1. People on the autism spectrum hate people
There are a lot of people on the spectrum who get uncomfortable around people and feel overwhelmed. This does not mean that we dislike you. If I am in a crowded space or just at a family gathering, I am usually the first one to leave the situation. This is not because I hate everyone around me. It is because I have tired myself out mentally. It is draining to be in a social situation after a while. At a family gathering, I can't keep up with all the different conversations that are happening at once and trying to keep up is draining and that is the reason it comes off like we dislike people. A lot of people assume that we don't want friends because we don't like people, but it is actually the opposite. The fact that we struggle to keep up with conversations makes it hard to maintain friendships. We would like to socialize more, but it is physically draining sometimes and people do not understand us and it is frustrating. It makes friendships difficult.
2. People with autism are "rude"
This goes along with why we may come off like we hate people. Those of us on the spectrum struggle to figure out what is right and what is wrong. We just say what we are thinking in the moment. The fact that it may hurt someone's feelings really doesn't occur to me until after I've said something. I am also really honest and sometimes I don't know whether I should keep quiet or speak up, so I usually end up doing the opposite of what is expected. When I express how I am feeling or tell someone the truth it is not intended to hurt their feelings. It is simply my way of talking. A lot of people communicate differently and for those of us on the spectrum it is just different.
3.People with autism do not have common sense or are "slow"
I do not always understand what is expected of me right away. If someone gives me directions, it takes me a minute to process. This isn't because I am slow or stupid. It just takes me a littler longer. I still understand fine once I have processed what was said. Miscommunication makes people think that we have no common sense. We need more explanation than the average person sometimes or maybe simpler words, but this doesn't mean we don't have common sense. It just means we understand differently than the average person.
4. People with autism don't listen
A lot of people with autism fidget or repeat things out loud. This may happen while an adult is talking to us. If we seem like we are in our own world, it doesn't mean we aren't listening. It is actually the opposite. Fidgeting helps us focus and fights the urge to get up. When we are asked to just be in one spot for hours it is difficult. I personally do not blurt words out, but I have students who do. They usually are still able to do their work fine and understand what is happening. Sometimes I make noises or facial expressions without realizing it, but it doesn't mean I have lost focus. It is just natural. If a person with autism seems zoned out, it may actually be them trying to listen.
5. If someone is nonverbal, then they don't understand
If someone on the spectrum is nonverbal it does not mean they don't know what is going on. Someone who is nonverbal could have another form of communication that you don't know about. I know some people use sign language. There are other forms of communication as well. Keep in mind that someone who is nonverbal can understand just as much as anyone else.
6. All autistic people are the same
This includes all the stereotypes. I feel like the criteria for autism to most people is that they don't talk to people much, they're picky, they're sensitive to noise, light and touch, they are literal, they only have a few interests. This is just a few of them. Everyone with autism is different. Some of us have a lot of interests. Some of us love to eat different foods, some of us love new experiences. There are people with autism who don't just stick to routine. It is more common for some of these to occur in autism; however, these are not the requirements for being autistic. If a person on the spectrum does not fit everything on this list, it doesn't mean they struggle any less than someone who does.
7. Everyone with autism is gifted
This is mostly common in movies that portray autism, but I have had a neurotypical say this to me. She was telling me how because her daughter has autism she is gifted in math. I want to make it clear that her autism is not what made her good at math. She just happened to be really good at math. I have a family member who is terrible at math and I am terrible at math. I also have a lot of students with autism who struggle with math. Being autistic does not mean you are going to be gifted. A lot of neurotypicals assume if you have autism you are either gifted in math or really smart with medicine. These can be true, but are not always true.
8. People with autism have limited interests
It is true that some people with autism have very specific interests, but there are also some who have a large variety of interests. They might have one thing they enjoy more than others, but that does not make it their only interest. I think some people assume because we put so much time into one thing, we just don't like anything else. The truth is we just are more interested in some things than others. It doesn't mean we have no other interests at all.
9. People with autism lack empathy
This is a very common stereotype. We either lack empathy or have no emotions. A lot of people with autism actually have more empathy and feel more than neurotypicals. I am extremely emotional. Sometimes we struggle to express how we are feeling and this makes people think we just aren't feeling anything to begin with. I think neurotypicals may believe we lack empathy because we come off as "rude" sometimes. Usually we do this because we are trying to be honest with you and it came out the wrong way. We are trying to look out for you and just do not know how to go about it. I have a lot of empathy for the people I care about. For someone on the spectrum to truly lack empathy is rare.
10. People with autism are picky
I know I made a post about how picky I am about my food; however, I want to clarify that this is not always true. I am one of the ones that fit this stereotype. A lot of people who have autism are not picky eaters and enjoy variety. This is actually a special interest for some people on the spectrum. Trying new foods is exciting for a lot of people. Not everyone on the autism spectrum is an extremely picky eater.
11. Autism needs to be cured
Autism is a neurological disability. It is not a disease. It cannot be cured or fixed. Autism is something that is going to last throughout a person's life. Stop trying to fix us. This is how we were born and just because we are different does not mean we need to be fixed. If I told a neurotypical person to stop being normal, they would be wondering why. Being different does not mean we are messed up. It means we act differently. Autism is something we would not know how to live without. If it went away I wouldn't know what to do with my life. This is something I will have for the rest of my life and I have adapted to it. This is the normal for us. We do not need a cure.
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