The Persistence of Autism Myths
October 23, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
ABC News lists, and debunks,10 myths about autism—–the discussion of the first myth (”autism is an emotional or mental health disorder”) contains this not quite correct assertion:
“Autism is a biological illness.”
Autism isn’t something you can catch (like measles) and it is not (as ABC News points out) something that can be cured. Myths have a way of persisting……..
All in all, a good article. But it does call Asperger’s a “high” form of autism, which is a little strange.
I would say ‘better’, though not ‘good’. First is certainly the “biological illness”, and the “high autism”, sure. But “social relationships are possible for some individuals on the autism spectrum, but not for others on the most severe end of the spectrum”? Let’s leave aside the whole issue of epidemiologically fixating the spectrum. No social relationships? Give me a break. Even before I could talk I had social relationships. Pretty much everyone does.
And they got the cure question pretty wrong (because it lays entirely on the false supposition that Kristina so brings up in this post). But it had some good elements to it, certainly.
Cliff
Little specifics to critique, but overall…all right and almost there. Makes a refreshing change from what has been in the media for several years running, so I appreciate what was done well.
If anything tweaked me, it was the zero social relationship statement for those on the severe end of the spectrum…if they had stopped the section at the previous paragraph, that might have been more accurate…who can predict with certainty, even among typical people the future quantity, quality or typicality of social relationships? Saying things that may not be true with some finality, seems to me to be shutting a mental door that could reasonably stand open.
Hi, Kristina,
Laurie Edison and I gave you a blog award. Thanks for your good work!
I see the MD strayed away from the myth, “Vaccines cause autism.” Chicken.
Not all diseases are communicable. Not all diseases are curable. Autism is a disorder. I don’t quite understand where diseases stop and disorders begin. Certain conditions such as sickle cell are either described as both diseases and disorders.
How does one catch sickle cell disease. How does on cure it?
Charlie is the most social of the kids in his class, his teacher noted to me, and that he likes to be with people……
My daughter has “different” social relationships with people, but they are relationships, nonetheless!
With her father, older sister and I, they are close, and she is extremely physically and verbally expressive about her love for us…a love that none of us has experienced to such a degree before…such devotion, and joy to see us and be near us…its so lovely and pure!
With others…she has some people that she loves to see and always greets them warmly. Some school children and children of friends who are indifferent or even off-putting to her, she swarms them with attention…
Tim Johnson, M.D. is the medical reporter for Good Morning America (”On Call”)
The writer is Lara Salahi. The text is different than the video.
Thank you notes:
http://abcnews.go.com/Site/page?id=3271346&cat=Good%20Morning%20America
In that autism is a genetic condition that results in atypical neurological development, it could be referred to as a biological illness. Illness does usually refer to something that is more transient, but schizophrenia is often referred to as an (mental) illness, and it is a neurological disorder with a biochemical basis which can be controlled (but not cured) through pharmaceutical means. Even I’m not entirely sure what my point is, except to say that I think they were trying to imply that autism is not a behavior issue, but is, in fact, the result of a biological glitch.