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Stereotypes within Society

“A stereotype may be negative or positive, but even positive stereotypes present two

problems: They are cliches, and they present a human being as far more simple and uniform than

any human being actually is,” stated by Nancy Kress, science fiction writer (qtd. in Daily

Nation). In the everyday lives of children diagnosed with autism, they are faced with being

stereotyped. Society has acquired their knowledge about children with autism from movies or

books. The falsehoods portrayed within the media are what is used in the decision making

process for employers when they are deciding whether or not to higher an employee with a

disorder. Although children with autism may slightly mirror some of the characteristics seen in

movies, by no means should these portrayals confine them to these films. They are children, with

real feelings and creative thoughts. Stereotypes illustrated in media paint deceitful images in the

minds of society and are perceived as a commonly accepted facts. Children with autism are

misunderstood because commonly accepted stereotypes claim they are the same, lack

empathy, and are incapable of formulating independent thoughts.

People assume children with autism are all identical, however this is incorrect,

considering that autism lies on a spectrum. Alpine Learning Group defines Autism Spectrum

Disorder (ASD) as “a developmental disability that affects [each] individual's ability to

communicate and engage in social interaction, making their diagnosis unique compared to

another individual with ASD”. Each child with Autism Spectrum Disorder possess a different

diagnosis because of their unique abilities and different skill sets. This leading them to present

various forms of conversational and social abilities. This developmental disorder provides proof

for the impossibility of two children with autism to possess the same levels of strengths and

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weaknesses. They are fundamentally different; analogous to the minds of traditionally

developing adolescents. Further preventing those diagnosed with autism from being categorized

as the same as others with the disorder. According to Appendix 1, 85.7% of people answered

‘yes’ when asked if they think that children with autism display similar personality traits.

Disclosing that the majority of the populous do not apprehend the lives of these children.

Children with autism vary in their abilities to behave socially, which individualizes their disorder

even further (Autism Spectrum Disorder). In some confirmed cases, children with ASD may not

be able to communicate using speech or language; they have very limited speaking skills. While

other children may acquire rich vocabularies, allowing them to be able to talk about specific

subjects in great detail. A child with autism may also show more aggressive behaviors towards

others, take out aggression on themselves, or engage in repetitive activities. This is often viewed

as a way to for them to relieve anxiety. Despite the disorder, children portray personality traits

based on a particular set of unique personal preferences. All of these social abilities and

behaviors are what differentiates one child with autism from another.Their personality also

determines what they take an interest in. This interest may calm them down, help them cope with

everyday problems, or even provide structure and comfort throughout their day (My Aspergers

Child). Although children with autism fixate on a specific interest of their own, all children with

autism choose different activities to obsess with. These children may depict similar

characteristics as others with the disorder, however they still will not present identical skills or

intellect levels as other children. When Karen Doepker, a current mother of a child diagnosed

with autism, was asked how she knows children with autism are not the same. She responded by

claiming that “if you were to spend five minutes with two kids who were autistic, you would

realize how they fall on opposite ends of the spectrum and, if you were in a room with ten kids

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who were autistic, you would notice unique differences between all of them”. Further proof that

those diagnosed deserve to be looked at as individual people and not grouped into the box that

stereotypes put them in. This will allow children with autism be looked at as individuals of

different intellectual abilities.

Society continues to misjudge children with autism by insinuating that they are apathetic

and lack the ability to empathize with others. Referring to the graph above, 80% of people hold

the belief that children with autism have an inability to empathize with their peers. This advances

the misconception that these adolescents are unable to be apathetic. This heinous assumption is

what leads society to view children with autism from a grossly inaccurate perspective. In reality,

this is never the case. “It is true that many people with autism do not show emotion in ways that

people without the condition would recognize. But the notion that people with autism generally

lack empathy and cannot recognize feelings is wrong” (Brewer and Murphy). Children with ASD

have different ways in which they communicate with others making it harder for the recipient to

understand what the child with autism may be trying to communicate with them. Although it

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may seem as though a child with autism simply lacks the ability to show emotion at all, in

reality, it is the recipient who is unable to understand the way in which the child communicates

their feelings. Holding views like this against children with autism is what causes such a large

amount of society to perceive them differently from who they really are. Having the ability to

understand how these adolescents internalize their emotions can further help misinformed

citizens to understand the disorder itself. In many cases for children with autism, it is common

for them to feel typical, if not excessive, empathy or emotion towards important people in their

life. In turn, making it harder for them to apprehend how they are feeling (Brewer and Murphy).

Being able to recognize when children with autism are dealing with an exorbitant amount of

empathy allows friends and family to become more understanding of the disorder. Understanding

that children with ASD obtain far more empathy than the average child allows others to truly

grasp who and what children with autism are all about. Instead of making assumptions about

them based on some form of media or second hand account.

