Autism = self-isolation? Autism = genius? Don’t misunderstand these “children from the stars” anymore!

"Autism = self-isolation? Autism = genius?"

Many people believe that autistic people intentionally isolate themselves and do not communicate with the outside world. However, under the influence of film and television works, many people believe that autistic people are geniuses in some aspect.

Rumor Analysis

This is a serious misunderstanding of autism.

In fact, autistic patients are unable to develop social interests because of developmental disorders of social cognitive functions. Some autistic patients also show social interests and abilities. Through intervention and guidance, they can also learn appropriate ways to establish friendships with others. The intelligence of autistic patients is similar to that of ordinary people. Some are above the norm, some are below the average, and most are at an average level.

Sometimes we may see something like this in news reports:

In Shannan City, Tibet Autonomous Region, there is a little boy named Jiumi who was diagnosed with autism (commonly known as autism). Because there are no professional rehabilitation institutions in the local area, his father traveled more than 2,000 kilometers to Zhengzhou, Henan for intervention treatment.

A single mother in Beijing placed her autistic son in a fourth-tier city and worked alone in Beijing to earn money because she could not afford the high cost of treatment and care in first-tier cities. She said: "My child and I are like two lonely planets, drifting hopelessly in the vast universe.

"……

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There are many such families, so in December 2007, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to designate April 2 of each year as World Autism Awareness Day to call on people to pay attention to these "children from the stars". These autistic children can see, hear, and speak, but they refuse to look at each other, turn a deaf ear to the calls of their relatives, and often remain silent; they look no different from other children, but like stars, they are closed in their own world, do not know how to communicate with the outside world, and are difficult to be accepted by society. So, what is autism?

What is autism?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), also known as autism, is a type of neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs in early childhood. The cause is still unclear. It usually appears in the early development stage of childhood (before 3 years old) and is mainly manifested by social interaction disorders, communication disorders, and psychological developmental disorders such as limited, stereotyped, and repetitive behaviors, which seriously affect the social function and quality of life of children.

According to estimates by the World Health Organization, approximately 0.76% of children worldwide suffer from autism, while the prevalence of autism in Chinese children is approximately 0.7%. According to the 2022 Blue Book on Child Development Disorder Rehabilitation Industry released in April 2023, the number of people with autism in China exceeds 10 million, including approximately 3 million to 5 million children aged 0 to 14. Autism has become one of the most important and serious mental illnesses in children.

In addition to having obstacles in the development of cognitive functions, autistic children often have other mental and psychological problems to varying degrees, such as attention deficit, hyperactivity, sleep disorders, destructive and impulsive behavior control disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc. This not only makes it difficult for autistic children to learn and live, but also makes it difficult for them to be accepted by society.

Children with autism can hardly integrate into ordinary schools. By the fourth grade of primary school, their dropout rate exceeds 80%, and they can only receive special education or professional rehabilitation intervention. According to the "2023 Autism Industry Impact Report", 77.64% of adult autistic people are not employed, and only 11.18% have achieved auxiliary employment.

Common misconceptions about autism

People with autism have a hard time in themselves, and misunderstandings by people who don't understand autism can make the situation even more difficult for these patients. According to the 2023 Autism Industry Impact Report, 59.24% of parents believe that other children will refuse to play with autistic children, and 81.61% of parents of autistic children worry that they will be looked at strangely by others when they take their children out. This shows that although autism is one of the most important and serious mental illnesses in children, there has long been a lot of stigma and misunderstanding about autism. Let's talk about it in detail.

1. Is autism either genius or intellectual disability?

In movies and TV shows, autistic characters are often portrayed as geniuses in certain fields. For example, Raymond, a character with autism in the movie "Rain Man", is a genius with extraordinary memory. This is actually called "savant syndrome", and only about 10% of autistic patients will show some special talents.

Similarly, autism does not mean that one's intelligence is necessarily lower than that of others. Although intellectual disability is a common comorbidity among autistic patients, a foreign study shows that about 50% of autistic patients have normal IQ levels.

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2. Is autism just self-isolation?

Many people believe that autistic patients isolate themselves and do not communicate with the outside world. This is also the origin of the commonly known "autism". But in fact, autistic patients are unable to develop an interest in socializing due to developmental disorders of social cognitive functions. Some autistic patients also show social interest and ability. Through intervention and guidance, they can also learn appropriate methods to establish friendships with others.

