UK petition! need 500 signatures

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ok, if 500 or more people sign this petition gordan brown legaly has to read and reply to it. i dont expect any policy changes but the point is more to bring the issue of autistic peoples rights to his attention. here is a link:

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/autistic-rights/

UK citizen only obviously.

thanks a ton to anyone who signs this, its much appreciated!

Only 3 signatures so far!!??

OK, I haven't signed it yet, but I definitely will do.

thank you!! !! ! i know ive advertised it on aspies for freedom and facebook but still hardly anyones signed! i kinda thought that might happen so i made it a year long petition.

Sorry, I will not sign it as I disagree with it's aim. People have worked very hard over the years to get children with autism the protection and support they need. In my opinion this petition seeks to undermine that.

The UK Autism/Aspergers establishment is much less pro-cure than it is in America, I'm just thankfull for that. My college doesn't even accept that a pro-cure position exists.

Hmm...maybe if you focused on the pre-natal testing bit. Some of us do need support, and if autism wasn't recognized as a disability any more, we probably wouldn't be able to get that.

And patch up the grammar - these things need to look professional to even have a chance of being taken seriously.

(I'm a UK citizen by birth.)

Autism, by definition is a disability, so it is not a prejudiced or bigoted view to construe it as such.

People with traits similar to many of the traits of Autism, but who do not meet legal definitions of disability, are not Autistic, they are merely people with traits similar to many of those found in Autism. Autism is a clinical designation, it refers not merely to a particular set of traits, but to clinically significant impairment or distress that arises in the course of such traits. The presence of long-term, ongoing clinically significant impairment and/or distress constitutes disability.

Frankly I have no idea why it would be considered prejudicial or bigoted, unless one has a prejudical and bigoted aversion to, ignorance in respect of, and disrespect for "disabled people".

I think he means the negative connotations of it, like calling it a 'disease'. I think a better petition would be to lower the 'pro-cure' stance even further away than it already is. Though one could argue that such a petition will be giving the pro-cure stance publicity.

thats your opinion but i disagree. i dont feel that autism is a medical or clinical issue.

Here is a quote directly from the petition.

I do not see what that has to do with the negative connotations of a disease, nor do I accept that if there are negative connotations associated in the minds of prejudiced and bigoted people, with the word, concept or fact of disability, that this should be encouraged, endorsed, or legitimized.



Actually it is a fact. Autism is a clinical concept, and Autism is a clinical entity. It refers exclusively to conditions that entail clinically significant impairment or distress. That is what Autism is and has been since the concept existed. Things that are similar to Autism but do not entail clinically significant impairment or distress, are not and have never been Autism. Autism began as a clinical concept, it remains a clinical concept and it has never been anything but a clinical concept.

If you want to refer to something similar but materially different, get your own word and concept instead of trying to steal and subvert someone else's to the detriment of the many people who benefit from the clinical concept.

It's also a social concept.

Autism is a clinical concept. If people want some kind of non-clinical social concept then they need to look elsewhere for one.

Actually it is a fact. Autism is a clinical concept, and Autism is a clinical entity. It refers exclusively to conditions that entail clinically significant impairment or distress. That is what Autism is and has been since the concept existed. Things that are similar to Autism but do not entail clinically significant impairment or distress, are not and have never been Autism. Autism began as a clinical concept, it remains a clinical concept and it has never been anything but a clinical concept.

If you want to refer to something similar but materially different, get your own word and concept instead of trying to steal and subvert someone else's to the detriment of the many people who benefit from the clinical concept.[/quote]

It's also a social concept.[/quote]

how can a social concept be a clinical concept as well? cancer is a medical concept, flu is a clinical concept, AIDS is a clinical concept. these are all medical issues because they have medical symptoms. the definition of a symptom is when the body does something its not meant to, and that it shouldnt be doing. autism is a spectrum, not a specific thing. one part of the spectrum has been labeled as a medical condition, and another part has been labeled normal. being on the part labeled "autism" or "aspie" has both benefits and problems. but so does everybody. a syptom can be corrected, even if we dont know how to. autism cant be corrected because there is nothing wrong with it.

Well if the two are mutually exclusive, the fact remains that Autism is a clinical concept. It existed as a clinical concept before anyone ever thought of calling it a social concept.

I would expect people can make "social concepts" out of anything they please.

Autism is also a clinical concept, just like AIDS it refers to a syndrome.


Actually the definitions of symptom listed in my trusty Oxford Pocked includes "sign of the extistence of something"


The common cold and influenza are not "specific things". Are they then social concepts entirely removed from all matters clinical?


What a load of gobbly-gook. Autistic Spectrum Disorders, such as Kanner Autism, Aspergers Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified are clinical concepts describing very real disabilities. People who are "normal" and clinically unimpaired are not experiencing clinically significant distress or impairment arising from Autism, and so they are not Autistic.

Your reasoning is no more sensible than choosing to believe that because you sneezed once, that you must have a cold, but as there is nothing else going on in that respect, therefore a cold must be a social concept, everyone is on the cold spectrum but symptoms can be corrected, even if we don't know how to, and we should make petitions to stop colds from being treated as though they are some kind of illness. Absurd.