Your Student Life: Autism Awareness
April 23, 2024
Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is a form of neurodivergence that may manifest as differences in sensory processing, communication and learning styles, movements and thinking. Updates to research and discussions on the internet have been slowly shifting society’s understanding of ASD, but there are still plenty of misconceptions. Here are a few examples of prevalent myths about the community:
Autistic people always prefer person-first language X: The best way to know how an individual would like to be referred to is to ask! In the disability community, some people prefer person-first language (“a student with autism,” “a friend who is deaf”), many consider their disability to be an important part of what makes them who they are and prefer identity-first language (“an autistic student,” “a deaf friend”).
Autistic people don’t have social skills or empathy X: While there do tend to be some differences in how autistic vs. neurotypical people relate to others, they often have close social connections and can absolutely empathize. Some differences may include preferring more direct communication rather than “reading between the lines” in conversation, seeking out opportunities to engage in and talk in detail about their interests, or feeling overwhelmed by less familiar social situations. However, even these qualities are not universal among autistic people!
Autism is specific to certain demographics X: In the U.S., there have historically been gender, racial and socioeconomic disparities in who gets diagnosed with ASD. Not everyone has access to education about autism symptoms and formal testing services, and symptoms can present differently across populations. However, autism exists across cultures and demographics, and may not be recognized until later in life.
Autism means a lack of independence X: All autistic people (and all people in general) can benefit from a society that is more accommodating of differences. After an ASD diagnosis, someone might seek out formal accommodations (e.g. registering with disability services, asking for ADA accommodations in the workplace, etc.), informal accommodations (sensory supports, clarifications of information, etc.), or both. How much support is needed and what areas of life require support vary greatly from person-to-person. For example, someone might be able to manage school or work responsibilities very well but have trouble keeping up with all the tasks at home at the end of the day, or vice versa.
If you’re interested in learning more about the autism community, the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network is a great place to start!
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