5 Things You Should Know About Autism Spectrum Disorder

April is Autism Awareness Month, and to mark the occasion, we want to highlight a few things you may not know about the commonly misconceived condition of autism spectrum disorder.

According to the CDC, 1 in 44 children in the US received an autism diagnosis in 2021. With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnoses increasing steadily every year, it’s more important than ever to dispel some common misunderstandings.

Let’s start with the basics. What is autism spectrum disorder?

According to Autismspeaks.org, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication.’ Autism spectrum disorders are based on severity and type of symptoms - meaning that there are several subtypes based on genetic and environmental factors. ASD includes conditions that were previously considered separate — autism, Asperger's syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and an unspecified form of pervasive developmental disorder. Now, everything is grouped into autism spectrum disorder, with different levels, as shown below.

Each person with autism has their own set of challenges and strengths, and what makes them unique is the way they learn, think, and solve problems. Some people with ASD may need significant support while others may live completely independently. Hence, the reason they call it ‘spectrum’ - because it varies widely from person to person.

‘’If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism.’’

Dr Stephen Shore

When your child is diagnosed on the autism spectrum, what should you do?

In this free guide, we cover several resources available to Arizona parents.

Although a diagnosis can shed light and bring clarity, it is a double-edged sword. Many times, it causes people to pigeonhole those with autism into the category of ‘autism’ - not realizing it is truly a spectrum, hence creating quick judgments based on previous stereotypes. People with autism deserve to be treated as people, rather than a diagnosis.

Five facts to help break the stigma around autism

Here, we will cover five different facts about autism that you can use to help increase understanding during Autism Awareness month and beyond.

1. Autism has no singular cause.

Autism is not caused by diet, infection, or bad parenting. Studies show that genetics are the most determining factors in autism diagnoses, but they are not the only explanation. Boys are 4 times more likely to have autism than girls, indicating that gender also plays a significant role. Other factors such as the age of the parents, siblings with an ASD diagnosis, and exposure to certain environmental toxins have all pointed to being related to causing the condition.

2. There is no link between vaccinations and ASD.

A 1998 study published in the medical journal The Lancet pushed a possible link between the MMR vaccine and ASD diagnoses. This study has since been retracted, and its hypotheses squashed by the medical community. Unfortunately, it inspired a surge in pseudo-scientific misinformation and anti-vaccine movements amongst parents of children with ASD.

3. Non-verbal does not mean lack of understanding.

Up to 40% of children with ASD are non-verbal. Being non-verbal does not mean that they don’t want to communicate or do not understand. In fact, non-verbal children and their families develop unique ways to understand one another, ranging from body language (smiling to convey happiness, using open arms to convey being welcomed, frowning to show unhappiness, pointing to show something that requires attention.) Many non-verbal children are able to use communication devices to act as their “voice.”Imitation is also a great way to show mutual understanding and respect. If they use particular sounds to express joy, excitement, anger, or sadness, using the same sounds will show that you understand them. There are many ways to communicate, it is just a matter of finding the mode that works best for your child..

4. Autism isn’t something ‘new’ - in fact, the word autism has been around for over 100 years.

The word autism appeared in 1908, although the term became more widely known after being used by the American child psychologist Leo Kanner in a 1943 paper. While retrospective diagnoses are discouraged, many modern experts believe famous names such as Charles Darwin, Emily Dickinson, and Albert Einstein fit within the criteria for ASD. The word autism has been used for the last 70 years. Here is a quick timeline of autism and how our understanding of it has evolved.

1908 - autism was used to describe a subset of patients who were especially withdrawn
1943 - American psychologist Leo Kanner, MD, uses autism to describe 11 children who were highly intelligent but displayed "a powerful desire for aloneness" and "an obsessive insistence on persistent sameness" in a medical paper he published
1944 - German scientist Hans Asperger describes a "milder" form of autism
1967 - Psychologist Bruno Bettelheim popularized a theory behind the causes of autism
1977 - Research on twins finds that autism is largely caused by genetics and biological differences
1980 - Infantile autism is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) for the first time
1987 - Infantile autism is replaced with a more expansive definition of "autism disorder," and includes a checklist of diagnostic criteria. A study is published showing how intensive behavior therapy can help children with autism, giving new hope to parents.
1988 - The movie Rain Man comes out starring Dustin Hoffman as a person with autism capable of calculations few people can fathom. This increases awareness about autism (though only one area of the spectrum)
1991 - The government defines autism as a special education category, allowing special resources to be dedicated to those with ASD
1994 - Asperger syndrome is added to the DSM, explaining that milder cases of autism allow for higher functionality
1998 - Study for measles vaccine implies correlation between vaccines and autism - this was quickly debunked.
2009 - CDC estimates that 1 in 110 children have autism, up from 1 in 150 in 2007, due to better screening techniques
2013 - The DSM-5 rolls all categories of autism into ASD. Asperger's Syndrome is no longer considered separate.

5. Autism is not a disease.

Autism does not mean that an individual has an illness or a disease, it means that their brains work differently from others. It’s something that they may struggle with their entire life, meaning that it is not a medical condition with a cure.

It’s Autism Awareness Month, But…

We hope that you will help us increase awareness around autism not just during April, but every month of the year. You can do so by sharing this post and playing your part in breaking the stigma.

Last but not least, if you or someone you know is looking to move their student out of public school and into private special education, read our blog post on how to decide when it’s time to make the switch here.