Autism "cure"= good thing

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And the point is that Carly has shown that she does have meaningful cognitive function. Despite acting in a way that makes people assume that she has no meaningful cognitive function.

Sitting in a corner, rocking all day, and melting down, not communicating with the world, doesn't mean no meaningful cognitive function.

Carly Fleischmann is an example of this. She learned to communicate (after a /lot/) and showed she has meaningful cognitive function. This is not becoming "high functioning", this is learning to communicate.

She also is open that she would be cured if she could. This is far stronger for anyone who wants a cure than pretending that someone rocking in a corner can't think, like Verdandi says.

I think all autistic people have meaningful cognitive function, and highly advanced function at that, no matter how low-functioning they appear.

yes and no
example:there is no absolute cure for aids but medications can keep people alive into there late sixties and early seventies.

its to soon to know what will define a cure for autism.but your right to say the technical defination of cure is a singular dose of medicine that would end all autistic symtoms forever.in reality very few of those cures exist(polio vacine)but that is the exeption to the rule,even antivenine for snake venom isnt absolute.bad snake bites can still lead to gangrene ans amputation even once anti venom is given

there are defintions for a reason.

i dont think anyone would be against a treatment, so why not use that word instead?(which is essentially what such a medicine would be)
many already receive treatment, when one tries dressing it up as a cure it gives an image of actually removing the causeal reason for the disorder.

I wouldn't want a cure for autism. Tourette's, on the other hand, I'd give up in a heartbeat. And the cure should be voluntary or there will be unintended consequences.

I think such a cure should be made and let the individuals decide if they want to take it or not.

For myself, I wouldn't want a cure. I just want a job, and want not to be stigmatized. I'm aware that there are others on the spectrum who would probably appreciate and benefit from a cure (yes, they have "meaningful cognitive function", but are suffering and will likely suffer even with a more supportive environment). Do we have to pretend we're all the same? ASD is such a catchall diagnosis. Why shouldn't it be (like most things) a combination of genes and environment, and the differences in susceptibility or exposure to something harmful in the environment create the differences between what was known as asperger's and full-blown autism? Something similar to the way I will appear much "lower functioning" if you feed me sugar and take me to the mall, although obviously more complex than that. That is to say, maybe the genes involved behave like these obesity and diabetes genes <--- link?

"Beneficial effects of normally deleterious genes may have played a role in the development of diabetes-susceptible human populations, as well as having provided the survival advantage that has allowed both the development and successful establishment of species in desert and other less affluent regions."

In other words, for some of us the gene is expressed in a way that is partially, or mostly, beneficial, but not so for the kid in the OP (IIRC there are several different genes associated with ASD, right? So this would probably only apply to some anyway).

Pro-therapy, not pro-cure. Therapy being similar to training people with any trouble (Blind, disabled, etc.) how to work with "common" people and learn "common" ways. Other than that, I'll agree with nonperson.

Perhaps a poem...

Autism "Cured" - by FireoftheStorm (E)

O, once I danced upon the green,
With galorumps shooting into the skies,
Spirits walked, or sprinted, within, without my sight,
Every day was Hallow's eve, especially every night.
Then the outsiders came,
They dragged me from my world,
To sit and model their "perfect" ways,
They forced me day after day.
And they wondered why I did resist,
And they wonder why I never smile,
Yet, I did learn their game,
And my world, my inner child, became lost.
But now, now I see, normality is far more insane than me,
They say I ignore them, but they ignore and hurt the world,
A world which I find holds more wonder than the one inside my mind,
So now my question is this,
Am I cured, for now I see you are the one mentally ill,
And now I free myself from you to dance upon real green,

A cure would only matter until you get to a certain age. I am already at the age where a cure would not help me anymore because I have already left a terrible reputation and legacy behind in my life. Perhaps for a child, a cure would be beneficial, but once you reach your adult years what is the point?

I'm more resistant to a cure now, but not just because of my age. I feel it would be unfair to all the other adults who are living with AS if I took the easy way out. Plus AS and age has made me wise to the real workings of society and how normal people truly behave and think. The more I know, the less I want to be normal like them.

If someone had shown my future life in a crystal ball at age 5 I likely would have taken the cure, I'm 22 now and I feel i've been living like this to long and AS is cornerstone in everything I am to me and the few friends I have.

The cure would most likely be some form of brain surgey and that can have more negitive effects then autism itself, so should the focus be on prevention then? that does seem possable and I certinally would not wish autism on anyone with the dark places it can take us. A cure for anyone reading this would be playing with fire in meny respects, in my opinion though.

And to the OP I do wonder about those with low functioning autism, wondring what the quaility of life is like and very i'm thankful to be no more over on the spectrim then I am, could have gone ether way.

I would never take the cure, because the cure to me means the death of my personality and quirks.

exactly, however an on/off switch could come in handy sometimes though, lol

For me that would be no more me. Plus the things that are simplistic would become difficult. I don't want that.

I have negative feelings toward this whole "cure" fiasco going on. Like it was mentioned before: a cure would be taking a part of myself away, and I would be a completely different person without Asperger's. Despite everything I struggle with, I'm content with having Asperger's and being the way I am. It's just the way I am.

I think we are the cure. Neuro-typical behavior, while common enough, strikes me as unnatural. How many wild animals do you see lying to each other about stupid things? How many don't react to sudden, loud noises? After all, sudden sounds could mean danger, and a rational mind pays attention to this. Does any other creature on Earth care about the little things you might do differently? Do my cats judge me for using a crab claw clipper to open jars? Nope, only NT's can be that absurd.

I don't want to be "cured" from my rational state of mind.