[yes old but still good] Congress Declares War on Autism

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Callista probably wasn't thinking about that. Having a kid, or sibling, that you do some things for, and help to progress, in sanitary conditions, solely out of love/respect/etc..., or even less sanitary things for your own infant, knowing that it is likely only a couple years at worst, is ONE thing. THAT is neat, etc.... Helping an older person that will NOT progress, simply because they are not 100% dead, is quite another.

ALSO, the "home care industry" at least in the US, is a shambles! Most labor is unskilled to the nth degree! Half of them probably can't even take care of THEMSELVES! And they are, of course, paid minimum wage. SURE, there ARE a few diligent and caring people but, from what I have heard, they are the EXCEPTION!

I have to agree with him. And it's not just the LF, but the HF, as well. We can work on developing and treating traits, to enable us to do certain things we want to do. But we can't be non-autistic, even HF ones. No matter how well I might develop my verbal abilities, I have my other traits. No matter how much I might develop my physical condition and response, I get lost any time I try to go somewhere new and I walk into things. You can fix specific things that let you do certain activities that you want to do, but you can't make yourself not what you are. Someone who can't deal with that will always be unable to accept themselves, and those who don't understand that will never be able to accept the autistic person for what they are. That fundamental rejection is a kind of hostility that is not that different from racism, sexism or other demonization or abuse that is not about what people do but what they are.

If you can change someone's DNA from having frizzy, nappy haired kids to having smooth, silky haired kids, are you really "fixing them" (yes that smooth silky hair is much easier to take care of!) or are you just having a problem with fundamentally not being able to accept the frizzy, nappy hair because of a prejudice?

At a fundamental level, those people who fixate on curing the horrible "scourge" and "epidemic" of autism are fixated on socialization as the be-all and end-all of human existence. They tend to be insecure or egotistical themselves. But you can look throughout the ages for people who find the socialized life is not that meaningful and who intentionally seek out monastic, artistic or intellectual lives. Are they "evil" for their choosing an eccentric, individual life instead of a highly socialized one? Are we "victims" because we have our traits?

Being well-socialized, for some people, is not just a trait, but a choice of how they want to live. Autistic people can be happy with how they are, and choose to avoid cures, just as an NT can choose between having a social-butterfly or ego-rewarding existence over having a monastic, reflective and individual existence.

These "curebies" ignore the choice-and-acceptance option. They just fixate on demonizing the condition as an evil plague and they insult and work against those who advocate constructive living as an autistic person, as a happy-choice option. To them, the autistic person cannot be accepted as he or she is, but must be changed into something else. They undermine a lot of self-advocacy and integration efforts.

So you think that setting up working conditions so that someone who has few social skills can work without having engage in personal harassment from people who don't understand social disabilities, like coworkers who think a friendly AS woman is good sexual prey, is like putting your hands on someone's sh**?

A lot of disability accommodation for AS people is about cleaning up the problems of the existing system: the campus is one that doesn't have good study facilities for commuter students, or there is too much ego in the particular workplace or a lot of backbiting. IMO, a lot of "disability accommodation" for AS is more an issue of training NTs to keep their social sh** to themselves, especially the bullies, which they should be doing anyways.

as one of the LFAutie members on wp [and cant speak for others in any way as all live in different housing/staffing situations],one of the worst things am experience is not from autism,but the treatment off staff-every day am hear how much of a burden am on them and the rest of the residents,another other favourite of theirs are-'this is why no one wants to work with emma',hearing them all day in day out when they're not allowed to talk about am in near distance,and hearing the same off family when am brought here every weekend is worse than anything autism does-am have wrote about this recently on nuttys thread on ouch,and dont have MI,but have been attempting to die every week through taking too many tablets/getting them,and trying to hide them,being a burden is all have ever heard,from child to adult,so coming onto WP [a escape from that,as well as a place where everyone is equal,or should be],never expect to find posts about being seen as how much money the country wastes on auties with high support needs/lfa,the 'misfortune' for people who have to look after am and others etc,if someone was to write the same sort of stuff but use 'aspie' instead of lfa,it wouldn't be well liked.




agreed,no one person represents the autism spectrum,or even their exact form of autism,because its a different experience every time.
am dont think it's good when some think autism is difference,not disability,just needs a little understanding,and feels insulting when that idea is forced on a community,because they're ignoring the thoughts and needs of those further down the spectrum-and those with their own form,who may be experiencing it worse off.


am also dont think anyone should be allowed to completely speak for autists who are unable to speak in any different form for themselves,as they need to be able to say it,if they wanted this 'cure' [if it ever comes around],it is not good if they were to expect a profound lfa to be cured without choice when they may suffer from being brought into hyper awareness.

am have known quite a lot of 'profound LFAers' in their forties onwards who can not communicate in any form,and it wasnt due to their autism,
they were locked away in a room as a child at home by their parents,and not Sp/schooled or institutionalised-they could have been taught basic sign,and they are supposed to be unable to learn it now.
People think it's because of their autism they are as profound as they are,but it's actually because of neglect,no one should speak for them,but maybe
could be advocates for those who get to know well-and are able to watch and understand their behavior,so will know what they want and dont want.
maybe there could be a group for doing this.


original topic.
if there is a war on autism,does that mean autistics are going to be given AKs,tanks,grenades etc?

Hehe. Tanks... I'd like to see a bunch of tanks rolling down the street to the JRC!

I agree, though, KoR. Being mistreated is a hundred times worse than just being impaired. I'm "only" an Aspie and I've had people tell me I am a burden, too. That hurts a great deal worse than not being able to do something. Being unable to figure out whether someone likes you or is just being polite is only annoying and frustrating; being told you made your mother's life a "living hell" because you're an "immature brat" breaks your heart.

Educating older autistics who have been neglected--do you think this could be arranged somehow? It is pretty obvious that we don't stop learning things just because we become adults. But there are so many obstacles--professionals believing they can't learn; they themselves believing they can't learn; then the usual money and low availability of qualified teachers and therapists... Surely, though, not impossible? And then, if such teaching is successful, wouldn't there be fewer problems, and end up with less money spent in the long term?

I do not see, incidentally, why people think wearing diapers is so horrible. Plenty of people wear them. It's a sensible solution for having poor control of your bowel and/or bladder... Please don't tell me you're horrified at the thought of diapers because they smell bad, because that's just petty.

I will put it a different way. A dysfunctional autistic person saying "I don't want to be cured. I like myself for who I am and want to stay that way" when they are living off of disability in some group home with others taking care of them...

Thats kind of like a twenty-something year old, unemployed, video game addict still living with mom and dad saying "I don't want to grow up and face the real world because then I can't put enough time into what I live for"

non-sequitur. "disabled" =/= "change your diapers all the time. Especially given many 'LFA' can change their own diapers..



heh. There should be a militarization of sorts



right. I was using the LFA as an example as curebies and their allies tend to shoot at that.