Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Myths and Facts

[one...two...tree 2,762]

This information is offered for informational purposes only. It is not meant to be a diagnosis, nor is it intended to be medical advice.

by Barbara T. Doyle

Myth: Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders do not care about others.

Fact: Children and adults with an ASD often care deeply but lack the ability to spontaneously develop empathic and socially connected typical behavior.

Myth: Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders prefer to self-isolate.

Fact: Children and adults with an ASD often want to socially interact but lack the ability to spontaneously develop effective social interaction skills.

Myth: Children and adults with an ASD cannot learn social skills.

Fact: Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders can learn social skills if they receive individualized, specialized instruction and training. Social skills may not develop simply as the result of daily life experiences.

Myth: Autism spectrum disorders are caused by poor parenting or parental behavior.

Fact: Parents do not and cannot cause autism spectrum disorders. Although the multiple causes of all autism spectrum disorders are not known, it IS known that parental behavior before, during and after pregnancy does not cause autism spectrum disorders to develop.

Myth: Autism spectrum disorders are not increasing in incidence. They are just being better diagnosed, and diagnosed earlier so the numbers are increasing.

Fact: Autism spectrum disorders are increasing across the globe at an alarming rate. Some states are considered to be in an autism epidemic. Many states experienced a 500-1000% increase in the past few years. No one knows the cause or causes for the increase. Better and earlier diagnosis can only account for a fraction of the current increases in numbers.

Myth: ASD is a behavioral/emotional/mental health disorder.

Fact: Autism related disorders are developmental disabilities and neuro-biological disorders. These disorders manifest in early childhood (usually before the age of three or four) and are likely to last the lifetime of the person.

Myth: People with autism spectrum disorders cannot have successful lives as contributing members of society.

Fact: Many people with autism spectrum disorders are being successful living and working and are contributing to the well being of others in their communities. This is most likely to happen when appropriate services are delivered during the child's free, appropriate, public education years.

Myth: Autism spectrum disorders get worse as children get older.

Fact: Autism spectrum disorders are not degenerative. Children and adults with autism should continuously improve. They are most likely to improve with specialized, individualized services and opportunities for supported inclusion. If they are not improving, make changes in service delivery.

Myth: Autism spectrum disorders do not run in families.

Fact: More families are experiencing multiple members with an ASD than ever before. In some families, parents with an ASD were misdiagnosed or never diagnosed. In some families, many or all siblings are in the autism spectrum. Most often, one child with autism is born into families who do not have other family members with an autism spectrum disorder.

Myth: All people with an autism spectrum disorder have "savant skills", like Dustin Hoffman's character in "Rain Man".

Fact: Most people with autism spectrum disorders do not have any special savant skills. Some have "splinter skills", areas of high performance that are not consistent with other skill levels.

Myth: It is better to "wait and see" if a child does better rather than refer the child for a diagnostic assessment.

Fact: The earlier autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed and treated, the better. Outcomes for children's lives are significantly improved with early diagnosis and treatment. When in doubt, refer, do not wait.

Myth: Autism spectrum disorders are something to be hidden. Other students should not know about the presence of an ASD in a classmate. If you do not tell the other children, they will not know that something is "wrong" with the student with an ASD.

Fact: Students need to know when their classmates have a developmental disability that is likely to effect interactions and learning. Students as young as five years old are able to identify differences in their peers. When students are not given appropriate information, they are likely to draw the wrong conclusions, based on their very limited experiences. Confidentiality rules must be taken into consideration and parental approval sought to teach peers how to understand and interact successfully with children with ASD.

Myth: Certain intensive, behavioral based programs "cure" autism spectrum disorders if they are delivered at the right age and intensity.

Fact: There is no cure for autism spectrum disorders. Early behavior-based interventions have positive effects on some children with autism and less note-worthy effects on other children. Early services need to be based on individual children's needs and learning styles, not based on programs being sold as "cures" for every child with ASD. Services for adults with the features of autism need to be carefully individualized to the adult.

Myth: Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders are very similar to one another.

Fact: Although all children and adults with autism spectrum disorders have three diagnostic features in common, each child with an ASD is a unique individual. People with autism spectrum disorders differ as much from one another as do all people.

Myth: Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders do not interact very much. They do not have good eye contact. They do not speak well. They are not very bright.

Fact: Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders may speak and/or interact with others. They may have good eye contact. They may be verbal or non-verbal. They may be very bright, of average intelligence or have cognitive deficits.

Myth: The best place to educate a child or adult with an autism spectrum disorder is in a separate program designed for children or adults with autism.

