Talk about Curing Autism

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Why spend money on a cure when you can help those kids understand social skills, for example?
Why can't we fight the difficulties, and not lose the advantages?

Long before I knew I'm autistic, I still insisted that I'm not willing to change my eating habits (don't ask). Why? Because that's part of who I am. And I insisted that I will keep being honest and "naive" and ignore the herd. 'Cause that's who I am. I even insisted to keep spending time all by myself, and learn and read, and only later meet some friends, sometimes. Because, again, that's who I am. I didn't even know that's autism (along with other things I have). But I love myself, and love my differences. I also did. You can say it's autistic pride, you can say it's a weirdo pride - but that's simply who I am.

-_- did word myself tht well.
forgot to say tht this "remedy" prolly doesnt exist and helping ppl directly like u were saying is where the money should go. and the "autistic pride" thing is ppl who r all militant and smug about themselves having aspergers and acting like theyre better then everyone else and get butthurt about the thought of a "cure"

But.. being Australian isn't a defect!

Only found this forum yesterday, I think I have to lurk for a bit before really weighing in on this and other topics, but I think on the subject of treating neurological diversity as a malady, I have to lay out a point for people to either side with or attack (take your pick!). Just as being short in an all-tall world would be (mostly) detrimental, so too is being socially illiterate in a community of social animals a disability, in context. Actually, that's not the best analogy since divergent height in either direction also brings narrow benefits. Lets take lack of hearing (a disability which I would note has a cult following, lol) - in a hearing world, there is NO tangible benefit to being deaf (aside from not being able to hear annoying people, and maybe a slight resistance to sonic weapons, heh). There are beneficial attributes which it seems many here associate with ASD, like high intelligence, good analytical skills and so on - I'm lucky enough to be a smarty pants Aspy myself, but I don't for a moment think that any movement towards being more socially 'ept' must simultaneously move me towards 'dribbling cretin'

Of course, what I'm referring to here is the 'assimilation' approach, and doesn't address the 'selective abortion'-esque proposals that I'm sure will/have been put forward by NTs past, present and future, and I don't think I will have a solid answer to that sort of idea until it affects me personally (since I probably won't have kids for another 5-10 years; by that time it'd likely be a very real decision).

Now, if you're one of the people who can't agree that neurological atypicality is an affliction (Note: in the context of current and near-future society), then I guess the discussion would have to stop there. But if you agree that in modern societies, the inability to effectively interact and engage with others is just as much (or more) of an obstacle to a happy and full life as physically manifest defects (say, having a nose that's 4x the average size, or being a meter taller than the average), or syndromes with both physical and intellectual components (like Down's), then I'd be glad to talk through my reasoning. Note that I said OBSTACLE, which means something to overcome, and not a complete prevention of reaching the goal - but if I had the chance to choose between giving birth to a kid with half a lung and a kid with two healthy ones, or between a child with a 50 IQ and one in the 140's, or between an autistic baby and a neurologically typical one, well... I'd be choosing the latter each time. What kind of sadist WANTS their kid to have extra obstacles in life? Suffering is not in any way inherently noble, or useful, it destroys as many people as it strengthens... I swear the next person that I hear spout "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is getting their spine snapped. By their reckoning it'll make them freakin Superman (wait... lol).

*struggles to resist the urge to make cripple jokes in his first post*

Anyhoo... So, I'll shush now and await any any impending textual flagellation which may ensue. At least from what I see around these parts, most posts are thoughtful and I probably don't have to worry about inane two word replies like "your retarted" which happens on some forums (that one actually happened btw - gotta love the 100% error rate too - guess they wanted to be number 1, hyuk hyuk)... Okay, actually shushing now.

Cheers,
- Gliktch

EDIT: Doh, I only read the first 3 pages, I see most of what I said has already been dealt with in very excellent posts by glider18 and Omerik, and I especially would like to address the following:


That's a very valid point (and not said often enough), but as others have pointed out, the idea of a 'cure' is pretty ludicrous anyway. By 'cure', most people probably think of a pill or something, which I would have some objections to (despite being helped by drugs myself, in the past).

The very awesome Sir Ken Robinson includes a brilliant anecdote about a kid in this short talk, which I'm sure some will see has paralells to this discussion:

youtubeDOTcom/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY


RAmen, brother!

Why don't we just accept the individual differences of everybody around us, instead of arguing over whether there should be a cure, or not. That would make the world a much better place to live. A much happier place to live, as well.

They sound as bad as autism speaks. Like "Families and Professionals of children with Autism", not "Autistic people", and they seem to point out children, without mentioning adults (as if its something you can "grow out" of)

They probably plan on brainwashing us with mind controlling drugs like ADHD people or wiping us out like Down's people. (A.K.A, a "cure")

hmm... I'm actually doing some of this stuff on myself and guess what my 29 years of diarrhea/constipation and rashes are gone. I don't understand how it is I should be expected to live with diarrhea/constipation, vomiting, rashes(unexplained), intermittent intestinal bleeding and constant illness for the rest of my life. For the first time in my life I don't have diarrhea or constipation. For the first time ever I have beautiful skin and feel good. They tested me for vitamin deficiencies and food allergies/intolerances and found some, which were contributing to me being constantly sick. I'm still me but now my stomach problems are gone....would I recommend it to others? Well whatever I don't think that being an Aspie should be synonymous with being miserable. Yes I did some of it with my son too and you know why? I'll tell you he was pooping 12 times a day and puking every 2-6 weeks and was covered in rashes too. Utterly miserable and I could tell. Now he's only pooping 1-2 times a day and not puking unless he gets a stomach bug. You can't tell me you'd feel good pooping 12x a day. He still has his issues but at least now he's got beautiful skin, no vitamin deficiencies, and tells me his tummy feels good.

