Episode 5

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Published on:

6th Jan 2021

Debunking Common Myths

In today's episode, we talk about some common myths that people have about the autism diagnosis and how research has debunked them!

  1. Autism only affects children. False!
  2. Autism is just an issue with the brain. False! Co-morbidities (GI issues, sleeping problems, epilepsy, etc) are very common in children with ASD.
  3. Autism is caused by bad parenting. FALSE!! Research has proven that there was no difference in parenting styles between parents of typically developing children and parents of children with autism/anxiety disorder.
  4. Vaccinations causes autism. FALSE! We reviewed Andrew Wakefield's 1998 study that claimed that the MMR vaccine caused autism. This study was retracted in 2010, but in this episode we dive deeper into this study to examine issues with this research study.
  5. All autistic people are extremely gifted/talented with memory skills, numbers, music, art. False! Although this may be true for SOME of our children, this doesn't accurately reflect across all children with autism.
  6. ABA treatment turns children into robots! FALSE! A good ABA treatment provider ensures that their programming has variability and generalization. ABA treatment has been research proven to be the most effective in treating autism.

Go to our facebook page @whattheautism to find each perspective research articles and supporting studies to debunk every single one of these myths!

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About the Podcast

What the AUTISM?!
Breaking down research findings on autism to provide practical steps to those affected by the autism diagnosis.
Has your child or a loved one been recently diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? Or do you suspect that your child or a loved one MIGHT have ASD?

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook @Whattheautism to get access to some helpful resources.

Tune into our podcast channel @Whattheautism on your favorite podcast platform to join our community of listeners who strive to use research in determining the most effective treatment, diagnosis of ASD, and other helpful information as we navigate the mysteries of Autism together.

Have a topic recommendation or questions? Please feel free to email us at whattheautismpodcast@gmail.com.
See you all on the podcast!

About your host

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Amanda Kim

I’m a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) that has been working with children and adults on the AUTISM spectrum for the last 8 years. My hope is for this podcast to reach families and individuals who have been impacted by the AUTISM diagnosis and connect them with ground-breaking research to empower these individuals in their daily lives.