Autism Awareness Campaign - Myths and Facts I

There are many myths surrounding Autism.  Next couple of days, I will be taking up some of these myths and try to burst them.

There is a perception among public that Autistic persons don’t want friends.  This is a myth.  One of the most predominant symptom of autism is limited social communication.  There are few exceptions too, where few individuals with Autism communicate too much.  My daughter Pratibha had very milted social communication till around 20 years of age.  She use to see through people.  She could break it and come out.  Most autistic persons have the same feeling as many of us, regarding relationship and communication.  But they are unable to do so, which leads people to believe that they don’t want friends.

Another perception is people with autism are intellectually disabled.  Which is yet another myth.  There is a saying that “Autism is a disorder off high intelligence”!  One of the article in Additude magazine says, about half of autistic persons have higher than average IQ.  Listing just few names who are autistic but achieved a lot in their life, can burst this myth.  Many autistic persons can have intellectual disability also.   Previously, intellectual disability was generally called as Mental Retardation (MR).  Sad to see that even till couple of years back (must be the same now too), the disability certificate given by Govt hospitals mentions only “Mental Retardation” and it is mostly based on IQ. Autistic persons who have higher IQ and severe social communication and other autism symptoms, may not get a disability certificates. This would deprive them of some of the benefits provided by the government for “disabled”.  Not sure whether this is changed now.

Here is a list of few inspiring people on autism spectrum. Albert Einstein (Scientist & Mathematician), Bobby Fischer (Chess Grandmaster), Temple Grandin (A animal Scientist), Daryn Hannah (Hollywood Actress), Thomas Jefferson (Early American Politician), James Joyce (Author of “Ulysses), Susan Boyle (Singer), Tim Burton (Movie Director), Emily Dickinson (Poet), Bill Gates (Co-founder of Microsoft), Michelangelo (Sculptor, Painter, Architect, Poet), Sir Issac Newton (Mathematician, Astronomer & Physicist), Nikola Tesla (Inventor), Amadeus Mozart (Classical Composer), Lewis Carroli (Author of “Alice in Wonderland”.. The list goes on..  

I will conclude this post quoting a famous statement from Temple Grandin. “What would happen if the autism gene was eliminated from the gene pool? You would have a bunch of people standing out in cave, chatting, socialising and not getting anything done”.