Misconceptions myths and stereotypes about autism

I honestly don't think top down law making has much impact. Despite laws, equality in the fields of race and gender aren't moving much. Usually a big shout out in the media achieves results for individuals but doesn't develop a change of heart in the population.
I would suggest starting at the beginning - all ( no private/ religious schools) children attend their local primary school with small enough groups and enough TRAINED specialist staff to help all the children learn to accept each other as is and offer help and support as they can. That's not to support the child with difference but so the child considered neurotypical does some learning about difference.
Second problem will be to get parents to accept the idea!
Healthcare professionals in the field must be at the forefront of radical legislative changes with much stronger laws that provide for far stricter enforcement of these laws and far more severe penalties for non-compliance - the only way that attitudes can change is by force of law, once the law is properly and severely enforced, when people are punished most severely for non-compliance and once such attitudes are robustly challenged at every level and in every way - this approach has been very successful in my 30 years in supermarket retailing and there is no reason why it “can’t” work here “excuses are useless, complaining is draining”
 
First, learn what gives. I've huge doubts about the objectivity of the entire diagnostic foundation here, as the original research was trying to discover why some Polish kids didn't make good Stormtroopers Communists. I finally realised specialists in my subjects had no difficulties with my theses, ie it's not my end, but the shrinks', of the communications which are at odds. Further, they've only ever talked extensively to one person, Temple Gradin. At that point I tore up the diagnosis and looked more widely. Now, this is me being subjective, not anyone else, and your diagnosis may be fine, but where they started from also influenced ADHD, so it's a far wider issue. Simply saying "I'm the expert, you know nowt" isn't enough, they don't live inside of "me" and unless it's a good fit...you get my drift. Even the High Court had enough of that line recently, when they took the diagnostic authority of The Tavistock Clinic, Freud's last base, away: I was cheering because they caused most of my issues!
So, where do we start? I think we need some kind of poll, as to how comfortable we are, self-critically, with our specific diagnoses, as the fact we're self-advocates implies we're not entirely at home with the standard models, if they even exist. It's in the details it all falls apart. We think differently: if so, how? I think more, and I don't think linearly, necessarily, because one thought may have a number of implications. This is probably a male thing, ladies tell me this is their normal, but one factor in choosing Kinetic Shift trauma therapy, as it only uses light hypnosis, so I could run the meditation on one channel, monitor the drain on a second, communicate with the therapist on another, as long as none became cognitively active.
Given how my own later in life adult autism diagnosis was “outsourced” from the NHS to a private provider and carried out online over Zoom in 2021, with no follow-up or (in person) post-diagnosis assessment (made even more important by the online nature of my initial diagnosis) then there is room for doubt as to the accuracy of my initial online diagnosis at a purely functional level - I very strongly feel that the only way to correct this situation is sweeping and strong legislative changes to rigidly enforce professional standards, ideally as part of the criminal law that would see senior managers facing criminal penalties and jail time for non-compliance, as the only way to robustly challenge and change attitudes and behaviour via compliance with the criminal law - if these people in power knew that they were one step away from a full police investigation and criminal prosecution, they would begin to take their duty of care (based on ethical and moral principles) far more seriously, do their jobs properly (according to the highest international standards) and would not be as quick to dismiss and ignore the very real concerns of autistic people - it’s high time that we all got tough and adopted a zero-tolerance approach in demanding what we are entitled to
 
It's super frustrating to see those attitudes still around. Awareness makes a huge difference. When people learn about autism, they realize it’s not just about strict rules; everyone's experience is unique. More open conversations and education could really help break down those misconceptions.
Everything that you speak of, including but not limited to education, must be underpinned by strong and rigidly enforced legislation that for example, makes public education about autism and other hidden disabilities mandatory, in a similar way to health and safety legislation in workplaces as a legal compliance issue - take any workplace today and look at the number of courses that are mandatory (as part of contract of employment) on health and safety, food safety, operational hygiene, allergy awareness, age restricted sales, etc (I’m mainly referring to the supermarkets and hotels in the private sector here) where a company can be fined for non-compliance and can suffer reputational damage - there is really no valid reason why similar cannot be applied to this area, including within the NHS, on so much more important issues - with the growth of AI and other modern technologies, there is even less of an excuse for the current situation to continue in 2026