Autism Myths vs Reality


I've now completed a professional clinical diagnostic assessment and as I "come out" as an autistic adult you may be thinking "oh everyone is on the spectrum somewhere", "Phil you're too normal to be autistic" or even "why bother getting diagnosed in your 50's, it's just a label".

Here’s my top ten Myths vs Reality...


MYTH 1: EVERYONE’S A LITTLE BIT AUTISTIC / ON THE SPECTRUM SOMEWHERE.

Not really. When I first told a few select people, I had this response three times! It may come from a need to empathise however it tends to shut down the discussion. "Oh yes everyone is a bit autistic" is difficult to respond to.

It's called a spectrum because it encompasses a wide variety of symptoms and conditions and yes everyone has those traits to some degree. Some people might be hyper-focused on topics or rigid in their routines, but that doesn’t create a diagnosis. For example "if you have swollen ankles and back ache that doesn't make you a little bit pregnant".

To claim everyone is "on the spectrum somewhere" also plays down the problems faced, closes down any discussion and undermines the difficulties that might be involved in a diagnosis (which is not a short or easy process).


MYTH 2: YOU CAN'T BE AUTISTIC, YOU DON'T LOOK OR ACT AUTISTIC.

I'm not sure what people who say this think autism "looks like". No two autistic individuals share the exact same characteristics, just like no two non-autistic individuals are exactly the same.

It is important to dispel many of the stereotypes and myths around autism. Autistic people are not all savants (that's actually very rare indeed) and they're not all machines devoid of emotions.

In particular autistic adults mask their traits well and you cannot tell by looking or by how we act.

"The world needs people who think differently. In a world where everyone thinks the same, nothing would ever change."


MYTH 3: IT'S JUST A LABEL, AN ADULT DIAGNOSIS DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING.

These days diagnosis is often done early, it's easier to spot then and support is more effective if given early on.

The fact is that all autistic children grow up to be autistic adults. Neither age, gender nor ethnicity matter. People are born autistic and it doesn't go away.

Some autistic people don’t get a diagnosis until adulthood, but they have still been autistic their whole lives. I had traits in the 70s that would have sent so many signals but autism wasn't even a diagnosis until 1980.

People who remain undiagnosed until they are adults often develop sophisticated masking techniques to help them blend into the world around them. Some masking techniques are helpful, some are harmful.

A diagnosis of autism, especially in older adults, can make sense of lifelong problems and for many diagnosed late it provides a different way of thinking about their life and an alternative lens through which to examine the world.

Autistic people can also be more susceptible to certain chronic health conditions, a diagnosis is important in understanding your physical health.

Knowing that you're autistic, knowing when you are masking, knowing which of your behaviours are due to autism can help you to make healthier, better or just more honest choices. Masking can be unhealthy and exhausting.


MYTH 4: AUTISM IS A MENTAL HEALTH DISORDER.

After my initial assessment I got referred to the "mental health" team by my GP. The criteria used for diagnosis is defined in the DSM-5. It refers to autistic traits as; deficits, failures, abnormalities, restricted abilities. I don't think that's particularly helpful language for anyone.

Autism is acknowledged as being a neurological difference – MRI scans show distinctions in the ways that autistic and non-autistic brains receive and process information. There are also many DNA markers that show a genetic predisposition to autism. There's also ongoing research into how the nerves in autistic people physically feedback the world differently.

For many autism isn't something that can or should be cured yet almost all autism funding is for researching the biology and causes of autism, and not ways to actually help autistic people. Just 7% of funding went to researching services for autistic people and only 1% to researching the needs of autistic adults.


MYTH 5: AUTISTIC PEOPLE HAVE LEARNING DISABILITIES.

Some do, yes, but current research shows that over two thirds of autistic people don’t have any learning disabilities or learning difficulties.

The medical term ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) is often replaced by ASC (Autistic Spectrum Condition) in protest at the presumption that there is something wrong with autistic people. To be honest the word 'condition' isn't much better. It still implies some form of problem. Someone with blue eyes isn't described as having "blue eye condition" and, as I've said before, autism is not something that needs to be cured.

Many autistic people do have different methods of learning   and this may stop them from fitting into main stream education so easily but those differences shouldn’t be viewed as negative. Autistic children can become more efficient learners in adulthood where more educational options are available.

In the UK around 1 in 100 people are autistic and there is a very long queue for diagnosis.

There are autistic people in all walks of life; in different professions, of different ages, genders, ethnicities and religions. Autism doesn’t have ‘a look’. Nor does it always have visible, identifying characteristics, and when it does, they don’t apply to all autistic people. 


MYTH 6: AUTISTIC PEOPLE ARE ANTI SOCIAL.

This is misleading. It may be true of some autistic people, but it’s certainly not true of all. Just like some non-autistic people love socialising, whereas others would prefer a quiet night in with a book.

Many autistic people have developed masking techniques that allow them to interact but it can be exhausting and many need down time in-between interactions.

There's a difference between having a beer with a friend (which I enjoy) and navigating a crowded city centre (which I will avoid if at all possible).

Many autistic people, me included, really don't liked being touched. Handshakes, hugs and kisses are not welcomed but that's not because we don't like you. It's just because it makes us very uncomfortable. We might also wear the same loose fitting clothes everyday for comfort or because we don’t like change.


MYTH 7: AUTISTIC PEOPLE ARE OBSESSIVE AND INFLEXIBLE.

Some are, some aren’t. Routine is preferred by most autistic people but it is more like an aversion to unexpected change.

Being prepared, planning, and knowing what the possible and most likely outcomes are going to be is a happy place for most autistic people.

Sometimes it may appear as obsessive or repetitive behaviour but it comes from a desire to keep life within certain understandable controlled parameters.


MYTH 8: AUTISTIC PEOPLE CANNOT SHOW EMPATHY.

Many autistic people feel extreme empathy for others but may respond in a way that non-autistic people would not.

For example, by instantly sharing a similar experience of their own to indicate solidarity, by offering practical help, or by freezing and doing nothing because they’re unsure how to respond in a way that’s wanted or required in the situation.


MYTH 9: AUTISTIC PEOPLE HAVE SUPER POWERS, LIKE RAINMAN.

I've mentioned this already and it is true that a small percentage of autistic people are savants, which means they have mathematical skills beyond compare or can produce incredible artwork. However, most are just regular folk.

Many autistic people have special interests and some excel quickly and become accomplished in particular fields because they study something intensely and with a high level of detail and enthusiasm.


MYTH 10: AUTISM DIDN'T EXIST WHEN I WAS AT SCHOOL.

Yes, it did, and people don’t just become autistic overnight. They are born autistic. At school you may not have been aware of the neurodiversity around you but it was always there.

Many autistic adults today were not diagnosed until well after they had finished their education. That doesn’t mean that autism wasn’t around when they were at school. It simply means that it wasn't recognised as a diagnosis.

...and "no", autism is not caused by the MMR vaccine. That is an absolute fact. There have been quite a few (more than 12) studies desperately attempting to prove a link and no evidence has ever been remotely close to showing any connection at all.

There is evidence that genetic and physical factors are at play and you can be predisposed to being autistic from before you are even born.


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