Autism Spectrum Disorder, What Should I Know?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), otherwise known/referred to as Autism, is a lifelong, nonprogressive neurological disorder. It impacts the nervous system and the severity and range of symptoms can vary widely. Some common symptoms include difficulty with communication, difficulty with social interactions, obsessive interests, and repetitive behaviors. Treatment, such as therapy, can help, but autism can't be cured.

CAUSED BY VACCINES AND OTHER MISCONCEPTIONS

Vaccines   Though autism may be widespread, it is not caused by vaccines. According to the Autism Science Foundation: 

“There is no correlation between autism and vaccines. This has been confirmed through dozens of scientific studies examining different types of vaccines and different vaccine timing schedules. Researchers have also studied thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used in many vaccines, to see if it had any relation to autism. The results are clear: The data show no relationship between vaccines, thimerosal and autism.”

This is a clear indication that autism is not caused by vaccines, though many autistic scientists are responsible for some of our vaccines. 

Emotions or Lack Thereof  People with autism/autistic people may express emotions differently than neurotypical people, due to the differences in the way they understand and process emotions. The myth that autistic people don’t feel emotion is purely a myth. According to Scientific American, “...the notion that people with autism generally lack empathy and cannot recognize feelings is wrong. Holding such a view can distort our perception of these individuals and possibly delay effective treatments.” This means that this belief may hinder treatment and be harmful in overall society.

Savant Skills  While it is true that some autistic people may have special skills or things they excel at, this is not true for all. According to the National Library of Medicine: 

“Although there have been many single case or small group studies of individuals with autism who possess savant abilities or exceptional cognitive skills, there have been few systematic, large-scale investigations in this area. Inconsistencies in definition and wide variation in diagnostic ascertainment, ages and ability levels of the cases reported also give rise to problems, and there is little valid information on rates of savant skills in ASDs.”

This means that while a percent of the population of autistic people do display a level of savant skills and higher IQs, this is but a small percent of the overall general population of those with autism.

CONCLUSION

The belief that all autistic people possess a savant skill or skills is a myth. The belief that autistic people do not understand or are incapable of expressing emotion is a myth. And the belief that vaccines cause autism (ASD) is a myth.

Autism is a lifelong, nonprogressive neurological disorder. It impacts the nervous system and the severity and range of symptoms can vary widely. Some common symptoms include difficulty with communication, difficulty with social interactions, obsessive interests, and repetitive behaviors. Treatment, such as therapy, can help, but this condition can't be cured.

Works Cited

Autism and Vaccines, by the Autism Science Foundation; @2022 Autism Science Foundation. All rights reserved. Autism Science Foundation is a charitable organization with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Federal ID #26-4522309 

People with Autism Can Read Emotions, Feel Empathy, by Rebecca Brewer, Jennifer Murphy, Spectrum on July 13, 2016  Scientific American is part of Springer Nature, which owns or has commercial relations with thousands of scientific publications (many of them can be found at www.springernature.com/us). Scientific American maintains a strict policy of editorial independence in reporting developments in science to our readers.

Savant skills in autism: psychometric approaches and parental reports by Patricia Howlin, Susan Goode, Jane Hutton, and Michael Rutter on 2009 May 27.Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2009 May 27; 364(1522): 1359–1367.doi: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0328 PMCID: PMC2677586.