5 MYTHS ABOUT AUTISM

No, the condition is not an epidemic-but misunderstandings about it are. Here are a few, as well as the truth about what it means to be neurodivergent in this way.

- TULA KARRAS

1 MYTH: Autism is a mental disorder.

MYTHBUSTER

Autism spectrum disorder (or disability), or ASD, is actually a developmental and neurological condition, not a mental illness or disease.

People with autism have brain differences that cause them to experience and interact with the world in atypical ways, which is why it is called a “neurodivergent” condition (as opposed to being “neurotypical”). A person may have some of its traits and not others, but many of the differences it leads to are communication-related (for example, being less able to interpret facial gestures than others are), atypical behaviors (such as repetitive movements, sensitivity to light and sound, and intensive focus on particular interests), and challenges mastering social skills. Though it is not a mental disorder, people with it have higher rates of depression, anxiety, and ADHD, in part because it's stressful living in a world set up for neurotypical people.

2 MYTH: There's an epidemic of autism.

MYTHBUSTER