Autism Speaks

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The same research you support them is going to be put towards prenatal testing and eliminating autistics in the future.

Are you the woman that runs "Getting the Truth Out"? If so, I have to say I admire your work.

Last edited by fujikochan on 08 Nov 2006, 11:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

I don't want to make the leap and say that NTs aren't ever qualified to advocate for autistic causes. But I certainly haven't seen any in that capacity that I agreed with.
I wouldn't even be that angry at them if they confined their feelings to themselves. Meaning, if they said, "I want to change autism because I can't handle it and I need a cure for my child". But that isn't what they say. They say, "We speak for all parents. We speak for all children. We give them our voice".
In that essay I posted the link to, Singer accuses parents of "High Functioning Autistics" of not joining Autism Speaks because we don't want the stigma of (openly) having autistic kids. Patently false. My son was initially diagnosed severely affected. I spent lots of time teaching him communication skills. I am not focused on cures because I am focused on being his mom. Now I am his teacher too. I think the opposite of Singer's claim is true. They don't want the stigma of having a "different" kid. I wonder if her daughter is actually able to learn to communicate better and she is neglecting that in her mad search for a cure and spotlight.

The same could be said about research that goes towards biological understanding of any phenotype deemed "aberrant" or "undesired." I see no problem with obtaining knowledge, and that's all the research does. But there is a distinction between obtaining the knowledge, and misusing it.

Parents are already in a position to abort pregnancies if the child is going to be of an undesired sex. That does not make the knowledge of sex determination (how male and female are determined biologically, i.e. X and Y chromosomes) wrong. It's what people do with that knowledge that is questionable.

Who wants to get together with me and cure NT? Look at the world and tell me they haven't run it into the ground.

Yes, it our turn now. Cure the worst cases of NT-ism!

It's a regular tragedy!

Yeah that knowledge already has in North America prevented 89-90% of children with Down Syndrome from ever taking their first breath outside the womb because of people's fear of having a child with Down Syndrome... now the fear is of having a child with Autism... so what will you say if things go that way too? What will you say when you have a child and they grow up and because they have autism and if they get married and want kids, they get pressured to abort so there is no genes spread on like theirs? Then how good is this knowledge? How good of a tool is it then?

Einstein was autistic, along with other great geniuses like Issac Newton and Mozart. If it was cured, there would no longer be people like them. People that gave much to society and in fact were necessary for society. I'm sure organizations like Autism Speaks and CAN are not thinking of that.

You can't judge the sheer pursuit of knowledge based on what potential bad things could come from that knowledge. Because on the same token, what GOOD things could come from that knowledge?

In science, people do not know the good ramifications of each and every discovery until one highly thoughtful and creative person takes a discovery and makes it golden.

They parade kids the way Jerry Lewis used to ! !! "Oh look at this pitiful child, won't you send your hard earned money to help find a cure for this poor, crippled child?"

(Sound of spitting.)

They are among the worst offenders ! !! Send us your money ! !! Help us find a CURE!! (I got yer cure, right here, wanta feel it?) OH, the poor Autistic children, OH ! !! (Excuse me, but what about those children when they're teens? When they're adults?) OH, we don't care, we're busy collecting billions of dollars for a PHARMACEUTICAL PILL to defeat Autism. (I got a pill fer ya, here, it's Zyklon-B, and after ya take it, yew'll never worry about the Autistic children AGAIN ! !!)

YA BUNCHA MORONS ! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !

Can you blame government officials for wanting to find a way to "fix" (aka exterminate) the people who arent suckers they can hoodwink?

I agree with you. I think it's absolutely idiotic they only show Autistic children who are severely affected, as if they're the only ones on the spectrum. Er, well they're not even claiming it is a spectrum. I think people should realize how many people would be affected, by a mass extinction of a group of people who can, and have benifited them.

I don't know, I tell you if it weren't for my Seroquel, I'd sit up all night beating my brain out about it. The whole concept that these morons can decide that Auties/Aspies are to be not born is just unbelivable. I mean, fine ok..maybe if they had a way to tell where they were on the spectrum. Oh but who cares, and there is no spectrum! Why care about people, when you can make lots of money by taking advantage of unwitting parents, and future parents. Even if it means aborting another genius. Oh but those involved with CAN will be rich.

It's like all I can do is shake my head at how immortal these curbies are. I just can't figure it out. Maybe if there was a way I could virtually experience what it's like to be so dumb and impressionable, I might understand.

From personal experience, having NTs represent us is a fundamental mistake, I had a lot more hassle from people in general when NTs tried to present us because they brand a stereotype, either accidentally or intentionally. It's bad enough trying to self-advocate my Autism because everyone listens to the NTs more than what I have to say, and people just brand me as some 'ret*d' and avoid me, insult me, over-cater for me, and/or patronize me.

Being an advocate is like having a political job, you need to be apart of what you represent, otherwise your creditability is easily criticized and therefore NT advocates for Autism should be seen as unreliable. However if the groups were to say they represent 'only NT Family members of Autism' then I wouldn't have as much of a problem; although any advocate group indirect to Autism should be a subordinate to an purely Autistic Advocate Group.

But personally, I speak strictly for myself when it comes to my Autism.

I agree these groups should at least have the decency to not make claims that they are the true representatives of anyone on the spectrum. If they are a parent group than say so - don't try to make it look like when they speak "autism speaks".

The Lorax said "I speak for the trees because they cannot speak for themselves."