President Donald Trump touched on the topic of autism during his wide-ranging speech on Tuesday that marked his first major address since returning to office.

Speaking before a joint session of Congress, he stated there has been an increase in the number of children being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. That’s true, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the information he cited could use more context.

“Our goal is to get toxins out of our environment, poisons out of our food supply, and keep our children healthy and strong,” he said, shouting out Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in the process. “As an example, not long ago, and you can’t even believe these numbers, one in 10,000 children have autism. One in 10,000. And now it’s one in 36. There’s something wrong.”

The CDC tracks data on autism spectrum diagnoses. Trump was correct that the number currently stands at 1 in 36 kids being diagnosed; in the year 2000 it was 1 in 150. The CDC states increases in the amount of diagnoses could be due to a number of factors including better early detection capabilities, more awareness about signs and symptoms and improved diagnostic practices.

As autism becomes a more prevalent topic in today’s landscape, here’s what to know about autism spectrum disorder.

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What is autism? 

Autism is a developmental disability that affects the way people experience the world. This may include differences in processing senses, thinking, physically moving, communicating, socializing and going about daily living. 

“We’re born autistic and we’re autistic our whole lives,” Zoe Gross, the director of advocacy at Autistic Self Advocacy Network, previously told USA TODAY. “It affects everything about the way we interact with and perceive the world.”

Autism affects every autistic person differently, and there isn’t one way to be autistic. Gross describes it as an ice cream sundae bar: The traits of autism can be mixed and matched from person to person. 

Here’s what autism isn’t, Gross says – something to be scared of or pity.

“In truth, autism is just a neutral fact about us, it’s not necessarily a good or a bad thing,” she says. “It’s just the way our brains are.”

Another misconception is that autistic people don’t have empathy. Gross recalled a time when a teacher asked her if she loved her parents. Of course she loves them, she responded, but the question itself was a symptom of a larger myth about autistic people and emotions. 

“Where that comes from is that we may not know what other people are feeling if they don’t tell us because autistic people may not be good at reading body language or other kinds of subtle social cues,” Gross says. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t care what people are feeling.”

How common is autism? 

The number is on the rise, especially as children of color receive more diagnoses after being largely overlooked throughout history. 

Edwards started her online autism advocacy journey to combat the misconceptions about autism. As an autistic person and a parent of two autistic children, she says she wants to make the world a more accessible place for future generations. 

A large part of her work is advocating for the self-diagnosed community, which she says “are very welcome and included in the autistic community.”

One of the more harmful narratives is that people, especially teenagers, are self-diagnosing after watching a handful of TikTok videos with captions like “Signs you may be autistic” or “10 things that are actually traits of autism.” But that’s “really not the case,” says Edwards. Online platforms like TikTok give the autistic community, like other marginalized communities, more visibility than ever before. 

“It is harmful for all of these self-diagnosed autistics that really did put in the research – some have years, even a lifetime of research – to be told, ‘Oh, you watched a couple TikTok videos so you’re not valid,’” Edwards says. 

Some medical professionals push back against self-diagnosing, especially when it comes to social media. But there’s also the nuanced issue of access to healthcare services that may lead to a professional diagnosis, which can be limited for some autistic individuals.