MYTHS ABOUT AUTISM
1. Autism is contagious
Nope! You can't catch autism. Autism is
something some people are born with, like blue
eyes or red hair or a brain that is very good at
some things and has more trouble with others.
2. Autism is caused by vaccines
Vaccines do not cause autism. Please make sure
your kids get their shots.
3. Autism is a disease
Nope! Autism is a developmental disability some
people are born with, like dyslexia or Down
Syndrome. It is not a disease. It is a difference,
and a disability.
4. Autism is a tragedy
Nope! With the right support, autistic people can
go to school, communicate, work, live in the
community, have friends, get married, start
families, vote, pursue their interests, and anything
else they might want to do.
5. Autistic people are eternal children
Nope! Autistic people grow up. An autistic 20
year old is not a toddler in a 20 year old's body--
they are an autistic 20 year old.
6. You can grow out of autism
Nope! Autism is a life-long developmental
disability. Autistic children grow up into autistic
adults. The same percentage of adults and
children are autistic.
7. Autism means not being able to speak
Communication disability is a part of diagnostic
criteria for autism, but most autistic people do
develop the ability to talk. About 15-20% of
autistic people do not develop oral speech. They
can use Augmentative & Alternative
Communication to speak for themselves.
8. Autism means intellectual disability
About 15-25% of autistic people also
have an intellectual disability. Most
autistic people are not intellectually
disabled. Intellectual disability is not a
part of autism, but some people have
both.
9. Autistic people lack empathy
Nope! Autistic people feel empathy for
other people. Autistic people are people,
not robots.
10. All autistic people are savants
About 10% of autistic people have
savant skills like perfect pitch,
photographic memory, or calendar
calculation. Most autistic people are not
savants.
11. Autistic people suffer from autism
Autistic people suffer from prejudice and
discrimination. Autistic people suffer
when they do not get the support and
accommodation they need, when they
receive substandard or segregated
education or living environments, when
they are kept out of the community or
kept unemployed, when their civil and
human rights are violated, or when their
access to communication and the right to
make decisions about their lives, bodies,
and futures are denied. Autistic people
do not suffer from autism.
12. Only boys are autistic.
An autistic woman wrote this factsheet.
http://www.autismacceptancemonth.com/about/