
When I was an undergraduate student, my partner got a job working for a marketing center through our college. The onboarding test to work at this center was to analyze a website for its branding, and make some recommendations. The website the company picked was a website selling essential oils with claims that they can cure or help lessen the symptoms of autism. This had me thinking about all of the misinformation I have heard about autism, and how these myths can become harmful. I want to list some of the myths I have heard about autism, and explain why I find them to be harmful to people in the autism community like myself. I got some of my examples of myths from the autism knowledge survey, which was a survey used to learn about different population's general knowledge about autism (Stone, 1987).
Myth 1: Autism negatively affects intellectual intelligence. I was reading a peer reviewed research article, which means someone got funding to make this discovery, that claimed that autistic people can even complete college courses like the general population. By this point, I had already graduated college so I was shocked. I did not understand why someone would doubt my intelligence. There is nothing wrong with having a disability that can cause intellectual impairment, but that was not my experience. These claims seem to have been made without talking to autistic people, because I could have saved someone a lot of time and money. It can be harmful to doubt someone's intelligence or capabilities based only on a stereotype of a condition because that can limit their accessibility. If someone didn't believe in me, I don't know if I would have the same interest in learning and higher education that I do now.
Myth 2: Everyone with autism has a special skill. There is something called savant syndrome, where a person can be extremely gifted in a subject like music, memorization, art, math, and more. However, I do not have that experience. I did very well in school, but I don't have some skill that makes me a genius. And that is true for most people with autism, as savant syndrome is only present in around 10% of autistic people (SSM Health, n.d.). By equating autism with a special skill, it can reduce people with autism down to a performative trait rather than a person with a complex set of strengths and weaknesses. While some autistic people can have a skill that measures at an extremely exceptional level, most autistic people do not.
Myth 3: Vaccines cause autism. I know this is very polarizing, but vaccines cannot cause autism. An autistic brain is formed differently, with one study finding different genes and proteins in certain areas of the brain (UC Davis, 2023). The brain develops during pregnancy, so getting a vaccine cannot change the brain at that level. The scientist who made that discovery has since lost his accreditation, and the findings did not hold up when other scientists tried to apply that theory. This is also slightly offensive as an autistic person, because the implication is that it would be better if I died of an otherwise deadly disease, as opposed to becoming autistic. Regardless of other opinions about vaccines, which I am not an expert in, vaccines cannot cause autism.
Myth 4: Boys are more likely to have autism. I got diagnosed with autism at 18 months old, which is about as early as a person can be diagnosed. However, boys are more likely to have their autism professionally diagnosed. This is because the original traits written for experts to reference for a diagnosis were based off of boys with autism. There have been more efforts in recent years to study how girls with autism can have different symptoms, but this is a very new undertaking by researchers. All genders can have autism, and likelihood is not based off of gender.
Myth 5: Autistic people will never have close friendships or relationships. As a kid, I felt very lonely because I didn't have the skills to make friends. I also wanted something out of friendship that wasn't developmentally appropriate until I got to my senior year of high school and college. I am very happy to say I have many close friendships (who hopefully read this blog :)) and a partner I have been with for almost three years. As a kid, my parents were told I might not be independent. Autism is a spectrum, so it might not be possible for every autistic person. But it certainly can be possible, and I am so happy I have spaces where I can be upfront about how autism affects me and how I can be comfortable while also respecting my friends and partner. Learning social skills, as imperfectly as I have them, took so many years of trial and error. But it is possible to be yourself with autism and have a community.
Overall, myths about autism can be harmful because they promote negative stereotypes. I want to be seen as someone who is smart, capable, and kind. In addition, I also happen to have autism. Misinformation can impact judgement and opportunities for autistic people. The goal is to be able to have a general understanding about autism, while allowing room to understand how autism can impact each individual person. I will very clearly state my utter disdain for loud noises because my autism makes it harder for me to filter out noises, and I will ask for accomodations to avoid them when possible. But not every autistic person will need assistance to avoid loud noises, and could have a different thing they struggle with or enjoy.
Thank you for reading about myths about autism. If you have any questions or comments, send me a message at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook. I hope to see you next week!
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