Well, here's my two cents. As an Aspie *and* a health care professional, I see both sides. I don't know if I would've made it thru all the years of training I had to go through if I weren't so obsessive, compulsive, perfectionistic, single-minded, and doggone stubborn. I don't know if I'd be so good at my job if I weren't a "think outside the box" person. I don't know if I'd speak three languages and want to speak five before I leave the world. The flip side is that I *have* had obstacles, especially personally. I don't know if my husband will stay with me if I can't change. I irritate the bejeebers out of NT people who work with me. I procrastinate. I lose things. I say I'm going to do something and forget to do it. I can't pay attention to things that don't interest me without medication (that's the ADHD, not the AS, I've got both, as well as epilepsy). I've learned to compensate and fake it in work situations, but in personal situations I come off like I don't care (one of the major issues in my marriage). This is my blessing and my curse, my wings and the albatross around my neck, what keeps me going and what makes me want to end it sometimes. The fact that I've probably passed this on to one of my children gives me hope and gives me despair for her (and no, I wouldn't have terminated that pregnancy if I knew ahead of time...I am pro-choice politically but don't consider AS such a bad thing that an otherwise wanted pregnancy is worth terminating...I'm most certainly NOT invested in having the perfect child, if such a thing existed...I think it would drive me NUTS, and find eugenics in whatever form abhorrent). For me, there are some parts I wouldn't give up if you paid me, and some that I'd swallow the pill almost no matter what the side effects if it would "cure" them. I would like research to be done so that we can take a "targeted" approach to AS, that is, treat/cure those things that are interfering with a person's quality of life and leave those alone which make them unique individuals, support them in their life goals, or which the individual doesn't mind and would just as soon keep. My interest, both as a professional and as a person with neurological differences, is in maximizing quality of life, whether than involves "cures" or not. I don't think in black and white terms about much of anything. No, I don't want to eradicate those like myself, or those more severely affected by ASDs, from the earth, for we do bring a different point of view. Yes, I want to make our quality of life better, which does involve not putting my fingers in my ears when ppl talk about a "cure" but rather putting my two cents in about what such a proposition should involve.

~Kate

Autism can't be "cured" unless you mean stuffing a kid full of pills, turning them into a zombie.

However, through excellent parenting and therapy, it can be treated to the point where it isn't a bad thing, and many of the remaining traits are positive forces in someone's life.

It seems like some people don't want to be cured or treated, and expect society to cater to them

The world needs diversity. We with autism are part of that diversity. We have made contributions because of our brain types the same as other groups have made contributions due to their brain types. It takes different brain types to achieve what needs to be done. So---eliminating autism would create a defect in the advancements of the world.

the world does need diversity but it does not need diarrhea. Aspies and children with Autism DESERVE medical care. I categorically refuse to tell my son Autism=diarrhea. It doesn't. What it does equal is seeing the world differently and I will not sell my baby short. He gets to feel well too.

Yes, medical care if needed for something like diarrhea. And I didn't say no therapy or medicine for issues like that. My point is, the world needs autistics the same as it needs non-autistics. To get rid of autism would upset the balance of the world. And as there are medical problems within autistics, there are also medical problems within non-autistics. As to medical issues concerning us with autism, yes, there does seem to be some that need attention. Those medical issues should be addressed. But to eliminate autism---no.

Welcome to the WrongPlanet---we are a supportive group and I think you will find much support here.

Autism, Working for a Cure. Autism is a horror, 1 in 10,000, 100 in a million, some 3,000 people are trapped on a world they cannot deal with.

While the cause is unknown, the costs to families and to the public are known, and they are high and life long. Billions of dollars a year are being spent with no hope of a better outcome.

1 in 1,000 will be better off, which means a home for assisted living, for life, at a large public cost.

30,000 living in group homes, being kept like children all of their lives.

1 in 100 will live in the world, and deal with a confusion based on not understanding other people.

This is where treatment, long visits to Wrong Planet, can do a lot of good. They are not expensive, need little care, and often produce great things.

1 in 10 is just a Geek or Nerd, share a lot of the traits, but do keep the computers running, Others are Engineers, Writers, Musicians, Artists, and the traits of turning within, focus, and persistance, produce most of our Art and Technology.

Brain scans that show an autistic differance, are the same on all, Genetic studies also show the same for all, it seems they are related.

To the public, Autism brings up the image of the LFA, and fear. So the response of the uneducated is expected.

I am in favor of continuing research, new drugs do seem to help some, spotting them early, giving some extra care does work, and for most of us, older, discovering that it is not just me, there is a whole segment of humanity that shares my differance in thought and perception, different but not inferior, was a liberating discovery. Thank you Wrong Planet.

I was as ignorant as the mass of humanity, and I was autistic.

Why does one in ten thousand have such a life? I do not know.

Why does one in a thousand look at life through a window? I do not know.

The rest are not the worst people I have ever met, they do have problems, everyone does. They are the most, and would benefit the most from some improvment, Be it drugs, training, or acceptance, it would make life better, I favor it.

We seek to cure the Diabetic, but in the meantime, there are treatments that work.

The same should be our view of autism.

If someone wishes to go seek a cure to autism they're quite welcome but, don't count me as being someone whom would take the cure..

If autism could be cured the person who came out would be a different person. And you can't cure it. The best we can do is accept it as different but not inferior.

For everything I've been through, I'd love to get cured. Grade school was hell for me and has scarred me for life. Curing my autism would be a huge weight off my shoulders. It would allow me to have the life I never had in grade school. It would allow me to have a normal social life. I wouldn't have to struggle with the everyday struggles of having autism.

Curing my autism would make me a different person.


(I'm certain I wouldn't like that different person.)