Understanding
Autism
TRUE
1
2
3
How much do you
know about Autism?
Decide what you think about each of the statements.
Some of them are known to be True or False while for
others the answer is Uncertain even to the experts.
FALSE
UNCERTAIN
Autism can be caused by
emotional deprivation.
Understanding
Autism
People with autism are
all eccentric geniuses.
Autism is on the increase.
4
Autism has the same rate
of occurrence worldwide.
5
Autism can be
detected before a
child is 2 years old.
6
People with autism
don’t easily understand
other people’s thoughts
and feelings.
7
Autism runs in families.
8
There is a gene
for autism.
9
Autism can be caused
by the MMR vaccine.
10
A person with autism
can grow out of it.
11
People with autism all
have below average
intelligence.
12
People with autism always
prefer being alone.
13
More boys are diagnosed
with autism.
Adapted from:
`The Autism Spectrum in the 21st Century: Exploring Psychology, Biology and Practice` 2010 the Open University.
You can find more information about autism here: www.open.ac.uk/science/main/about-the-faculty/
departments/life-health-and-chemical-sciences/general-information-about-autism
DON’T KNOW
Answers
Statement 1 is false: despite claims made in the
1960s by Bettelheim, there is no evidence to support
this suggestion, and much evidence that biological
influences play the major role in autism. One study of
infants abandoned in Romanian orphanages (Rutter et
al., 1999) identified an ‘autistic-like’ condition in some
of the children, but these children showed substantial
recovery when placed in a more nurturing environment.
Statement 2 is false: just a small minority of
people on the autism spectrum have exceptional
talent in areas such as numerical calculation,
visual art and music, while a larger number have
specific areas of special skill. Some people with
autism have intellectual or learning difficulties.
Statement 3 is uncertain: there has certainly
been an increase in the numbers of children
receiving autism spectrum diagnoses, but this
does not necessarily mean that autism is on
the increase; these changes could, for instance,
be due to changes in diagnostic practice.
Understanding
Autism
Understanding
Statement 8 is false: unlike conditions such as cystic
Autism
fibrosis, where a defect in a specific gene is known
to cause the condition, no single gene is implicated
in autism. Autism almost certainly involves the
combined impact of several genes, and different
genes may be involved in autism in different families.
Statement 9 is false: extensive scientific tests have
produced absolutely no evidence for the claim that
the MMR vaccine is influential in causing autistic
conditions. Note, however, that it is not possible
to prove conclusively a negative in science.
Statement 10 is false: despite some claims, there
is no good evidence that children diagnosed with
autism can become completely free of it as adults.
However, in some cases the pattern and severity
of symptoms changes radically. The adult may
become much less affected by certain symptoms,
though social difficulties are likely to persist.
Statement 11 is false: while some children and
adults on the autism spectrum have mild to
Statement 4 is uncertain: estimates of
severe intellectual impairments, the intellectual
‘prevalence’ vary from one country to another,
functioning of many others is within, and in some
but as for statement 4 this may be due to factors
cases above, the normal range. Children on the
such as differences in diagnostic practices.
autism spectrum often attend mainstream schools.
Note, however, that they may still have difficulties
Statement 5 is uncertain: by the age of 18 months the in coping with everyday situations, and may not
failure of some children to pass typical development
achieve what they are capable of for this reason.
milestones, such as following a parent’s gaze, places
them in the ‘at risk’ category. But these early signs
Statement 12 is false: people on the autism
are not conclusive. To date, autism cannot be reliably
spectrum would often like to make friends and
diagnosed before the age of 2 years, but improved
have the company of others, though they may
‘screening tools’ for infants may change this situation. also have difficulties in making this happen.
Statement 6 is true: probably the welldocumented research finding from recent
decades is that people on the autism spectrum
typically have difficulty in understanding
another person’s point of view and feelings.
Statement 13 is true: Four times more boys
are diagnosed with autism than girls although
research is underway to look at whether doctors
are missing diagnosing girls with the condition.
Statement 7 is true: in some families autistic
conditions may affect more than one individual,
though this is by no means always true. Parents and
siblings of children on the autism spectrum may also
show mild autistic traits, without actually meeting
the criteria for an autism spectrum diagnosis. These
facts point strongly to a genetic factor in autism.
WS1632(11) 02.15