Hi everyone, today (April 2nd) is World Autism Understanding Day and I’m using this opportunity to use my own experience of being autistic to dispel some common myths about autism I see way too much.
Myth number 1.-Autism only affects kids/boys/white people
Reality-There are actually heaps of female identifying, adults and/or non white people who are autistic, either diagnosed or not diagnosed. This myth exists because the earliest studies into autism were only done on male white cisgender kids, making the diagnosis criteria for autism only diagnose those demographics. While there’s thankfully lots of resources online of autistic voices from all sorts of genders, ages and races advocating for this to change, it’s still really common for female identifying, non white people and/or adults to be diagnosed late in life and grow up without the support they need. So please don’t say stuff like ‘but you don’t look autistic’ if someone discloses they’re autistic because it’s not just boys/white people/kids who are autistic.
Myth 2. Vaccines cause autism
Reality: this topic has been THOROUGHLY researched and the results are all the same: there is no connection between vaccines and autism at all. The person who published the paper first suggesting that theory actually got their medical license taken away for misinformation. So PLEASE listen to professional, updated, science based resources and get your kids vaccinated.
Myth 3: Autistics are anti social
Reality: From my own experiences and all the autistic people I know, I can say we’re not DELIBERATELY anti-social: we have the same capacity and desire for human connection as non autistics do. Some-NOT ALL-autistics find it hard to socialise like their neurotypical counterparts due to things like
* the environment being too overwhelming
* not being interested in what’s being discussed
* not knowing when it’s their turn to speak or
* just being too tired from the day’s events, just to name a few.
*Or for some other autistics they find it really easy to be social, talk to others and make friends.
For me personally sometimes I get really anxious before conversations because what if I say the wrong thing?
What helps autistics when it comes to socialising is other people knowing that sometimes we may express ideas, talk or have relationships differently to most people so please don’t get pissed if someone uses cards to speak or wants to chill and sit with you instead of talking or just needs time away to recharge. Whatever and however autistics communicate and socialise is completely ok so don’t make assumptions or judge us.
Myth 4: All autistic people are like Rain man/Sheldon from big band theory/the main character from Atypical I can’t be bothered looking up the name for
Reality: Please please PLEASE remember this above all else: NOT EVERYONE WHO IS AUTISTIC ACTS THE SAME WAY OR HAS THE SAME INTERESTS AS REPRESENTATIONS ON TV. Again, from the early studies of autism only being done on a select few demographics, early representation of autistics are usually very carictured, stereotyped and sells only 1 idea of what autism can appear like in an individual. Each autistic person and their experience of the world is different to another: even though there may be things some autistics have in common, there’s no one-experience-fits-all. So no, not all autistics IRL like trains, are a whiz at maths, dress up with makeup and glitter and/or are socially awkward. Some may have just a few of these interests and traits (for example I LOVE wearing makeup/glitter like Quinny in Heartbreak High and find people confusing like Entrapta from She-ra) but not all (I SUCK at maths)
So how can non autistics support us?
The best things a non autistic can do to improve their attitudes towards autism is 1. Listen to people who are actually autistic (we know autism best because we experience it 1st hand) and be non judgemental if someone tells them they are autistic. Feel free to ask us what we need to be most comfortable and give us the space to get said needs.
But above all, please still see us as human beings like you who have the same desires and feelings as you do.
