On the Autism Spectrum
BY AIZA DELA CRUZ
AUTISM is still not truly understood, specifically its cause. It does not help that there are people and even groups who perpetuate false information about it especially in this digital age. As a parent to an autistic child, I am careful about the research I do on the internet. I choose websites, materials, and data from reliable, scientific, and medical sources. I also listen to talks of autistic people and their parents as we can empathize with each other since we all go through the same experiences. It is only through thorough research that one can separate fact from fiction.
Here are some common misconceptions about autism:
Autism is caused by vaccines
Until now, there is still no exact cause of autism. There is no evidence that supports this belief that vaccines caused autism. This myth has been debunked many times by the scientific community.
This claim started when it was known that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, was used as a common vaccine ingredient. Thimerosal contains ethylmercury which gets cleared from the body and there is no evidence of harm caused by low doses of thimerosal in vaccines.
Thimerosal has long been removed from vaccines and yet there is still a prevalence of autism as reported by the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The American Academy of Pediatrics has compiled a list of research studies that prove there is no link between vaccines and autism.
There is an autism epidemic
Autism is not a disease therefore it cannot cause an âautism epidemicâ. This false claim is in connection to the vaccine myth. Some people and groups blamed vaccines, even until now, as the cause of this âautism epidemicâ. They attributed the increasing prevalence of autism to vaccine use.
However, the reason for the increase in autism diagnoses is due to awareness and research which provided resources and education for doctors, educators, parents, and therapists to recognize the signs of autism. This led to the increase of individuals being properly diagnosed, thus the high statistics of autism.
Autism is caused by bad parenting
This false belief reminded me of an incident shared by a family of an autistic child when they were at a cafĂ©. A customer hurled insults at them and attributed the childâs âbad behaviorâ to âbad parentingâ. This is an offensive and rude stereotype belief for both the child and the parents. All parents strive to do their best for the good of their children. No parent would want their children to become bad.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder. It is not caused by lack of affection or discipline or by spoiling the child. A child does not become autistic because he was not breastfed or he was denied of a new toy. Autism is not a behavioral disorder.
Autism can be treated or cured
Being a neurodevelopmental disorder, there is no cure or treatment for it. An autistic child does not also grow out of it because he was fed specialized milk or food or vitamins.
Autism is a âspectrumâ disorder because there is wide variation in the type and severity of the traits and characteristics. Thus, certain characteristics of an autistic person can change as he grows, which means it is impossible to âgrow outâ of it or be âcuredâ.
While there is no treatment or cure for autism, there are appropriate interventions which can help autistics address their challenges and develop their potentials to lead happy and productive lives.
Autistic people lack empathy
Due to the popularity of Sheldon Cooperâs character in the TV show âThe Big Bang Theoryâ, some people nowadays have this false notion that autistic people donât have emotions or robotic and they lack empathy.
This is absolutely not true. My son has expressed a broad range of emotions and is very loving and caring.
Autistics are actually highly concerned about the feelings of other people towards them but they struggle to make sense of social cues and rituals, such as change in tone of voice or facial expression. They also have difficulty in expressing themselves in a way that a typical person does.
Autistics are also humans. They have feelings and emotions. They also love and get hurt just like anyone else.
Autistic canât learn
Of course, they can! But it takes a tailored therapy and education and very patient and supportive parents to develop their potentials.
Educating an autistic child is a monumental task because they donât learn things like a typical child does.
My son learns best when he is happy. There is a lot of jumping, running, and singing when we have our classes. He canât sit still for long periods of time. Thus, we have a lot of movement exercises and singing to make him focus and get interested in the class. In a one-hour class, we go through various topics such as shapes, colors, vocabulary, spelling, writing, identification, and problem solving. We have to integrate various skills and topics in one lesson to keep him interested in learning. A typical school setting does not accommodate this kind of learning, so we homeschool.
An autistic has a different way of learning things. We just have to determine what works best.
There are many misinformations about autism and I just shared a few of them, especially the ones which we encounter a lot.
I enjoin everyone to have more compassion and understanding for all children with different abilities. I will now use children with different abilities, instead of children with special needs, to emphasize and promote their abilities, capabilities, and potentials. It is also in recognition of the neurodiversity of people.
I would also like to hear the experiences of other parents who have children on the autism spectrum. You may email me on genevieveaiza.delacruz@gmail.com. I am a member of the Autism Society Philippines (ASP), a national non-profit organization dedicated to the well-being of persons on the autism spectrum disorder./PN