3. Is autism just a slow development that will heal when one grows out of it?

Many people think that autism is a disease that only children have and will disappear naturally as they grow older, but this is not the case. Autism is a lifelong disease that requires long-term professional intervention and care to have basic living and learning abilities.

4. Can people with autism not go to school or work?

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that may manifest as delayed or defective cognitive function. However, most autistic children can acquire certain learning and social adaptability after receiving special education and can attend normal schools.

Similarly, after receiving professional rehabilitation treatment, autistic patients may be able to work like ordinary people in adulthood, or find assisted employment with the help of the Disabled Persons’ Federation.

What are the differences for children with autism?

Children with autism are often called "children from the stars" because they often look very different from ordinary children. These abnormalities are often evident before the child is 3 years old. For example, between 12 and 18 months old, the child may not respond to his or her own name, will not point to certain objects to express his or her interest, and will not play in a stroller like other children.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, the core symptoms of autistic children mainly include two aspects: social difficulties and rigid behavior patterns. Specifically, compared with normal children, autistic children may have the following typical abnormal behaviors in daily life.

1. Lack of communication skills

Because autistic children generally have a certain degree of lag in language development, they are often less talkative and more taciturn, or may repeat the same sentence or have a mechanical and dull tone.

At the same time, they are relatively lacking in social emotions, which makes them dislike actively communicating with others, and they are not likely to respond to others' proactive conversations.

When we communicate with children with autism, we will find that they often avoid eye contact, look expressionless, and do not use body language or gestures to express their meaning like other people.

2. Difficulty establishing and maintaining social relationships

Because autistic children often lack interest in other people, they will not take the initiative to make friends with others, and will show a passive and withdrawn attitude during the interaction process.

Even if they establish social relationships with them, their social relationships can easily break down because they find it difficult to empathize with the other person's feelings and often cannot understand the implied meaning of the other person's behavior.

3. Stereotyped behavior patterns and interests

Children with autism may stick to a fixed pattern of behavior, such as always playing with toys in a certain way, taking the same route or eating the same thing every day, always greeting people in the same way, etc. Even a small change may be extremely painful for them, so they find it difficult to adapt to unfamiliar environments.

In addition, the interests of autistic children are often narrow and intense. They may only like a few specific objects or things and have a strong attachment to these objects or things. For example, they like to play with the same toy all the time and will not feel bored even after playing with it for a whole day. When the toy is taken away, they will show obvious separation anxiety.

4. Abnormal and extreme sensory reactions

Children with autism may sometimes overreact to small things, such as being unable to tolerate certain sounds, refusing to touch objects of a certain texture, but sometimes they may be particularly fascinated by certain lights, like to keep touching or holding something, etc.

But sometimes they may not respond to certain environmental factors, such as not pulling their hands back when scalded by hot water, not feeling anything when injured, etc.

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In summary, autism is one of the most important and serious mental illnesses in children. There is currently no drug or intervention method that can completely cure autism, but autistic children should not be stigmatized or discriminated against for this. They have no malice towards others and the world. They are just a group of "children from the stars", and every autistic child is unique.

Although autistic children have defects and imbalances in cognitive functions, through professional rehabilitation treatment, special education, and careful care from their parents, they can also acquire basic learning and living abilities and live healthily and happily like ordinary people.

Looking in the mirror of rumors

Lack of understanding of a certain disease will lead to various misunderstandings, which often bring trouble and harm to patients. Clarifying these misunderstandings and allowing more and more people to truly understand these diseases will help patients better integrate into society and live a good life.

References

[1] Zhou, H., Xu, X., Yan, W., Zou,

[2] Hyman, SL, Levy, SE, Myers, SM, Kuo, DZ, Apkon, S., Davidson, LF, ... & Bridgemohan, C. (2020). Identification, evaluation, and management of children with autism spectrum disorder. Pediatrics, 145(1).

[3] Charman, T., Pickles, A., Simonoff, E., Chandler, S., Loucas, T., & Baird, G. (2011). IQ in children with autism spectrum disorders: data from the Special Needs and Autism Project (SNAP). Psychological medicine, 41(3), 619-627.

Author: ACC Psychology Popular Science

Reviewer: Yang Xiaoyang, Associate Professor, School of Psychology, Sichuan Normal University