Although mental illness topics will be officially addressed by MySahana’s official website (which is coming soon!), I
couldn’t help but comment on some very common misconceptions about autism.
Autism is a mental illness/developmental disorder marked by a difficulty in communicating and relating with others. It exists on a spectrum so no one person’s symptoms will be identical to another’s.
The biggest misconception about autism is that it is caused by vaccinations and thus parents nowadays are not vaccinating their children for fear of developing the disorder. Mental health professionals, doctors and researchers are screaming at the top of their lungs but parents are not listening: autism is NOT caused by vaccinations. There is no research that supports this at all. And in fact, by not vaccinating your child, you are putting them at increased risk for contracting potentially fatal diseases!
Autism is also not caused by any specific materials in vitamins that children take. There is zero proof of this as well.
In addition, autism cannot be cured by changing a child’s diet. Parents have often asked me whether reducing the amount of sugar or fat in their child’s diet will help. It will not. Perhaps they child will eat healthier but it won’t help with the symptoms of autism.
It is indescribably difficult to be the parent of an autistic child. But, there are resources out there that can actually help your child. Behavioral training and behavior therapy has been shown to be very effective. Just please don’t listen to all those misinformed, uneducated Jenny McCarthy’s of the world preaching wrong information about autism!
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