Misconceptions about Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Have you heard of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? What is the first thing that came to your mind💭? It is undeniable that ASD is a life-long disorder that the general public tends to hold many misbeliefs. Today, we would like to debunk the misconceptions that you might have about ASD.

🌟What is Autism?🌟

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is one of the neurodevelopmental disorders in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual fifth edition (DSM-V). Autistic individuals are characterized as having difficulties in social interaction and communication skills. They also display specific repetitive behaviour and have restricted interest in their life.


Below are 6 different misconceptions you might have about ASD:

⚡Do all ASD individuals have special abilities (savants)?⚡

No, not all autistic people have special abilities! People tend to believe that ASD people have special abilities which are known as savants. For example, a savant can be an expert in music whereby they can play a piece of music without looking at the notes or have strong artistic skills which they can draw well. However, savants can be applied to any person with developmental disabilities (which can be caused by brain damage as well) that have the outstanding ability (talent) in a specific area. Although ASD is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder, it does not mean that all ASD people are savants. More importantly, according to statistics, only 1/10 autistic people are savants. But why do people think that savants are autistic people or vice versa? It may be due to the overexposure of content from the media. Characters with ASD in TV shows are often described with specific skills. Therefore, it shaped the public to believe that ASD people are savants and savants are mostly diagnosed with ASD.

⚡Autistic individuals dislike social activity⚡

One of the ASD characteristics is impairments in social interactions and communication. However, that does not mean that autistic people do not want to socialize or make friends. The truth is that they are having difficulty in doing so. They do have the desire and need for social activities and to make friends in their life. They also do feel lonely and disappointed when they face hardship in making friends or even trying to fit in in a social situation. So, let’s not think that autistic individuals shut themselves from the outside world, instead be empathetic. Knowing that they are having challenges in building relationships, you can try to be understanding by making yourself to be one of their friends!

⚡Take MMR vaccine and your child will get ASD⚡

One scientific study that claims the MMR vaccine to be the cause of ASD has misled the public to believe that getting the MMR vaccine will make your child to be at risk or to be autistic. The truth is that there is no supporting evidence whatsoever to indicate that MMR causes ASD. ASD is a complex disorder, to date, there is no one specific cause of autism. However, current research suggests that genetics and environmental factors play a role. Despite the so-called ‘scientific study’ which claimed the MMR vaccine as a cause of ASD has been disproved, unfortunately, it has shaped the public to believe that the MMR vaccine is one of the causes of ASD and parents tend to refuse in taking the MMR vaccine for their children because of it.

⚡ASD can be cured⚡

ASD is indeed a lifelong disease, sadly and unfortunately, it could not be fully cured 😞. Interventions such as ABA (Applied Behavioural Analysis) were developed specifically to help ASD individuals to cope and adjust to the norm. ABA is an intensive intervention that uses the theory of operant conditioning to elicit a desired behaviour from the child. It aims to improve the children’s speech and language development, social communication, independence and prepare them for school. However, these interventions are only helpful in decreasing the severity of symptoms and are unable to make the symptoms go away fully to cure the individual. Despite that, there are cases where some autistic individuals ‘outgrow’ from the disorder. Most outgrow autistic individuals are able to live with their symptoms and the severity of the symptoms would decrease with age, but the numbers are limited. In brief, though autistic people cannot be fully recovered from autism, with the help of early intervention and effective therapy sessions, they are capable of living with the autistic characteristic and improve their Quality of Life (QoL).

⚡All ASD individuals are the same⚡

That is a definite no because autism is a spectrum condition! All autistic people share certain difficulties, but being autistic will affect them in different ways. The main symptoms of ASD are1️⃣difficulty in social interaction & communication and2️⃣display repetitive behaviour & restricted interest, but the symptoms and severity vary from person to person. ASD individuals can be classified into 3 levels - Level 1 (mild), Level 2 (moderate), and Level 3 (severe).

Level 1 (mild)

Autistic people with mild autism (sometimes also known as high functioning autism) are often able to communicate with others using full sentences, but they have difficulties in doing it appropriately. For instance, they might not notice that their words hurt people’s feelings. They have trouble in planning and organizing as well.

Level 2 (moderate)

Autistic people at a moderate level tend to speak in simple sentences. They struggle with non-verbal communication such as hand gestures. They also display narrow interest and tend to engage in repetitive behaviour very often such as tip toe walking, biting fingers, and more.

Level 3 (severe)

The third level of autism is severe which indicates that autistic people at this level have significant impairments in social communication. For example, they either lack the ability to speak clearly or they are non-verbal. They also rarely initiate any social interactions even with the therapist.

As autism can be categorized into three different levels, the required support heavily depends on the severity of symptoms. Therefore, it is indisputable that each autistic individual is diverse and different from one another which each of them also requires an individualized treatment plan.

⚡Only males will get ASD⚡

ASD sometimes is misunderstood as a male-only disease. However, the true fact is that not only males will get ASD, females would also be diagnosed with ASD. Autism affects more boys than girls. In every 4 children that are diagnosed, 3 are boys. The gender ratio indicates that ASD diagnosis in males is higher than in females. However, that does not make ASD a male-only disease. Possible explanations for the higher ASD diagnosis ratio in males are the different interpretations of characteristics in females. Also, studies have claimed that females are more likely to camouflage (hide their feelings) in order to fit in society (Lai, 2017). These have potentially led to the lower diagnosis of autism in females.

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In conclusion, we hope to bring out the main correct information and messages regarding Autism to the public mainly to reduce the misbeliefs and stigma that people might have towards the ASD community. Together, with more empathy and correct information, we can create an inclusive society for the special ones💖.