April is the National Autism Awareness month. Autism is a wide spectrum of neurobiological, developmental disorders that affect the individuals’ ability to communicate and interact with others. However, the degree to which symptoms manifest varies so widely that two people both diagnosed as autistic may have zero similarities of how they behave and communicate. Typically, autism presents itself before the age of 3, is a lifelong disorder and affects one in every 200 children in Canada1. Management includes personalized therapy and training, though it depends on the severity. In milder cases, autism is more akin to a personality trait that makes social conventions slightly more difficult to grasp. In severe cases, symptoms can include very unusual behaviors and even aggression. It is important to appreciate that the autism spectrum includes various disorders and a wide array of associated symptoms and that research in this field is constantly evolving. Therefore, labels should always be taken with a grain of salt as new findings continually change our understanding of how neurobiological disorders manifest. For example in 2013, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) officially added Asperger’s disorder under the Autism-Spectrum Disorders. The goal of the DSM-5 is to be able to assign symptoms to a cause, but it is evident that with autism, diagnosis can be difficult to make as new information constantly emerges. Likewise, grouping such a large spectrum under one umbrella term can be problematic as labels can be mentally debilitating, especially because of the stigma associated with autism and mental illnesses in general. It is, therefore, important to address common myths associated with autism, not only during this month of April, but anytime you are faced with an opportunity to educate others about what the label of Autism-Spectrum Disorder really means.
The most popular myth associated with autism is that those who are autistic have special abilities. Although a small percentage of people with autism are savants, the vast majority is not (which can also be explained by the fact that autism is such a large umbrella term). Nevertheless, many people believe that autistic individuals have a “compensatory skill”, to the point that many companies specifically aim to recruit people on the spectrum because of their special abilities. For example, in 2013, a German software engineering company specifically wanted to recruit engineers and programmers with ASD as they wanted people who “thought differently”1. Although this myth is now clearly debunked, it does have a positive side to it as it shows the society (or some parts of it) no longer views ASD individuals as those unable to integrate and contribute to the society. Just as not all ASD individuals are savants, not all ASD individuals are mentally disabled. Autism is a very large spectrum, as mentioned numerous times so far. Many are able to function normally in their day-to-day life and should not presumed to be otherwise.
This leads us to our next myth: those suffering with ASD do not have feelings and aren’t interested in forming relationships with others. First and foremost, ASD individuals can experience emotions just as anyone else does; they simply have a hard time identifying and interpreting them. Unfortunately, about half of those with ASD also suffer from anxiety and depression1, which should put the emotions myth to rest. It is true that those on the spectrum have a difficult time when it comes to social interactions (again, the degree of which varies), it is not true at all that they are not interested in having friends or romantic partners. In fact, most have a strong desire to form meaningful relations but simply don’t know how to due to their disorder. They may respond in a way that is not socially “normal” and unintentionally alienate others, but this does not mean they don’t care to have friends. Unfortunately over time, many kids with ASD may just give up trying and come to terms with not having friends. Therefore, early intervention is important as therapy and training can teach those kids how to read non-verbal cues that they may otherwise not pick up from their daily lives. Nevertheless, many of those with mild ASD report successful relationships, once again highlighting that a label should not homogenize everyone’s experiences.
One final short but important myth to be addressed is that we do not know what causes disorders on the Autism Spectrum. Currently, there is a lot of research focused on finding a link between genetics and autism. For example, it was found that amongst identical twins, if one twin was diagnosed with ASD, the other had a 36-95% of diagnosis, compared with 0-31% of the time for nonidentical twins2. Additionally, a lot of research is aiming at studying various brain functions, possible viral infections, immune responses and more. One thing that is absolutely certain is that vaccines do not cause autism. As we work to bring awareness to the Autism-Spectrum Disorders, it is imperative to keep in mind the vast variation within this umbrella term. Not only can two ASD individuals present different symptoms, but they can also have completely different severity of those symptoms. As scientists learn more about the causes of these disorders, we should remember that ASD individuals are more similar to us than they are different: they still want human connection – love and friendship – they just need a bit of help. Don’t be afraid to reach out to them and do not take what you perceive as a lack of social skill personal; you might end up having a lifelong friend while also crushing the stigma associated with ASD.
1 =http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/the-new-definition-of-autism-1.1366823
2=https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/291832.php
