Leslie McLeod
Last week, I discussed myths and misconceptions of Autism. April is Autism Awareness Month. Since the month of April is coming to an end, I would like to take this opportunity to share a few more myths and misconceptions that I have come across as a parent and an advocate, and follow it with correct information.
“All individuals with Autism show the same characteristics and behaviors.” This is completely false. Speaking honestly, I cringe when people say this. I’ll hear someone say “Oh, my aunt’s husband’s cousin’s little stepson has it, I know all about Autism.” If you have met one person with Autism, you've met ONE person with Autism. My son is autistic and he doesn’t even show the same characteristics and behaviors he did four years ago, let alone someone the same age as him. The correct term for Autism is Autism Spectrum Disorder, meaning there is a spectrum. This is a very wide spectrum of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability. Every individual with Autism is unique. The best way I can describe this spectrum is how it was described to me by our Pediatrician years ago. He said “You have a 13-year-old. And then you have a 19-year-old. They are both teenagers, but are completely different.” Every individual is different, therefore has different needs.
“People with autism are cold and lack empathetic feelings.” Truth is, individuals with autism feel as much, if not more, empathy than others, but they may express it in ways that are harder to recognize.
"Autism is caused by vaccines." I know I’m going to step on some toes here. This is a huge debate in the Autism community. There are many who believe this to be true. I am not the one to say whether it is or it isn’t. I will not be a person to tell a fellow parent or family member that vaccines did not cause their loved one’s Autism. I am not a scientist, I do not have all the answers. However, I do not believe it caused my son’s Autism. I believe he was born with Autism. That’s not to say vaccines are not the cause of others. My ideas of what caused my son’s Autism could be wrong. Truth is, as of now, there is no evidence that childhood vaccination causes autism. The 1998 study linking autism with vaccines has since been retracted. However, this debate is far from over. So, stay tuned.
"Autism is caused by poor parenting or “refrigerator mothers.” I heard about this myth from Eustacia Cutler, Temple Grandin’s mother. If you have never heard of Temple Grandin, I urge you to find more information, watch the movie about her, google her, etc. She is an amazing human being. Anyway, back to this horrible myth. In the 1950s, there was an assumption that autism was caused by emotionally distant or cold parents. Though the exact cause of autism has not been determined, it is now firmly established that autism has nothing to do with parenting. I wish very much that this had never even been said; parents of children with Autism are already hard enough on themselves, they don’t need anyone else pointing fingers at them.
"Autism is caused solely by environmental factors." Fact is, genes are likely one of the causes of autism. Parents whose first child has autism are more likely than the general population to have a second child with autism. Identical twin studies have shown that if one twin has autism, the other has a 90 percent chance of having autism as well.
“People who are not diagnosed with autism will never exhibit characteristics similar to the characteristics of those who have been diagnosed.” Truth be told, characteristics associated with autism exist on a continuum that includes those considered “normal” and can be exhibited to a lesser degree by those not diagnosed with autism.
“We didn’t hear about Autism in my day… the appearance of autism is relatively new.” FALSE. Autism was first described by scientist Leo Kranner in 1943, but the earliest description of a child now known to have had autism was written in 1799. Up until the early 1990s, the majority of individuals with Autism were institutionalized. Which would be a reason why it wasn’t a popular topic as it is today. Back then, it was not a topic that was considered appropriate or up for discussion by most parents.
Thankfully, times have changed.