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People can sometimes have pre-conceived notions of what autism looks like.
Shahira Ali, a 26-year-old woman living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), told Newsday people tend to underestimate her and her abilities because she is on the spectrum and that often comes with a stereotypical understanding of who she is.
She said, over the years, this has caused her great distress. She said because she is often overlooked, she has been unable to get a job, which has lead to issues with depression. “I tend to feel really left behind when I see people progressing in life and people with disabilities are left behind,” she said.
“We should be able to get the same opportunities but society sees us as a burden, but they may actually be a burden for us by not giving us a chance.” Here are a few other misconceptions about ASD Ali identified:
1 – “People say autism is a disease. It is not a disease. It is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder.” ASD is a developmental condition that affects a person’s verbal and non-verbal communication skills, as well as their ability to socialise. “Autism is not a learning disability; it is a different ability,” said Ali. She said in the same way an ordinary person may need help understanding complex concepts by breaking it down, people with ASD are able to understand as long as someone is able to break the information down in a way they can digest it.
2 – Ali said people with autism are not childish. “A lot of people think people with autism are childish. They tell us to grow up, but that is how the disorder presents itself. It presents itself in such a way that these people require support in order to interact with others and to practice simple tasks.”
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3 – “A lot of people think when you are autistic, you think in black and white. It is not black and white thinking. In the same way you have rigid thinking patterns and do not adapt to change easily, we have the same problem.” She said it just takes a little more practice for people with autism to adjust to changes.
4 – “Autistic people do not lack imagination,” said Ali. She said when she was in school, she recalled reading and researching how to make friends. She said although she wanted to make friends it did not come easily to her and she needed someone to show her. “Some of us just learn by what we see; by looking at something.” She said Youtube has been a helpful source of information for those who need visual guidance.
5 – Ali said people with ASD do not understand figurative language. “They may not always catch jokes or sarcasm.” She said speakers should be as clear as possible when communicating with them.
6 – “We are not impolite.” Ali said because of difficulties with non-verbal communication, such as eye contact, people with ASD are often seen as impolite or rude. She said she often has to practise pleasantries like saying please and thank you. “When I was young, people thought I did not have manners,” she said, but that was not the case.
[caption id="attachment_881840" align="alignnone" width="502"] Shahira Ali at her Fyzabad home - Shahira Ali[/caption]
7 – People with ASD often engage in repetitive patterns of behaviour. This may lead to them repeating themselves often. She said people with ASD tend to have narrow interests and fixed mindsets as opposed to a growth mindset. “Growth mindset takes practice.” This means that while is can appear that someone with ASD is nitpicking at something, it is because they only see a piece and not the whole and need assistance seeing the whole picture.
8 – Ali said people with ASD are not incapable of becoming functioning members of society. She said while people may have their reservations about hiring someone with ASD because of misconceived notions of the disorder, they can be beneficial to any work environment, if given a chance.
9 – “We do not always understand body language,” she said. This is another form of non-verbal communication that people with ASD struggle with. It does not mean that they are incapable of understanding, but rather need assistance interpreting certain gestures.
10 – “We do not all have speech impediments.” Ali said high functioning autistics do not have the same issues with communication than those with severe autism, but because people often associate the disorder with an inability to communicate, they are often surprised to learn that she is on the spectrum. “People don’t believe me when I tell them,” she said. It is only when I interact with them for some time, then they realise.”
 
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