Im done with this place, and you should be too.

Post Reply New Topic

Could you explain why Autism Speaks gets a bad rep here , I've read a few things when researching which were useful and nothing seemed out of place ( I havent read everything though ). What have I missed ?

Last edited by SaveFerris on 19 Feb 2018, 9:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I find their name very ironic since they don't give autistics a public voice, quite the opposite.

I heard that the studies they do want to find a specific gene that causes autism, and promote abortion of the fetuses that have it. Whether or not this is true I don't know. I did not like a commercial they had that was banned, saying autism destroys your marriage, ruins your life, it was quite negative. And it is said they don't let many people with autism represent themselves. I don't know how much of this is true, but if it is I am opposed to the organization too. I hope it is exaggerated, but who knows.

Should I infer that if you were pregnant and you knew the baby had autism, you would not abort for that reason?

I wouldn’t abort because of autism. They can’t tell, as of yet, in an unborn person, anyway.

They are doing research to identify in-utero. The money they amass goes just about everywhere but towards helping families with Autism. A large portion of that money goes into research for the aforementioned, and also goes to "finding a cure" for autism. There are no autistic people on their board. I believe there was one, and he quit because of their behaviors and (if I remember right) "ethical differences". They frequently engage with and support unsavory groups/persons in relation to autism, like the current controversy over To Siri With Love.
In general, their business practices (because it certainly is a business and not a non-profit, with the way they run it) are highly questionable in their ethics, in their viewpoint of autism and autistic folk, and in their relations with the community at large. If you YouTube "the problem with autism speaks" or "what's wrong with autism speaks" you'll find quite a lot of information there alone.

Well, where are these "other places"? I have yet to find any. If anything, other sites (like "Aspies Central") are even more strictly moderated, and one has to "walk on eggshells" in order to not potentially "hurt someone's feelings". Politics and religion are, at Aspies Central, strictly verboten! It is why I left that place. It's just ridiculous. It's as though they have completely forgotten the FACT that we tend to be, on average, very blunt, to the point, incapable of nuance, and honest to a T. We also don't like being told how to behave, what to think, and how to express ourselves. Those idiots just don't understand that though.

Autism Speaks is not a hate group. Whatever made you think it was? So they want to cure autism. What is wrong with that? I want a cure too, because I hate being alone, constantly misunderstood, thought of as being "weird", and still single at the age of 50. I also hate being sensitive to sounds and lights, not appreciating subtlety, being unable to read body language - the list goes on!

I also sometimes "hate NT's". It depends on what mood I'm in, and I can get very moody. They really do NOT make things any easier for us when they expect us to, for example, see things that we simply cannot see! Literally cannot see. Like "body language" for instance. Why can they not understand the simple fact that not everyone has their abilities, quirks, preferences and so on? We CAN empathise, but these clowns think we can't!

Okay, I think I'll stop now, before this turns into a rant.

@jadix & @LittleCoyoteKat

Thanks for the info

They can't tell yet, but it might just be a matter of time. Using autism (or Down's Syndrome, or anything else like this) as an excuse to murder a child is unacceptable, and is not the way that these conditions should be eliminated.

I agree! Using genetic screening be it for Down's Syndrome or Autism is plain evil! It is eliminating diversity and people simply because we are different and perceived to be "defective". I won't mention the country that is aiming for 100% elimination of Down's and they are almost there. Here in the US I'd like to think this wouldn't become a reality. What I see more is forcing the prospective parent(s) to agree that they have to burden 100% of the health costs for said child is more likely. It's all about money here and whatever the government decides on or allows (loophole or otherwise), the insurance industry will certainly take advantage of that!

I would not.

I don't think selectively picking out people based on genetics to eliminate is a good thing. They allow abortions later in term with down syndrome. It is one thing to go to a genetic counselor to see if you have genes that might pass on something fatal, aborting is taking it a step further. What does that say about the people who have it, if one of the biggest advocates of the disorders solution is to eliminate people with the disorder. I know that things like down syndrome and autism make life more challenging, I don't want to live in a world without these people. To me it is like saying we wish you were never born, your not worth the effort to learn to work with. I don't take life lightly. I don't think health care or monetary issues should determine whether someone is worth having around, the fact it is even considered is appalling, and shows how apathetic we can be, we need to change that mentality, not just with issues like this. They have gone so far in the past to even force sterilization.

Why hate NTs in the first place? They are tremendous fun!

Some people here take things way too seriously, dramatize their woes, and argue over silly matters.

But it's a fine little aspie corner of the web. I don't visit or post as much as I'd like because I work 60 hours a week.

Yes I totally want to leave this site and go to a website hate of neurotypical people in general is welcome and even encouraged...that sounds healthy.

Yeah I think I will pass, I am not a fan of neurological Us vs. Them.