4 facts about autism you may not know (due to common misconceptions)
1. Autism runs in families
Some studies have estimated that up to 90% of the variance in autistic traits is due to genetic factors.
This means that if you have an autistic child, there is a reasonable chance that you and/or your child's other biological parent have autism in your genes.
2. There is no medication for autism
To all the people claiming that "big pharma" is part of the reason autism is diagnosed more now than ever... there is literally no skin in the game for them.
An autistic person might end up on anxiety medication due to developing anxiety related to their autistic experiences, but the medication would only address the anxiety, not the underlying autistic experiences that caused it.
3. Autism is not an intellectual disability
Though there is a higher rate of intellectual disability in autistic individuals, there is also a higher rate of autistic individuals with high IQs.
In fact, since Asperger’s syndrome was reclassified as a manifestation of autism spectrum disorder in 2013, that entire subset of autism would not have intellectual disabilities...
Because, by definition, a person who was diagnosed with Asperger’s must not have had a cognitive delay during their first 3 years of life... which usually means that they have at least a “normal” IQ.
4. According to the diagnostic criteria in the DSM, as of the 2022 update, there are 3 levels of autism.
Level 1 indicates that a person requires support, sometimes referred to as low support needs. Level 2 indicates that a person requires substantial support...
And level 3 indicates that a person requires very substantial support. Levels 2 and 3 are sometimes referred to as high support needs. It's important to understand that all of these presentations are currently considered autism by the DSM.
So, if you have a high support needs family member and think that I'm making up my autism because I don't look, talk, or act like them... I encourage you to do some research to get a better understanding of level 1 autism...
Because I assure you, I AM autistic, and I have a 33-page document outlining my diagnosis of autism level 1 in both of the diagnostic categories explaining exactly why.