For those who DO want a cure...

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I just don't think the "cure" thing makes any sense in the first place, so i think being "pro" or "anti" cure is just silly. I mean, it's a way a lot of peoples' brains are wired.. It does happen to include some severe social deficits, but it's still just the way our minds develop.. Not some virus or bacterial infection. It's sort of like if people were trying to find a "cure for people who are bad at math," or a "cure for people who aren't very smart." Neither of those things is going to be cured, because it's just the way the peoples' minds work... But they can still learn and adapt to some degree. Someone who is bad at math can get a math tutor and practice to improve, but if his mind isn't good with numbers then it's still going to be harder for him than other people, and no one is going to give him an injection or pill to make him good at math. It's the same with autism and learning social skills and how to adapt to the neurotypical world. We can learn to cope in many ways and get assistance from other people in learning these things, but it's still always going to be harder for us than other people, and no one is going to come up with an injection or pill to make us better at socializing. You cure diseases, not traits.

That said, i'm not against being taught how to cope better. In fact, i wish i had been diagnosed as a kid and gotten help in school(special ed or an IEP or whatever they do now). But i'm not under any delusions that early intervention would have "cured" my Asperger's.. It would have just helped me get along better with it.

Well....I give up.

*sighs*


I guess no one should ever desire a cure for anything. I guess it's IMPOSSIBLE for neuropsychological disorders of any kind to entirely rob a human being of ANY
quality of life and all their hopes, dreams, goals, longings, etc.....

I guess I should just be happy in poverty, ignorance, isolation, boredom, etc.... I guess I should just be able get my joy in life from bagging groceries for $6.00 per hour, never leaving home and going bowling with the down syndrome folks on Friday nights eh?

Sorry....this just isn't my idea of "quality of life"....it never has been and it never will be.

If it works for the Down syndrome people...good for them.

The only person who has the right to determine what "quality of life" means is the INDIVIDUAL.

And since there is no "cure" for whatever is ultimately wrong with my brain, I would never blame a person in my shoes who decided to give ole' Jack Kevorkian a call. That is if ole' Jack would offer the Potassium chloride to those who are "merely" suffering from incurable mental disorders which have made their life a living hell.

I would do it myself, but I guess i'm just an unimaginable coward or strictly biologically speaking, compelled to go on surviving by an extremely strong self-preservation instinct.

Sigh, you're missing some serious logic if you think it doesn't make sense. This isn't a fantasy land, our universe is entirely mechanical. You can cure anything, That's the laws of our universe, anything in existence can be replicated.

Stem cells are incredible and could possibly cure autism one day.

Also the wiring/mirror neuron science hasn't actually been proven at all just heavily enforced so people believe it.

It could simply be a complicated chemical/hormone imbalance.

The mirror neuron theory has been around for years and many people believed it as fact, when mirror neurons were only proven to exist a few weeks ago.

There's more scientific evidence linking Gluten as a cause of autism, than there is to suggest our brains are wired differently.

I don't get why anybody wouldn't want a cure. Autism has made my life hell. I'm 18 and still single. I creep girls out. My grade school life was destroyed by autism. Now, this is carrying on into college and adulthood. My self esteem is at an all time low. There are times I'd rather be dead. If there was a cure, I'd take it. Even if it meant sacrificing some of who I am. At least I'd have a better quality of life and I'd be able to see things much more clearly.

Yes, it might be possible to "cure" autism, but it would involve invasive, destructive nano-surgery, and would basically amount to "reformatting" the brain (that is, assuming that autism is a neurotype, and I have seen nothing so far that would suggest otherwise).


The mirror neuron theory has been around for years and many people believed it as fact, when mirror neurons were only proven to exist a few weeks ago.
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The mirror neuron hypothesis is far from the only neurotype hypothesis of autism. For example, atypical connectivity is one other neurotypal feature suggested as being involved in autism (but definitely not the only one). I suspect that autism is the result of several neurotypal features and several genes, rather than a single cause.



Do you have any good examples of such evidence? As far as I know, no decent study has found any link between autism and gluten or casein. Autism is just too complicated to be a mere chemical imbalance.

