Over the years autism received a lot of thought and ideas from various sources.  These include misconceptions that Autism is a mental illness, they have special abilities, or that a child with autism is only misbehaving. Below you will find 10 myths about autism to help put an end to these types of misconceptions.

Truth: If someone in your class or life has autism, they probably struggle with social skills, which may make it difficult to interact with peers. They might seem shy or unfriendly, but that’s just because he or she is unable to communicate their desire for relationships the same way you do.

Truth: Autism doesn’t make an individual unable to feel the emotions you feel, it just makes the person communicate emotions (and perceive your expressions) in different ways.

Truth: Autism often affects an individual’s ability to understand unspoken interpersonal communication, so someone with autism might not detect sadness based solely on one’s body language or sarcasm in one’s tone of voice. But, when emotions are communicated more directly, people with autism are much more likely to feel empathy and compassion for others.

Truth: Often times, autism brings with it just as many exceptional abilities as limitations. Many people with autism have normal to high IQs and some may excel at math, music or another pursuit.

Truth: Autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning its characteristics vary significantly from person to person. Knowing one person with autism means just that—knowing one person with autism. His or her capabilities and limitations are no indication of the capabilities and limitations of another person with autism.

Truth: Autism stems from biological conditions that affect brain development and, for many individuals, is a lifelong condition.

Truth: Recent research has shown that children with autism can make enough improvement after intensive early intervention to “test out” of the autism diagnosis. This is more evidence for the importance of addressing autism when the first signs appear.

Truth: Research has shown that many people with autism also have gastrointestinal disorders, food sensitivities, and many allergies.

Truth: In the 1950s, a theory called the “refrigerator mother hypothesis” arose suggesting that autism was caused by mothers who lacked emotional warmth. This has long been disproved.

Truth: The rate of autism has increased by 600% in the last 20 years. In 1975, an estimated 1 in 1,500 had autism. In 2014, an estimated 1 in 68 had an autism spectrum disorder (ww.autismspeaks.org).

Autism . . . offers a chance for us to glimpse an awe-filled vision of the world that might otherwise pass us by.– Dr. Colin Zimbleman, Ph.D.