| Myth |
Fact |
| Autism is an emotional disturbance. |
Autism is a neurological disorder. |
| There is a cure for, or people grow out of autism. |
People do not "grow out" of autism. With early intervention and good educational programs the manifestation of symptoms may improve greatly. |
| Poor parenting causes autism. |
Parents do NOT cause autism. |
| Everyone with autism behaves in the same way. |
People with autism are individuals with strengths and weaknesses unique to them. |
| Children with autism just need more love and a good spanking. |
Autism is not caused by a lack of love and is not cured by punishment. Parents need support to manage difficult behaviours with structure and consistency. |
| People with autism have to be in special programs for "the autistic". |
Individually designed programs best meet the needs of a person with autism. They should be learning, living and working in settings where there is ample opportunity to communicate and interact with others who have the skills they lack. |
