I want to start tackling the misconceptions that we face, as we face them! Let me know what you think!
– Tackling Misconceptions –
Misconception: Autistic individuals cannot feel or show any emotions (positive or negative).
Reality: Autism doesn’t prevent individuals from having feelings. Autistic individuals HAVE feelings and they CAN show emotions; they just process/show and perceive emotions differently. Just because an individual doesn’t show emotion in a way that society expects, doesn’t mean that they cannot do so in their own way.
Our Personal Experience: We used to have individuals in our life that appeared to whole-heartedly believe this misconception (that autism prevented individuals from showing emotion/feelings). These individuals were VERY vocal about their beliefs (to Justin and I, and others), they demanded more tests, evaluations, etc. Unfortunately, even after these individuals were presented with Apollo’s medical records, and his diagnoses were explained by Apollo’s healthcare team (yes, more than one healthcare provider), their beliefs did not change and the relationship was lost.
When we were at Children’s Hospital – Denver, Apollo’s mental health professional told us that Autism affects everyone differently; some are verbal, some aren’t, some show more emotion, some show less, some are social, some aren’t; that’s why it’s called Autism SPECTRUM Disorder.
Apollo is now 4 years old, and is very expressive, social, is learning to use functional language and self-regulate, and he’s Autistic.
Thank you for joining me and following our journey!
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