Fact: Educational and adult services delivered to a people with ASD must be specifically designed for each person. Many people with ASD do the best when their services are individualized to them, not designed to be the same for a whole group. Remember that the "I" in IEP or IHP stands for "individualized." (The outcome for education for all children is to be able to belong to the community and contribute. These goals are often best met when the child with an ASD is educated in a community school with access to the typical children who will become the community of the future.)

Myth: If you have an autism disorder, you will not have any other disorder.

Fact: Autism Spectrum Disorders can co-occur with any other disorders. It is common to find a person with ASD who also has any of the following: Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, cognitive impairments, deafness, blindness, and medical or seizure disorders.

Myth: it is very hard to know if a person with other disabilities has an autism spectrum disorder.

Fact: Autism is diagnosed by looking at the behavior of the individual. If the individual displays the features of autism, then they may have autism. An assessment should be completed.

The features of autism (summarized) are:

Qualitative differences in reciprocal social interaction (inability to easily create and sustain relationships)

Qualitative differences in BOTH verbal and non-verbal communication (not using and responding to communication signals in a typical way)

Restricted, repetitive and stereotypic patterns of interests, behavior and activities,

Onset of these features early in life usually by age 4.

Barbara T. Doyle, MS is a clinical consultant and co-author with her sister Emily Doyle Iland of ASD from A to Z (a Spanish language edition of the book is also available). For more information about the book, go to http://www.asdatoz.com.

[Emancipation 2]

Good article to raise awareness on Autism..

My step daughter has autism, and has been receiving therapy and is really doing well.. Her progress is remarkable really!! Such a beautiful child.

[Arazia 0]

Wonderful article.

My husband has Asperger's Syndrome (diagnosed) and he is one of the most loving people in the world to me. On the other hand, his parents have said he doesn't care about anyone. It's a stark contrast, but sometimes those on the autistic-spectrum feel far more comfortable expressing emotions with certain people as opposed to others.

My ex also had Asperger's and through him I was able to meet some of the autistic people in the Milwaukee area. Most of them were professionals who had real jobs and were quite successful in life. Out of a group of ten people, only one could not function on his own. They even have an annual convention caued Autreat which encourages support of people with spectrum disorders.

[homesick_american 1]

I'm an Aspie and didn't know until I was an adult; my childhood would have been far easier if I and my family had been aware of it. The teachers just thought I was badly behaved and odd. My diagnosis explained so much and my life has been made better by finding out since I'm aware of my social limitations and can take steps to avoid problems in the future. For example, now I can consciously look people in the eyes when conversing with them because I now know that is what is expected; it's not something I would naturally do.

I've never had serious trouble finding or keeping a job, but the industry I work in (IT) is more used to employees having...eccentricities.

[almaty 19]

good article and good information from other posters..thanks

[Aymerlu 3]

Interesting article. My son was diagnosed with with Aspergers when he was 8 after his other doctors diagnosed him with Tourettes, OCD & ADHD. Finally when I did some research and learned more about Aspergers, I made an appointment with his doctor and she thought I was on track. We went to an autism specialist where he went through a lot of different tests. When they finally told me he had Aspergers, that is when we were able to get him some real help through the school district. He's a normal kid with what I call "quirks" but like I tell him, everyone has some sort of quirk. He is on the A honor roll! We did do genetic testing and we are also in a research study here at the UMC. They are trying to link chromsone #15 to autism spectrum disorders. Of course my ex did not and would not get tested, but I do have "something" on my chromsone 15. Then I started thinking of some of the odd things I do. I do have OCD and sometimes I would swear I have Aspergers too. My brother has Tourettes (diagnosed as an adult) and my dad does this crazy thing with his legs. My nephew (brothers son) acts just like my brother did when he was young so it wouldn't suprise me if he had Aspergers. Now I often wonder if my son really does have Tourettes, OCD & ADHD or if it's all just related to his Aspergers. Something that none of his specialists can even tell me.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Interesting article. My son was diagnosed with with Aspergers when he was 8 after his other doctors diagnosed him with Tourettes, OCD & ADHD. Finally when I did some research and learned more about Aspergers, I made an appointment with his doctor and she thought I was on track. We went to an autism specialist where he went through a lot of different tests. When they finally told me he had Aspergers, that is when we were able to get him some real help through the school district. He's a normal kid with what I call "quirks" but like I tell him, everyone has some sort of quirk. He is on the A honor roll! We did do genetic testing and we are also in a research study here at the UMC. They are trying to link chromsone #15 to autism spectrum disorders. Of course my ex did not and would not get tested, but I do have "something" on my chromsone 15. Then I started thinking of some of the odd things I do. I do have OCD and sometimes I would swear I have Aspergers too. My brother has Tourettes (diagnosed as an adult) and my dad does this crazy thing with his legs. My nephew (brothers son) acts just like my brother did when he was young so it wouldn't suprise me if he had Aspergers. Now I often wonder if my son really does have Tourettes, OCD & ADHD or if it's all just related to his Aspergers. Something that none of his specialists can even tell me.

