poll: would you like to know the cause of ASD?

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Because of the amount of links to research sites - I wondered if people would like to know the cause of the condition - perhaps because knowing the cause might give greater control over it.

I do hope I have given enough options to allow people to express themselves fully.
You can change your vote if you like.

I'd like to know, but I don't want curebies knowing. I'd rather never find out myself if it means no curebies finding out either.

Knowing the cause of an effect eliminates speculation and superstition surrounding both. Once the cause is determined, the effect can be mitigated or enhanced!

Imagine a world where most of the people being born are Aspies, and you'll begin to understand how knowing the cause of Autism could be used against us ... or for us - it's a two-edged sword.

I think it isn't a useful place to spend money. I think the money going into research on the cause would be better spent on things that actually help autistic people.

That said, I am interested in knowing the answer. I just don't want us to find the answer.

(I am also terrified of people aborting just because of the possibility of autism.)

I agree to all of the above and would also be afraid that once people know the answer, groups like a$ would push to have those particular thing's that cause it, eradicated or suppressed.

I don't really care, I mean I wouldn't avoid it or anything I don't really see a benefit to me knowing so perhaps if there was one I would otherwise it is just useless knowledge to me. It would probably be good to stop some people from speculating and casting blame but then again what would come next? I'd be afraid of some type of eugenics type final solution to eliminate whatever the cause is deemed to be.

I doubt very much that there is any one cause of ASD. There is almost certainly a genetic component. There may be many other factors. Just as there is no one single cause to seizure disorders or one kind of seizure disorder - I suspect there may be many different causes and perhaps many different types of Autism.

Autism is most certainly caused by genetics.

I voted no. I personally would like to know the cause, but I wouldn't want the cause to be generally known to everyone, because then researchers would have a jump on learning how to "fix" us, which I have zero interest in. I read a fascinating and disturbing novel called "Speed of Dark" which was set in the near future, in a world where scientists had learned what caused autism, and subsequently how to treat it. It's the first-person narrative of an autistic man who is bullied by his boss (via the threat of losing his job) into getting the procedure to turn him NT done. I'll just say that the ending is disconcerting.

On one hand- if you are already an autistic "knowing what caused it" after the fact wouldnt have much practical value. It wouldnt help now that you have already been born with it.

But on the other hand I dont see why anyone would be opposed to knowing what caused it either.

The first thing that gonna happen when they find the cause of it. Is that they will start to abort babies that test positive for it. just like they're doing to down syndrome babies today. But getting on the subject of down syndrome. How much research is going into curing DS. Probably none. The same thing is gonna happen with autism.

Yes because it's very very interesting.

I suspect that there are actually several etiologically distinct conditions that are lumped into a category which we call ASD.

Knowing all of the causes would have value but likely not in practical terms.

Some people will discard embryos if ASD is proven to be genetic.