Top 10 Misconceptions About Autism 

Note: This list is for educational purposes only and is not meant to be messed with. Thank you.
The Top Ten
1 Autism is caused by vaccination.

The myth has already been debunked many many times. If you choose to not vaccinate your child, you're not helping your case any further and instead using ignorance as an inefficient tool to carry out solutions which you are obviously causing more problems than fixing them. If you don't clearly see that you are causing more problems than having a simple solution, you're delusional if you see that the problem is the solution.

This along with everything else on this list, especially as someone who has Autism, I find it to be possibly a segment of the dumbest things I have ever, EVER heard.

2 People with autism can't learn.

The person who made this list should go to therapy. These people are being offensive. I'm autism and my IQ's gone from 115 to 132. This is calling somebody stupid. We have a mental illness? No, we don't, were just unique. You don't have autism probably, you don't even know what it means. It's so obvious because what you are saying. We have talents and are gifted. Not stupid. We don't want to make friends? I loveeee making friends. Being autism doesn't make us entirely who we are. I don't care if we lack empathy. I feel bad for people. It does not affect intelligence. May 'be it does cause we are smart? It doesn't cause people to be violent and I'm an autistic adult. It's not caused by bad parenting, idiot. My parents love me. You have bad parents who caused you to make this list. Good, we have skills. Shock Therapy DOES NOT cure autism. Autism can't be cured. Shock therapy is more torture. Who the hell says Milk causes autism? Autism isn't a disease, idiot. And autism happens in girls, too. Idiot.

3 People with autism don't want to make friends.

In my own personal opinion I find this very true for me because I don't want friends, I trust no one!

This isn't always the case. Some autists have been proven to wanna socialize with others and even make more friends of their own (I just simply try to be more careful of who I try to socialize with because there are a lot of weirdos out there).

They do, they just have trouble doing so.

4 People with autism lack empathy.

This is wrong on so many ways. If anything, autists actually feel more empathy as others, but theu may express it in ways that are harder to recognize.

I have empathy for others unless if they are very rude to me!

Definitely not. I just have a bit of a problem showing empathy at times

5 Autism is a mental illness.

It really isn't, at least not in the negative sense. Yeah, people on the spectrum have different thought processes, but it doesn't negatively affect them (unless they are bullied for it or something), so I wouldn't say it is an "illness" at all. It's just a part of some people, and it makes them unique. I find that really cool.

It's NOTHING like a mental illness. It's actually more of a communication disorder. Autists are actually very intelligent and my autism does not affect my intelligence whatsoever.

6 Autism affects intelligence.

In my area, to go to special school you must have an iq under 70 and I think that's ridiculous because autistic people can be smart with an iq over 100.
I'm very likely one of them.

If that's the case, how would you explain the intelligence of people like Albert Einstein and Temple Grandin?

Albert Einstein has it and is the smartest person. Enough said.

7 Autism causes people to be more violent.

Although there have been news stories relating autism to violence, those kinds of acts usually arise from sensory overload or emotional stress and it's actually very usual for autists to act out violently or pose any real danger to society. Many autists actually prefer to limit their exposure and interactions with others because of social situations.

8 Autism only happens in children.

A little lower because it's already obvious that it happens in a lot of adults too.

Autism is something you live with for your entire life, even as an adult.

Autism occurs in adults too, but the sad truth is that it's often overlooked

9 Autism makes people more aggressive.

Not necessarily. There have been lots of autists who have been proven to be calm and non-violent. It's actually really rare for an autistic child to intentionally cause harm to another person.

I do not really think my autism is correlated with my anger issues, it is rather much the tainted past that makes me have other mental illnesses other than autism. I am still a nice person.

I have anger issues, but it isn't that bad though.

10 Autism is caused by bad parenting.

It's not. Bad parenting shouldn't be encouraged by any means but it definitely doesn't cause autism.

My mother knows I have Autism, but loves me and wants the best for me.

No, bad kids are what is caused by bad parenting.

The Contenders
11 Shock therapy cures autism.

No it doesn't, plus it's a form of torture.

No. If anything, it's probably harmful

12 Just like Rain Man, autists have savant skills.

Not all of them do really. Not all are extremely good at math or can recite a phone book. This isn't to say that they're dumb though, it's just that they're not that perfect at certain things just like how many non-autists aren't either.

It is called savant syndrome for a reason, people. Also, real-life savants barely fit the "Rain Man stereotype". Look at Daniel Tammet for example.

13 Autism only happens in boys.

I think this one makes the least sense. I hope I never come across someone that thinks this.

Not true. I'm a female with autism.

14 Autism is a disease.

Fact: Autism is a disorder, not a disease.

Its not nice to call it a disorder so I call it a "harmless rewiring of the brain"

15 Milk causes autism.

Milk? Who the hell said milk causes autism?

I've never drank milk in my entire life but my autism is still here

16 People with autism are not smart
17 Stress causes autism
18 Screen time causes autism
19 ADHD is autism.

I have autism and my stepmom has ADHD. So stop saying they're the same.

20 Autism makes people who they are
21 Dyspraxia is not autism.
22 Autism is caused by food allergies
23 People with autism are hyper-empathic
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