Society tends to believe that, because children with autism communicate in

unconventional ways, they are not able to formulate independent thoughts. Appendix two

exhibits data asking if they believe children with autism can formulate independent thoughts for

themselves. The results displays that 71.4% of people believe they cannot formulate independent

thoughts. Confirming that society holds views about children with autism that are erroneous.

Children with autism are sometimes unable to formulate complete sentences, which can be

confused with the inability to formulate thoughts at all by the part of society that are

misinformed about them. Adolescents with the disorder prefer to phrase their sentences into a

“robot-like” structure, while others chose to use a “high-pitched or sing-song voice” to express

what they are trying to say (Autism Spectrum Disorder). This unique ability can be confusing to

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understand for the typical developing child, but should never be confused with the idea that

children with autism cannot develop independent thoughts. This type of confusion can lead to the

assumption that they are unintelligent which eventually adds to the development of the

stereotype about children with autism. Children with autism are far more creative than the

average normal developing child, leading them to develop far more complex cognitive abilities

(Remington). The majority of children with autism perceive concepts differently from the

traditionally developing child which, in turn, allows them to develop a different thought

processing system. Although children with ASD typically see and interpret information

differently from normal developing children, this is no way makes them incapable of developing

thoughts for themselves. Their ability to recognize and apprehend notions uniquely is what

individualizes those with autism from those without it. Not only proving that they can formulate

thoughts, but that they have thoughts far more prolific than those of normal developing children.

They have also proven to show a keen eye for details, long term memory, and impressive math

skills (Traits of Individuals with Autism). All traits confirm the ability of children with autism to

formulate their own thought processing system. Not every child with autism possesses each of

these traits, but if they do, they tend to show heightened abilities in contrast to those without

autism. Children with autism can possess rare qualities that allow them to surpass the limits of a

traditionally developing child. Entirely accredited to their methodical approach and ways in

which they chose to problem solve. Doepker, in addition, states that “various communication

techniques are what lead people to believe that children with autism are not able to formulate

thoughts for themselves”. Further explaining how society makes assumptions about children with

autism simply because their form of communication is different from the norm.

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A child with autism is misinterpreted by society because stereotypes characterize them as

identical in nature, lack empathy, and are unable to develop thoughts for themselves. Society

believes, based on movie and book portrayals, that children with autism are all the same; this

proves, based upon professional opinions, to be untrue. Formulating independent thoughts is a

basic human ability that those with autism obviously posses, although there are those with

contrasting, uneducated, opinions whom believe otherwise. Those diagnosed with autism are not

indistinguishable from one another, especially when they portray different forms of strengths and

weaknesses. Children with autism portray characteristics that clearly display their excessive

empathic abilities. Without the abundance of stereotypes presented, children with autism would

not continue to be considered as outliers. Temple Grandin once said, “The most interesting

people you will find are ones that [do not] fit into your average cardboard box”. This

demonstrates how those diagnosed with autism may stand out compared to traditionally

developing peers who manage to blend right in.

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Appendix 1

Appendix 2

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Works Cited

“Autism Spectrum Disorder: Communication Problems in Children.” National Institute of

Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, 12 Dec. 2017,www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/autism-spectrum-di

sorder-communication-problems-hildren.

“Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and

Research, 6 Jan. 2018,www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum

-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20352928.

Brewer, Rebecca, and Jennifer Murphy. “People with Autism Can Read Emotions, Feel

Empathy.” Spectrum | Autism Research News, 14 July 2016,

spectrumnews.org/opinion/viewpoint/people-with-au tism-can-read-emotions-

feel-empathy/.

Doepker, Karen. Personal Interview. 25 Feb. 2018.

“Obsessions in Children with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism.” My Aspergers

Child,www.myaspergerschild.com/2012/04/obsessions-in-children-with-aspergers

.html

Remington Lecturer in Cognitive Science, UCL, Anna. “Autistic People Are More

Creative than You Might Think.” The Conversation, 2 Aug.

2017,theconversation.com/autistic-people-are-more-creative-than-you-might-thin

K-46107

“Top 10 Traits of Individuals with Autism Which Get Overlooked.” AngelSense, 12 Sept.

2016, www.angelsense.com/blog/top-10-traits-individuals-autism-get-overlooked/

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“What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?” Alpine Learning Group: Autism Treatment

Center, Bergen County, NJ, 2018, www.alpinelearninggroup.org/What-is-

ASD.php?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIt5SEoJr72AIVk0wNh09YwB-

EAAYASAAEgJTofD_BwE.