The Ultimate Myth
My sister and I were talking about this website and what I should put in it. She said I needed to mention that not everyone with autism thinks in pictures, a myth she runs into all the time ever since the movie about Temple Grandin came out. I mentioned that we needed to address that not every person with autism is a savant, a la Rain Man. Suddenly, we blurted out in unison, "We need to say that not everyone's the same!"
The ultimate myth about autism, as you may have guessed by now, is that everyone with autism has the same traits and characteristics. The problem isn't the smaller myths and misunderstandings my sister and I were talking about - the problem is our tendency to generalize them to all people with autism. You might see a special on TV about autism which will tell you 'All people with autism are like this.' And then perhaps you'll watch the movie about Temple Grandin, or read about someone with autism, and then conclude that the previous definition was wrong and this new one is right. And so on and so forth as we jump from one new definition to another.
In truth, you can't win, because neither definition is wrong...but neither one of them is right, either. They call it the autism spectrum for a reason - beyond the criteria required for diagnosis, people with autism are a very diverse bunch. What is true for some is not true for others, and yet, they are all equally autistic.
My sister, who has Asperger's Syndrome (on the autism spectrum), is the perfect example of this. While she fits the diagnostic criteria of autism spectrum disorders, she bears little resemblance to most people's ideas of an autistic person. For one thing, she's one of the rare diagnosed (note the emphasis on the word diagnosed) women with autism. But the differences don't end there. Not only does she not think in pictures, but - as opposed to the 'average' person with autism - she adores hugs. To add to that, she's a person who shows her affection to her family and friends generously and openly, and is self-admittedly rather boy crazy. Before you ask, yes, she's been diagnosed by multiple professionals. She is very different from our idea of autism yet, as I said before, equally autistic.
Now, am I saying that you should use the information I just gave you and go up and try to hug people with autism that you meet? Certainly not. The vast majority of them would not appreciate it in the least. My point, however, is that everyone's different and you can't pigeonhole people with autism into a nice, neat category, no matter how tempting it may seem.
The moral of this story is to keep an open mind. Understanding the general aspects of autism, which I will cover and have covered in this website, will certainly help you to better understand your friend with autism. That said, it is equally certain that your friend will most likely deviate the 'typical' autism profile in some way, if not many.
It's up to you to be open to looking at them as an individual, rather than as a label.
The ultimate myth about autism, as you may have guessed by now, is that everyone with autism has the same traits and characteristics. The problem isn't the smaller myths and misunderstandings my sister and I were talking about - the problem is our tendency to generalize them to all people with autism. You might see a special on TV about autism which will tell you 'All people with autism are like this.' And then perhaps you'll watch the movie about Temple Grandin, or read about someone with autism, and then conclude that the previous definition was wrong and this new one is right. And so on and so forth as we jump from one new definition to another.
In truth, you can't win, because neither definition is wrong...but neither one of them is right, either. They call it the autism spectrum for a reason - beyond the criteria required for diagnosis, people with autism are a very diverse bunch. What is true for some is not true for others, and yet, they are all equally autistic.
My sister, who has Asperger's Syndrome (on the autism spectrum), is the perfect example of this. While she fits the diagnostic criteria of autism spectrum disorders, she bears little resemblance to most people's ideas of an autistic person. For one thing, she's one of the rare diagnosed (note the emphasis on the word diagnosed) women with autism. But the differences don't end there. Not only does she not think in pictures, but - as opposed to the 'average' person with autism - she adores hugs. To add to that, she's a person who shows her affection to her family and friends generously and openly, and is self-admittedly rather boy crazy. Before you ask, yes, she's been diagnosed by multiple professionals. She is very different from our idea of autism yet, as I said before, equally autistic.
Now, am I saying that you should use the information I just gave you and go up and try to hug people with autism that you meet? Certainly not. The vast majority of them would not appreciate it in the least. My point, however, is that everyone's different and you can't pigeonhole people with autism into a nice, neat category, no matter how tempting it may seem.
The moral of this story is to keep an open mind. Understanding the general aspects of autism, which I will cover and have covered in this website, will certainly help you to better understand your friend with autism. That said, it is equally certain that your friend will most likely deviate the 'typical' autism profile in some way, if not many.
It's up to you to be open to looking at them as an individual, rather than as a label.
Read More:
If you're curious about specific myths about autism, from the myth of the savant to the robot, check out the Other Myths page!
Now that it's well established that people with autism are very diverse, you might want to re-read or brush up on the diagnostic criteria for autism, also known as the common ties for people on the autism spectrum, found under Autism Explained.
If you're curious about specific myths about autism, from the myth of the savant to the robot, check out the Other Myths page!
Now that it's well established that people with autism are very diverse, you might want to re-read or brush up on the diagnostic criteria for autism, also known as the common ties for people on the autism spectrum, found under Autism Explained.