Common Myths About Autism
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010Autism is a syndrome and therefore it is a collection of many features. However there is always a severe impairment in the following areas: communication, socialization and adaptation. It is a developmental disability that affects how a child uses languages and how they interact with other people and the environment.
What causes autism remains a puzzle, people can only assume and theorize. Here are the common myths about autism going around which I hope in time will be corrected:
1) Autism is not an emotional disorder
Autism is an organic neurological disorder. My mom theorizes that my daughters disability started after her not seeing her biological father after she turned a year old. She taught she was traumatized and her way to rebel was to forget everything she knows ergo her developmental regression.
Headbanging and other stimulatory activities CWA’s do like nail biting or wall banging is not due to emotional problems but but rather of their frustration and anxiety resulting from the problems brought about their disability to relate.
2. CWA’s become schizophrenic adults.
Developmental delay and deviant language acquisition are not found among schizophrenics.
3. CWA’s have normal cognitive potentials. Within them are normal children waiting to be freed.
As a parent I still have this hope that she will break free from her autism. Although she is fast improving the proportion of CWAs with average or above average intelligence is small. Being it a syndrome there are levels of their development some are high-functioning and can have isolated areas of excellence (splinter skills) such as rote memory, mathematics or motor abilities. Some are low-functioning where abilities and most other cognitive areas fall below average.
4. CWAs are cold and shun physical contact with other people.
Many CWAs are gorgeous people who seem to enjoy hugging and kissing but they have enormous difficulty reciprocating physical contact in a social way.
