What Autism Is Not

If you weren’t under a rock during April, you’re somewhat “aware” that April is Autism Awareness Month. And, if you happened to tune in and see some programs devoted to the issue, you probably came away pretty confused. Everyone wants to explain what autism is but there’s a problem with that – each person, autistic or not, comes with their own set of ability and disability, a unique ratio of strengths to weakness. There are so many mixed messages that parents (especially new ones) often feel like they’re caught in a whirlwind of information. It can be exhausting.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for getting information out there to people seeking it. But there is a lot of contradicting information out there. Some is helpful, some is factually inaccurate, and some is downright deceptive. It’s the deceptive information that grinds my gears. It is there to take advantage of the confusion and exploit desperate parents. It often offers miracle cures and uses sensational language to define a disorder that is generally not understood. As a parent who has endured several years of this deceptive onslaught of predatory hucksters and also organizations that help to further stigmatize autism, I’ve nearly reached my breaking point.

I can’t define what autism is. It is a human condition whose properties are different for each individual. For my family, autism is just life. It is filled with heartache, happiness, redirection, doubt, sadness, joy, frustration, achievement, tender moments, outrage and triumph. Mostly it is a journey of discovery for all of us. Our pity is for those who will never see life through the eyes of our neurologically different brothers and sisters.

On the other hand, it is easier to spot what autism is not.

Autism is not an epidemic, a pandemic or any other alarming term associated with dangerous disease.

Autism is not something for which any treatment or therapy will cure. There are many proven therapies that help to better adapt autistic individuals with their world but there is no magic bullet. Autism is life-long.

Autism is not and should never be comparable to deadly diseases such as cancer or AIDS. You don’t have to look too far to find those who use shock statistics to portray this view. It’s scaremongering gone wild.

Autism is not caused by vaccines. It’s time to put this one to bed. Current studies again and again do not support this view.

As autism keeps winding its way into our everyday dialogue, we should hopefully move beyond the current state of confusion surrounding the issue. It’s difficult to do that now because too much money is being made from all the chaos. I hope a day of clarity comes in my lifetime.