Has anyone figured out why there seems to be a global epidemic of Autism? Was that people before were being misdiagnosed?

[Arazia 0]

Well, what I've found from involvement in autism communities over the years (at least up to a certain point) is that a -lot- of people are self-diagnosing. I believe someone on a group I was in did a poll on how many had an official diagnosis and it was about half/half between official and self-diagnosis.

Additionally, I wonder how much of the boon in numbers is adults. I know quite a few people who were diagnosed as adults, and not as children. My ex's mother tried to get him diagnosed as a child, but because he wasn't 'low-functioning' they wouldn't diagnose him as having autism. I think the fact that it is now seen as a 'spectrum' disorder with Aspergers/High functioning autism at one end and the low-functioning people at the other end also opens this up for more people being diagnosed.

There has been some rumors about various things causing the increase, but most of them have been disproven. A lot of things seem to come down to genetics. But... this is just my opinion... I don't think having a child who has aspergers is a -bad- thing. My husband has it and he's a wonderful person. He isn't deficient in any way. He's smart, funny, and has every opportunity for a great life, just like any normal person.

I feel somewhat bad when people start saying 'autism stole my child' or 'cure autism now' because... I know so many great people with the condition and I wouldn't want any of them not to be a part of my life. Anyways, I know I'm a bit too close to this discussion.

[Aymerlu 3]

Interesting article. My son was diagnosed with with Aspergers when he was 8 after his other doctors diagnosed him with Tourettes, OCD & ADHD. Finally when I did some research and learned more about Aspergers, I made an appointment with his doctor and she thought I was on track. We went to an autism specialist where he went through a lot of different tests. When they finally told me he had Aspergers, that is when we were able to get him some real help through the school district. He's a normal kid with what I call "quirks" but like I tell him, everyone has some sort of quirk. He is on the A honor roll! We did do genetic testing and we are also in a research study here at the UMC. They are trying to link chromsone #15 to autism spectrum disorders. Of course my ex did not and would not get tested, but I do have "something" on my chromsone 15. Then I started thinking of some of the odd things I do. I do have OCD and sometimes I would swear I have Aspergers too. My brother has Tourettes (diagnosed as an adult) and my dad does this crazy thing with his legs. My nephew (brothers son) acts just like my brother did when he was young so it wouldn't suprise me if he had Aspergers. Now I often wonder if my son really does have Tourettes, OCD & ADHD or if it's all just related to his Aspergers. Something that none of his specialists can even tell me.

Has anyone figured out why there seems to be a global epidemic of Autism? Was that people before were being misdiagnosed?

Sometimes I wonder why there are so many cases under that autism umbrella these days. I have many friends that are teachers and they say there is a huge increase in children in their classroom with disorders. These are teachers that have been teaching for years and years and have seen everything. Now they say it's normal to have at least 5 or more students in a class of 24 with some sort of diagnosis under the autism umbrella. Many like to link the immunizations with mercury to causing autism. I've often thought about this too, but when your child has a problem I think as a parent you grasp at all possibilites. I do know that my son started acting differently about 2 months after his MMR shot. Probably just a coincident, but it must makes me wonder. I also wonder about all the preservatives that are put in foods these days. That can't be healthy for anyone. Things that make you go hmmmmmm.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Interesting article. My son was diagnosed with with Aspergers when he was 8 after his other doctors diagnosed him with Tourettes, OCD & ADHD. Finally when I did some research and learned more about Aspergers, I made an appointment with his doctor and she thought I was on track. We went to an autism specialist where he went through a lot of different tests. When they finally told me he had Aspergers, that is when we were able to get him some real help through the school district. He's a normal kid with what I call "quirks" but like I tell him, everyone has some sort of quirk. He is on the A honor roll! We did do genetic testing and we are also in a research study here at the UMC. They are trying to link chromsone #15 to autism spectrum disorders. Of course my ex did not and would not get tested, but I do have "something" on my chromsone 15. Then I started thinking of some of the odd things I do. I do have OCD and sometimes I would swear I have Aspergers too. My brother has Tourettes (diagnosed as an adult) and my dad does this crazy thing with his legs. My nephew (brothers son) acts just like my brother did when he was young so it wouldn't suprise me if he had Aspergers. Now I often wonder if my son really does have Tourettes, OCD & ADHD or if it's all just related to his Aspergers. Something that none of his specialists can even tell me.

