8 myths about autism that need to be debunked

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

“It’s a disease,” “vaccines cause autism,” “these children cannot go to school,” these perceptions are very harmful both for people with autism and their families, and for society as a whole.

Myth 1. Autism is a disease

No, this is not a disease, but a developmental feature associated with a malfunction of the central nervous system. The World Health Organization classifies autism as a general developmental disorder.

The diagnosis "autism" is behavioral, that is, it cannot be detected by analysis or instrumental research. Specialists monitor a child with suspected autism, offer him to complete certain tasks, study his development history, and talk with parents.

The peculiarities of the child, his unusual behavior become noticeable in early childhood. The diagnosis can be made reliably at around two years of age.

Children with autism are very different, and their behavior can change depending on age and severity of symptoms. Diagnostic criteria for autism include:

• difficulties in social interaction (the child does not always turn to the interlocutor, is either too close or too far from him);
• delay in the development of speech or its absence;
• difficulty understanding abstract concepts;
• increased or decreased sensitivity to various stimuli (sounds, light, smells, vestibular sensations);
• food selectivity;
• difficulties with changing activity, strong preference for uniformity and constancy.

Many people with autism perform repetitive actions, such as swinging, waving their arms, uttering the same phrases, or making sounds without speaking to the other person. Some people mistakenly believe that aggression or self-aggression is also a sign of autism, but this is not true.

Myth 2. Autism is a rare disorder

Autism is the most common developmental disorder. According to the latest data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) occur in every 59th child (although the WHO cites softer statistics: one in 160 children). Moreover, boys are more susceptible to these disorders than girls.

In 2000, autism was diagnosed in one in 150 children. Researchers disagree significantly as to whether the increase in the number of children with this diagnosis represents a true "epidemic" of autism, or whether the observed changes are related to improved diagnostic procedures and increased awareness in the community. It is likely that the answer lies somewhere between the two extremes.

Myth 3. All people with autism have genius abilities

Perhaps the spread of this myth was facilitated by the movie "Rain Man", where the main character, played by Dustin Hoffman, played amazing poker.

In reality, people with autism are very different. Therefore, it is customary to talk about autism spectrum disorders, which implies varying degrees of severity of symptoms. Some people with ASD are able to focus on the smallest details and can process visual and textual information at times faster than other people. Some of them begin to read before they learn to speak. Others have serious difficulties in social adaptation and learning.

Some researchers suggest that people with high functioning autism were Emily Dickinson, Virginia Wolfe, William Butler Yeats, Herman Melville, and Hans Christian Andersen (although there are some doubts about each of them).

Myth 4. Children with autism cannot attend regular school

Today, any child with a developmental disability has the right to an inclusive education that means learning and interacting with typically developing peers.

Children with autism grow up, their behavior and needs change - just like the behavior and needs of a child without this diagnosis. Recent studies show that intensive behavioral analysis-based support programs initiated at an early age (2–2, 5 years) can significantly compensate for the difficulties faced by a child with autism and enable him to better fulfill his potential.

It used to be thought that almost all people with autism have cognitive impairments. However, it is not. Intellectual disabilities are present in no more than 30% of children with autism; therefore, many children with ASD are enrolled in general education schools according to regular programs. Some of them need only minor adaptations, such as the ability to respond in writing if verbal response is difficult. For others, it may be necessary to create specialized learning environments.

Some people mistakenly believe that communication is painful for a person with autism, that he is more comfortable in “his own world”. This is not so, people with ASD want to communicate, they just do not always know how to do it, so they need the help of specialists.

Myth 5. Vaccination causes autism

Research by WHO, the US Department of Health and Human Services, the American Academy of Family Medicine, and the American Academy of Pediatrics show that no single vaccine increases the incidence of autism. Even in families with vaccinated and unvaccinated children, autism occurs with the same frequency.

It has also been proven that vaccines do not affect the severity of autism or the trajectory of its development, and have no effect on the timing of the onset of autism symptoms. The number of vaccines used does not increase the incidence of autism, nor does the preservatives used in vaccines. The last major study took place in 2014 and involved 1.3 million children with ASD. His data suggests that children who receive the measles, rubella and mumps vaccine have a lower risk of autism than unvaccinated children.

Myth 6. Autism is the result of poor parenting

This theory emerged after World War II, when psychologists were closely studying early parent-child relationships. However, these ideas have not been confirmed. This theory is also refuted by real life: a huge number of parents with excellent family relationships have children with autism, children with ASD and typically developing children appear in the same family.

The exact causes of autism spectrum disorder are still unknown. But the genetic nature of the disorder has been established: they are born with autism, it does not appear due to external influences.

Myth 7. If a child with autism speaks, then all problems will disappear

The manifestations of autism are broader than just a speech impairment, it is, first of all, difficulties in communication. Some children with autism repeat words in the presence of a listener or alone, without directing speech to anyone in particular. Therefore, when we consider a child's ability to communicate, we must evaluate not how many words he can pronounce, but his ability to conduct a dialogue.

Here's an example: eight-year-old Kolya spoke constantly. When he was very young, his parents were very proud of his ability to quickly memorize and recite poems and phrases from advertisements. But Kolya did not know how to address people with requests, and it was not easy for his loved ones to understand what he wants at any given moment, which made the boy often upset and cry.

A psychologist and speech therapist at school assessed his ability to communicate. It turned out that, despite the huge number of words that Kolya used, his communication skill was at a rather low level: it is difficult for a boy to address people, ask, refuse, comment.

Specialists began to use a special technology that helps in the development of communication skills - the image exchange system (PECS). As a result of its regular use at school and at home, the boy learned to initiate a dialogue, attract the attention of the interlocutor, and began to address people more often. In addition, Kolya's behavior significantly improved: in order to ask or refuse, to express pleasure or displeasure, he no longer needed to cry - he learned to express his desires and unwillingness in words.

Myth 8. Autism can be cured with animal therapy or the magic pill

The Internet is overflowing with all kinds of offers of "therapies". Some of them are based on modern knowledge, others - on unfounded ideas and false beliefs.

There is currently no "cure" for autism. It is known that proven assistance programs are built on the ideas of applied behavior analysis. Over the past 10 years, such programs have been actively developing in Russia. Most of these are commercial in nature, but there are also quality free programs, such as a network of family support services that help children with autism.