Myths about autism
Twelve ideas about autism that are outdated and incorrect.
Published 22 April 2025. Written by Leeds Autism Practice Staff.
Most information about autism is outdated or simply wrong. In this article, we will explore some common misconceptions based on a modern and neuroaffirmative view of autism.
Autism is a disorder
We might also characterise this as "there is something wrong with autistic individuals". This is not the case. Autism is a neurotype along with ADHD and others. The most common neurotype is referred to as neurotypical but all are equally valid.
Take eye contact, for example. One might say that autistic individuals have a deficit in eye contact. However, eye contact is not required for communication. One could equally argue that neurotypical individuals have a deficit because they struggle to communicate without eye contact. We prefer to think of them as different styles.
Girls cannot be autistic
The original studies on autism were conducted exclusively on boys and it was initially thought that only boys could be autistic.
This is not the case. Women and girls present differently from boys and men leading to under-identification in girls. However, rates are rapidly climbing and may reach parity in the future.
Autistic individuals lack empathy
One suggestion for autism was a lack of empathy. However, we now know that autistic individuals do experience empathy and are often hyper-empathic.
This stereotype comes from the double empathy problem. Autistic individuals may express empathy differently from neurotypical individuals. This might lead neurotypical people to mistakenly think autistic people do not experience empathy.
Autistic people are unsociable
We tend to get along best with people who get us and we find it easier to understand people with a similar neurotype. This means autistic individuals often cluster together in friendship groups and neurotypical people often cluster together in friendship groups.
This might look, to a neurotypical individual, that autistic people are less sociable. But this is not the case.
Communication styles may also differ. Neurotypical individuals often prefer small talk whereas autistic individuals often love to share their passions in great detail, sometimes called infodumping.
There is an autism epidemic
Autistic people have always been here. However, rates of identification have significantly increased. Reasons include less stigma and better understanding, especially in women and girls.
We have a whole article on why autism rates seem to be increasing.
Everyone is "on the spectrum"
Autistic spectrum refers to the range of different characteristics of autism. Some individuals are speaking, some are non-speaking. Some may be sensory averse, others may be sensory-seeking. It does not refer to a sliding scale of a bit autistic to very autistic.
Only 1% of people are autistic
More recent research suggests that around 3% of the population are autistic but this number may increase still further. Most autistic individuals have not been formally assessed so all figures are estimates.
Under-identification rates are particularly high in women, persons of colour, and those with low support needs.
Most autistic individuals are children
Autism was originally characterised as a childhood phenomenon. But we now know it is a lifelong characteristic: you are autistic or you aren't and that does not change.
Most autistic individuals have learning difficulties
Autistic individuals have a wide span of intellectual ability and most autistic individuals do not have learning difficulties.
However, because we do not screen for autism in the general population and instead focus on individuals who are struggling, it has given us a biased view that autistic individuals often have learning difficulties.
Autistic people are savants
Sometimes the opposite stereotype is suggested: that autistic people have special almost super-human talents, as portrayed in the film Rain Man. Some individuals may have incredible gifts but there is no clear link to autism.
Autism is caused by vaccines
A now-discredited research paper once linked the MMR vaccine to autism. The doctor behind this claim, Andrew Wakefield, was later struck off by the General Medical Council.
Unfortunately, the publicity surrounding it led to a decrease in vaccines and multiple unvaccinated individuals have since died from measles.
Autism is caused by refrigerator mums
Another suggested cause of autism is that parents, particularly mothers, were not caring enough.
We now know that autism is neurodevelopmental and has no link to parenting behaviour.
However, there is a genetic link so an autistic mother is more likely to have an autistic child. Given the double empathy problem, it may appear to neurotypical people that autistic mothers are cold. But, as discussed above, this is false.