Characteristics of Autism – Demystifying Common Myths

Behavior Characteristics of Autism when diagnosed must not necessarily mean ceased love and hopes. However, mass media accounts boom with the most devastating and horrific incidents.

Here are several myths about behavioral characteristics of Autism that are wrongly disseminated by television, films and glossies which need to be debunked.

All Individuals with Autism are similar

• Myth
  A common thought process is that having encountered an autistic individual or having watched films like ‘Rain Man’ or ‘Temple grandin’ is enough to get a generalised view of what autism is and those individuals affected by it are like.
• Truth
  Individuals affected with autism could be vastly dissimilar from each other and each having his/her different behavioral characteristics of autism. The sole aspect which is commonly observed in autism affected people is their atypical difficulties in making social contact/communication.

Individuals with Autism fail to show any emotions/feelings

• Myth
  People having autism are incapable of feeling or expressing compassion, love or sympathy.

• Truth
  A lot of people, actually, majority of autistic individuals are vastly able to have and show emotions or feelings, express adoration, although at times the manner of exhibiting it could be somewhat unusual. Furthermore, several autistic individuals have been observed to exhibit greater empathy to those around as compared to a regular individual, although they their way of expressing feelings could be rather unconventional or weird.

Autistic Individuals are incapable of building firm bonds

• Myth
  Individuals with autism are not able to develop deep association with those around them.

• Truth
  Although it could be quite improbable that an autistic kid would be great at cheerleading, yet it is possible that such individuals would develop deep and firm bonds at least with their kin members whom they feel closest to.          There are numerous autistic individuals who have developed meaningful alliances via common avid interests. There are several other autistic individuals who get hitched and having fulfilling passionate relationships.

Individuals with autism are a threat to the general public around

• Myth
  Autistic individuals could be perilous to society
• Truth
  With latest reports of an Asperger Syndrome individual having committed brutal, sadistic acts has led to apprehensions regarding aggression and autism. Even though there have been several people with autism who do show vicious behaviorisms, these are mostly exhibited due to the autistic person being frustrated, physically or sensory-wise overloaded and other analogous problems. It is quite atypical that an autistic individual would be acting out of malevolence.

Individuals with autism are all scholars or virtuosos

• Myth
  Autistic individuals possess remarkable scholarly capabilities like astonishing maths skills or musical talent.
• Truth
  It is a fact that a moderately small number of autistic individuals are intellectuals or maestros. Such people possess ‘splinter skill sets’ that recount to merely a single or duo facets of astounding capability. By and large, most autistic individuals possess average or below average skills.

Autistic Individuals posses no verbal communication skills

• Myth
  Majority of the individuals with autism are non-vocal or almost non-vocal.
• Truth
  Although people with typical autism identification are at times non-vocal or almost non-vocal. However, there are also several other autistic individuals that are vastly vocal and possessing good reading skill sets.

Autistic individuals are incapable of doing anything significant

• Myth
  One must not keep too many expectations from an autistic individual.
• Truth
  On the contrary, autistic people could have commendable achievements, although solely when they get the support from individuals that trust and have belief in their wherewithal. Autistic individuals are mostly the ingenious pacesetters amongst us who view the globe via a diverse lens – and when their viewpoints are given due respect, these autistic people could bring about a whirlwind of positive change around us.