What do you think are big misconceptions about autism?

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I’m writing a thing about a semi verbal autistic character (I can explain more if someone asks.)

I myself am fully verbal Aspie, who is just now getting a diagnosis, so I haven’t experienced much in the ways of issues due to people knowing I’m autistic yet, just experience with being autistic. I wanted to get input from you guys on issues you’ve had to deal with because of misconceptions/discrimination/ableism/etc. so I can keep from putting incorrect information in my work.

Where I come from people think of autism as something like a less sever form of mental retardation & even the so-called experts think that. I was told when I was officially tested for autism that I communicated too well verbally & seemed to intelligent to have anything on the autism spectrum. Guy was hung up on the fact that I had a high-skewl diploma from a college prep skewl. It was a Catholic skewl & I struggled majorly in most of my classes due to dyslexia & other related learning disorders. I only passed a 3rd of my classes because my grades were curved. I would of dropped out if my parents would of let me.
Another stereotype is that we're all great with computers, book smart, & intellectuals. I'm the opposite of those things & people who found out I was autistic didn't believe I was or wanted nothing to do with me when they found out I wasn't those things.

By "semi-verbal," do you mean that the character has a form of selective mutism (essentially can speak sometimes, but not at other times)? I do, and nobody I've met in person ever believes me when I try to tell them, they insist that I can speak if I try hard enough, I just don't want to, since I'm capable of speaking some of the time - but that isn't true, I'm physically incapable of forcing my vocal cords into action sometimes (especially when I'm very anxious or experiencing sensory overload). That's just as frustrating to me as the mutism itself.

Actually, that happens most of the time I can't meet someone's expectations of me, especially with my dad - I'm accused of not trying hard enough, not wanting to do something, and/or not caring. Because my autism is an "invisible disability," people just don't understand that I struggle at or am not capable of things that are easy for them.

Only kids are autistic.

Meltdowns are temper tantrums.

We choose to go mute.

If we can type on the internet, then we are "high functioning."

M&Ms are a tool that can change the universe. <---- kidding.

All therapists and professionals have our best interest at heart.

Autistics are not emotional

Usually if I suggest that I might be on the spectrum, someone will say “but you don’t LOOK autistic.” I’ll say “OK, what do autistic people look like?” Then they usually don’t have an answer, probably because there is no autistic “look”.

Another thing is that all autistics are the same or very similar. Some people say I can’t be on the spectrum because they know someone else who is and i’m “Not like him”. How many people have been told that before?

I think that some of common misconceptions may be:
1. People with autism do not know that other people do not think the same as them (I have diagnosis of AS and do not remember thinking so, even in early childhood). But I think that it is true that people with ASD (generally) have no "intuitive" theory of mind.
2. Autistic people can't lie and can't understand the nature of lie.
3. Everybody with ASD is a visual thinker and good in technical matters, physics, 3D imaging.
4. People with autism do not speak or always start to talk lately.
5. People with autism have no empathy, especially affective empathy.
6. Everybody with ASD have sensory overloads, meltdowns, shutdowns.
7. Autistic people have no need of contact with other persons.
8. People with ASD can't have high verbal IQ.
9. Autistic people live in own, fictional, world.
10. Everybody with autism does not like changes.

All autistics are savants ..


All autistics are good at computer

Another misconceptions may be:
- autism is a mental illness,
- autism is a sort of schizophrenia,
- people with autism do not want to have friends,
- people with autism are always itellectually disabled,
- all people with autism have peculiar, specific abilities,
- people with ASD can't make eye contact (although they, in fact, tend to have problems with it),
- autism is caused by emotionally cold parents or parenting mistakes,
- people with ASD can't have well-paid jobs, spouse, offspring.

One of the biggest is that autistics are all the same personality wise, that all autistics are shy or hate people. It would make for an interesting character if they were autistic but outgoing and how those two things can clash.
There are a lot of outgoing autistic people in the world (particularly females) and I think that type of autism needs some representation
Side note, I love your profile picture.

Autistic people are not social and not friendly and they do not want friends. These big misconceptions here I think are the reasons why lot of us were failed to be diagnosed in our childhood, especially as girls.

Autistic people have no humor and can't be sarcastic and can't be expressive and articulate.

Aspie people are very intelligent and ahead of themselves academically and are gifted and nerds and geeks and can fix stuff and make things.

- Only male children can be autistic
- All autistic people are severely intellectually disabled
- Autistic people have no empathy.
- Autistic people are cold, emotionless, and heartless.
- Autistic people ruin the lives of their parents and everyone else around them.
- If an autistic person is nonverbal, that means they can't understand what you say around them.
- You can't be autistic if you "don't look it".
- Autism is a horrible disease that's worse than HIV or cancer and must be cured.
- An autistic person is trapped in their own world, completely unaware of the world around them.
- Autistic people are all serial killers or mass murderers or incel terrorists.

-VACCINES WILL GIVE YOUR CHILD AUTISM AND THAT'S WORSE THAN GETTING A PREVENTABLE LIFE-THREATENING DISEASE!!

Let's not forget that we are all supposed to be one or more of the following:

• Able to converse with animals
• Able to converse with ghosts
• Alien-Human hybrids
• Angel-Human hybrids
• Animal-Human hybrids
• Fae-Human hybrids
• Magical
• Neanderthal-Human hybrids
• Otherkin
• Psychic
• Reincarnated animals
• Telepathic
• The next step in human evolution
• Throwbacks in human evolution