Autism became a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders condition in the 1980s, and ever since, the condition and its impacts have been debated in fields from medicine to education. Early on, autism was a confusing and daunting diagnosis given to parents whose children existed on a seemingly endless spectrum—-from significant disability to nearly “neurotypical” behavior. One constant existed, though: the diagnosis, like many that result in any degree of disability, focused on what children or adults with autism couldn’t do or skills they were missing, not on their unique perspectives and experiences of the world. These negative perceptions led to treatments and practices designed to make autistic people “more like neurotypical people,” harming autistic people and their communities.
Today, we are fortunate to understand so much more about what autism is and isn’t, and advocates everywhere have focused on promoting acceptance of autistic and neurodivergent people, creating communities where they can fully participate, and cultivating their strengths and talents as we would anyone else. Still, myths abound, and a core part of acceptance is dispelling false and disparaging beliefs and promoting facts. In honor of Autism Acceptance Month (formerly Autism Awareness Month), we are combatting some common myths that still impact the autistic community and create barriers to inclusion. Together, we can work to create a society that celebrates everyone’s talents and identities. Read to learn more!
Five Myths About Autism
Autism is a “new” condition. While the number of autism diagnoses has increased significantly over the past 35 years, research shows that autism has been passed along in our DNA throughout human evolution and have speculated about the roles autistic ancestors played in their communities for generations. It wasn’t that autism or autistic traits were “rare” prior to the 1980s, just that our understanding and diagnostic procedures changed in a way that promoted recognition and proper diagnosis. What we know as “autism” today was described using different terms like Kanner’s Syndrome or Heller’s Disease or identified as a subset of childhood schizophrenia or other disorders. In the 1960s and 70s, research progressed, and autism was ultimately determined to be an independent diagnosis in 1980.
You can separate an autistic person from their autism. Autism isn’t something a person has, it’s how a person is. As Jim Sinclair, Autism Network International (ANI) Founder noted in an article for the organization’s newsletter way back in 1993, “Autism is a way of being. It is pervasive; it colors every experience, every sensation, perception, thought, emotion, and encounter, every aspect of existence.” Consequently, minimizing the impact of a person’s autism, or teaching or requiring autistic people to “mask” their behaviors to appear neurotypical, is asking them to deny a key part of their identity. This can cause distress, anxiety, or even depression since they must hide core aspects of their true selves to achieve success or acceptance.
Autistic people can’t form or don’t want relationships. The fact that some autistic people have challenges in communicating or navigating social interactions the way non-autistic people do doesn’t mean that relationships aren’t possible or important to them. Rather, as Jim Sinclair notes, when non-autistic people or parents try to communicate with or relate to an autistic child or person, they are “assuming a shared system, a shared understanding of signals and meanings, that the [autistic person] in fact does not share.” Helping autistic and non-autistic people understand one another’s thinking and communication styles can facilitate effective communication and relationship-building.
“Stimming” is a harmful behavior that should be stopped or hidden. While often associated with autistic people, “stimming” is a behavior that everyone does from time to time—it’s just referred to as “fidgeting” when done by neurotypical people. Stimming can involve repetitive movements or sounds such as hand flapping, rocking, or speaking a sound or word over and over. It can also involve looking at or listening to soothing stimuli. Autistic people “stim” for the same reasons other people bite their nails, tap their feet, or perform other stereotypical “fidgeting” behaviors–to manage or express emotions, deal with over or understimulation, or help with self-regulation. Consequently, stimming should be accepted and allowed unless it is extremely disruptive or has the potential to hurt the person doing it or those around them. In those cases, people may need assistance to identify safer coping strategies or stims.
It’s rude to refer to someone with autism as an “autistic person.” While every person has unique preferences for how they like to be addressed, many people in the autism community prefer “identity-first” language that acknowledges their autism and/or expresses pride in this part of their identity, similar to how many people prefer the term “disabled person” to “person with a disability.” As Lydia Brown notes, “when we say “Autistic person,” we recognize the value and worth of that individual as an Autistic person…[and] affirm the individual’s potential to grow and mature, to overcome challenges and disability, and to live a meaningful life as an Autistic.”