Dear Mr. Bahsoun,
On behalf of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT), we commend you for your recent article regarding autism awareness and common misconceptions. You accurately point out that each individual on the spectrum varies in presentation and symptom severity, but the media tends to feature stories of high-functioning individuals. As a result, for many, the definition of autism may be limited to one end of the spectrum.
You highlight how a limited understanding of autism can be problematic “when the more severe behaviors of the autism spectrum are presented in a public setting, such as aggression, self-injury and pica, [and] there is a visceral reaction comprised of a combination of outrage and confusion.” We agree.
One solution you suggest for challenging behavioral situations occurring in the public arena is early intervention services for children with autism. These services—such as applied behavior analysis—are important, but we would like to point out that they are beneficial for individuals with developmental disabilities (including, but not limited to autism) across the lifespan, not only during the early years.
Additionally, you state that the general public (including stakeholders such as parents and teachers, political leaders, and media members) must acquire a better understanding of the diagnosis and its symptoms so that the full-range of the autism spectrum is more commonly known. We would like to add that journalists play an extremely important role in increasing public awareness. When writing an autism story, media professionals should keep in mind that symptomatology varies from individual to individual, and mention to readers that anyone highlighted in such a story is representative only of him or herself.
A movement to increase autism awareness has been ongoing for the past few decades, but it must include autism’s range of symptoms in order to truly create an aware society. This undoubtedly would support improved opportunities and outcomes for all individuals with autism. Thank you for writing an article working to do just that!
Alice Bravo, MEd, RBT and Elizabeth G. Callahan, MA, BCaBA
Association for Science in Autism Treatment
