Nine Things You Should Know About Autism Spectrum Disorder

1. ASD doesn’t just present in male children. Anyone can have the disorder, including adults.
2. It  has no specific cause. There can be genetic links, but it does not come from medications, vaccines, or parenting.
3. People with ASD have and do express empathy; however, it may be different from the way you express it.
4. Women and girls are often misdiagnosed or not diagnosed because they present differently than autistic males and are often engaging in more “masking” behaviors than males.
5. It is a disorder where no two individuals present the same way. It isn’t a sliding scale but more so like a color wheel of different combinations of symptoms.
6. Behavioral, occupational, speech, and family therapy can be helpful with young individuals with ASD. For adults who are newly diagnosed, there is no specific therapeutic approach utilized for support; however, cognitive behavioral therapy with social exploration has been recommended.
7. Research is important. There is a lack of research on empirical interventions for women and adults with ASD. Most research is based off male presentation of ASD.
8. Children can be diagnosed as young as three years old and sometimes younger, depending on the prevalence of symptoms.
9. The following individuals have stated they have Autism Spectrum Disorder. Temple Grandin, Anthony Hopkins, Dan Aykroyd, Susan Boyle, Daryl Hannah, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and Andy Warhol are all suspected to have ASD.

Television shows with characters who present with Autism Spectrum Disorder:

• Love on the Spectrum
• Atypical
• Young Sheldon

We have different clinicians who work with ASD. Check our clinicians out here!