Has anyone figured out why there seems to be a global epidemic of Autism? Was that people before were being misdiagnosed?

Sometimes I wonder why there are so many cases under that autism umbrella these days. I have many friends that are teachers and they say there is a huge increase in children in their classroom with disorders. These are teachers that have been teaching for years and years and have seen everything. Now they say it's normal to have at least 5 or more students in a class of 24 with some sort of diagnosis under the autism umbrella. Many like to link the immunizations with mercury to causing autism. I've often thought about this too, but when your child has a problem I think as a parent you grasp at all possibilites. I do know that my son started acting differently about 2 months after his MMR shot. Probably just a coincident, but it must makes me wonder. I also wonder about all the preservatives that are put in foods these days. That can't be healthy for anyone. Things that make you go hmmmmmm.

I just remember in the 90's, Ritalin was handed out by doctors to kids like candy, and EVERYBODY seemed to have some form ADD. Could Autism be misdiagnosed or is there a definitive way to test someone?

[Aymerlu 3]

Well, my son went though A LOT of testing and A LOT of history taking. The autism specialist he sees had him do a sleep deprived EEG and a cat scan and MRI. Not really sure why everything had to be sleep deprived. He said the EEG showed higher than normal brain activity and the MRI showed more white matter in the brain which he feels individuals with autism tend to have. Just a few of the things my son did as an infant and to this day are:

As an infant he rarely cried. Here I was a first time mom and I just thought I had a really good baby!

He would sit and stare into space for hours.

He never had a good sucking reflex when he was born. I just thought it was because he was a premie.

Noises totally freaked him out. Now if it's a noise he likes, he's ok with it though.

Foods......he is the pickest child God created. It's a texture thing with him.

He didn't talk till he was 4 and when he started talking, he started talking big sentences overnight and was talking like a young adult.

Was not potty trained till he was 5!

Washed his hands repeatedly when he was 4.

No changes could take place. If I rearranged the house it was total meltdown. If I told him we were going to the bank and then went somewhere else first....meltdown.

Vocal and facial tics.

Really I could go on and on. When he started doing some of these things I mentioned he was acting just like my brother that was diagnosed with Tourettes as an adult. He thinks he may have Aspergers. As a child he was just labled "the bad kid."

The places I had him tested did their diagnosis on their own. I never let either place know I had seen someone else because I wanted their own diagnosis. It's all a mystery. I still have my days I just need to get away for a few moments. I love my son and honestly, if I could change anything about him, I wouldn't. God doesn't make mistakes and I have the sweet little boy on earth.

[KarenCee 3]

I've been in the classroom for nearly 13 years doing Special Education. I have seen students who, at the age of 7 or 8, taking Welbutrin (and other meds) for depression. I even had one student from a family of four...all four siblings were on "ritlin", IMHO a very over used drug. I've seen kids take multiple meds during the school day for various issues. But it's been in the last three years that I've worked with more kids with diagnosed AS and suspected AS (not diagnosed at the time, but exhibiting many evidences - waiting on official dx) than I have ever in my 13 years. Not one of the students with AS that I worked with were the same...two were very verbal and the others were withdrawn. To be honest, these were my favourites...these kids with AS. I'm wondering now how many children through the last 10 or 15 years have been misdiagnosed as being ADHD or ADD or some other such dx. When I think back over my career I can see now that most likely I've worked with students who were truly AS instead of whatever they were "labeled" at the time. Labels...how I hate them.

[Mags 112]

They are trying to link chromsone #15 to autism spectrum disorders.

*genetics hat on*

Chromosome 15 is linked to many genetic disorders/syndromes. I hate it. It's a buggar to check down a microscope as it has a large section that has little definition compared to the other chromosomes. Glad I've got that off my chest!

*science hat off*

[Ban Hammer 13,333]

They are trying to link chromsone #15 to autism spectrum disorders.

*genetics hat on*

Chromosome 15 is linked to many genetic disorders/syndromes. I hate it. It's a buggar to check down a microscope as it has a large section that has little definition compared to the other chromosomes. Glad I've got that off my chest!

*science hat off*

hang on there.......you can't put on the science hat until you take off the genetics hat!

[Mags 112]

They are trying to link chromsone #15 to autism spectrum disorders.

*genetics hat on*

Chromosome 15 is linked to many genetic disorders/syndromes. I hate it. It's a buggar to check down a microscope as it has a large section that has little definition compared to the other chromosomes. Glad I've got that off my chest!

*science hat off*

hang on there.......you can't put on the science hat until you take off the genetics hat!

Dur, I'm not awake. Can you tell? And people used to trust me to do their genetic karyotyping. LOL!!