidence of mental retardation is substantially smaller than what was previously reported.

Misconception: Autism is a life-long disability.

Truth: With appropriate treatment, almost 50% of individuals with autism will become indistinguishable from the mainstream population. Many others will develop independent living skills. A small number will require support throughout their lives. Autism is a spectrum disorder and children with autism appear to benefit from a spectrum of treatment options. Research suggests that a behavior approach is appropriate as a starting point. However, many children will benefit from additional treatment options.