jametto wrote:
I can't see any reason not to do it. You mention that trolls will argue, well ban them why should we have to suffer because of them? It's not justified to prevent treatment discussion due to some idiot getting into an argument about it, if he doesn't like it don't post, it's simple.
This is ruining peoples lives for some and you want to deny them knowledge of treatments that have been proven to help some autistics all due to some potential immature troll?
I mean really.
First of all, they aren't trolls. We do get rid of trolls pretty quickly, but members who happen to have strong opinions and happen to state them without tack - they are not trolls. They are people who have AS, and both having strong opinions and having difficulty stating them with tack are common AS traits. While the moderators will work with those people to help keep discussions productive and minimalize fighting, I would NOT want to be put in the position of having to ban someone because they couldn't behave on a board that goes against their strongest instincts. The crux of it is this: our membership tends to like solid science, while most of the treatments right now remain somewhere outside of solid science. Hence, our membership is suspicious of those treatments. Does that mean we shouldn't discuss them? No. We do discuss many of them on the various forums that do exist. But will we prohibit members from expressing that they do not believe the treatment works or that it is based on quack science? No, we won't. We WILL keep them from calling you crazy for wanting to try it, and we WILL try to keep the discussion on track. But that does take WORK and careful modding, and perhaps that is something we should be investing for the good of the site and the community it supports. My point was that before taking such a task on, I would like to know who would do that work, and would want to know that they have the nuanced views needed to make such a forum successful and productive, without allowing it to evolve into either free ad space for practioners, or automatic strike downs of new ideas.
The whole area of treatment is such a ripe haven for rip-offs, that I do find it scary. In fact, I find the possibility that people will come here and end up encouraged to spend money on something that probably won't work as scarier than the possibility that those looking for treatment will encounter members who oppose the idea. Yes, there is middle ground, but finding it is really rough, and there isn't a solid protocol anywhere at the moment for how to "treat" AS (I do not, for the record, consider DAN! to hold a solid, scientifically supported protocol, although I do understand that some elements work for some people). If there were, you can bet that our parents would know it. There isn't, and anyone telling you that there is holds a bias. Does that mean I am opposed to trying? No, I'm not. But I am cautious about it, and you are posting as if you think there is some solid answer out there that we all need to talk about, and as if there isn't any valid controversy with regards to it. That just isn't true, and your apparent assumption that those who would call a poster out on it must be a troll is incorrect.
But ... just because I'm worried about modding a treatment board and disagree with you on what a troll is, does not mean I think it is a bad idea.
And ... well ... my opinion actually doesn't matter. Alex will either decide to add it and do so, or he won't.
_________________
Mom to an amazing young adult AS son, plus an also amazing non-AS daughter. Most likely part of the "Broader Autism Phenotype" (some traits).
31 Mar 2010, 9:31 am