The mirror neuron hypothesis is far from the only neurotype hypothesis of autism. For example, atypical connectivity is one other neurotypal feature suggested as being involved in autism (but definitely not the only one). I suspect that autism is the result of several neurotypal features and several genes, rather than a single cause.



Do you have any good examples of such evidence? As far as I know, no decent study has found any link between autism and gluten or casein. Autism is just too complicated to be a mere chemical imbalance.[/quote]

For: [img][800:463]http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c229/ILLaViTaR/article.jpg[/img]
Against (the biggest/most controlled against study to date): http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 143401.htm

Now the against study isn't even credible, no study against gluten-autism ever has been, this is due to sheer negligence of the researchers. Let me explain.

It takes 18 months (minimum) for these proteins to exit the body, until then they are affecting the brain and the immune system causing symptoms of autism.
This bogus study only carried the diet out for 4 months and 2 weeks AS WELL as giving the subjects gluten/dairy over that period of time.
It also only used evaluation for conclusion whereas the "for study" used a urine test which found peptides proving scientifically that these peptides were not being broken down in autistic people, the "for study" also used more than DOUBLE the amount of autstics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-gliad ... -free_diet

As you can see 4 months is only enough to bring the levels down by half. Which is still 10x more above what they should be. And as you also know the against study still gave patients gluten and dairy over that 4.5 month period meaning the AGA would be higher.

I'm beginning to believe that it's all a conspiracy, as the researchers are being almost intentionally negligent, instead of controlled 4 month studies all they need to do is test the AGA levels in the blood of patients with autism which is basically a simple blood test, that will tell them if gluten is affecting the indivdual mentally.
Not one study has bothered to try this. I don't believe in conspiracies but what else can explain this overwhelming negligence by researchers?

If there was a conspiracy it would be: That if they found gluten/dairy to be the cause of autism it would destroy the western world. EVERY fast food chain would be destroyed along with almost every food company out there, arnotts/any biscuits, uncle tobys', BIG M, yogurts everything.
But it's unlikely the cause of autism. A deficient DPP4 enzyme is the reason the peptides remain undigested in autistics, gluten and dairy themselves can't cause the enzyme to stop functioning, Meaning the conspiracy makes no sense, as if they did prove there to be a link, they'd just create DPP4 supplements for the 1 in 10 000 people that have autism.

But there is no good reason to why the researchers have ignored a simple blood test which would be more reliable than any other test done to date regarding gluten and autism.

This is similar to the reasoning behind my refusal to take ADHD meds. Self-improvement--developing of life skills and coping mechanisms I am very willing to do. I see nothing whatsoever wrong in learning those skills; that doesn't change who I am underneath. Yes, it burns me out sometimes when I get home from work and after being all organized and on point at work, I can't seem to get myself to do simple household chores. Still, I want to work on that on my own terms rather than have a pill shoved down my throat. I do not think I should be criticized for making myself fit in at work or in social situations (maybe not Aspie-tough for me, but geek/nerd tough, at least). BUT--I would also not be happy with someone who told me I was irresponsible or otherwise deficient because I don't take meds.

Now some people DO need ADHD meds. That's fine--expecting each individual to respond to things the same way, have the same brain makeup, and the same everything even with the same diagnosis would be stupid. But I definitely want my freedom to handle things my own way. And I definitely think I can have self-improvement without a pill or a cure.

There was an old Simpsons episode where a crayon stuck in Homer's brain was getting out with operation. Having mentally changed, Homer became completely a new person, and because of his memories of his past life, he demanded that the crayon was to be inserted again.

I know this is humor, but it was realistic too. Suppose that a cure is possible, you may not like your new self and it may result in remorse.

personally one of my favorite simpsons episodes along with the fugu one.

Is autism a sickness? Most would say it isn't. Why would you cure something that isn't an illness? Therapies are not cures, neither is self improvement, so it's incorrect to say "cure autism", when, really, you are improving autism., You are just making it easier to participate in life.. Improving isn't a cure, so people object to using the words "cure autism". It's just not practical or accurate.