Autims and cures...another distrubing thing on autism speaks

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In the Psychological field what the public hears and reality are often two entirely different things. Often times an article will be published regarding low-functioning individuals and simply use the term "autistic", and never even mention the existence of the other end of the spectrum.

In some cases a complete breach of public trust occurs and the published article either A. Uses a completely unreliable source B. Distorts findings to the extreme or C. Just plain makes stuff up. One time my psychology professor once went to a lecture by a scientists trying to develop a relapse-immune drug recovery program. Rather then talking about the latest in his research (which is actually coming along nicely) the scientist slammed down an article by the New York Times that completely misrepresented his research to the extreme. It wasn't just a simple mistake someone could have made if they didn't fully understand the terminology his published papers. The article drew conclusions that completely and directly contradicted his own, all the while citing his own paper as a source.

With something like Autism, which is not yet fully understood even by scientists the inaccuracies multiply. Since any claim, however grossly inaccurate, is difficult to disprove. Add that to the blind emotions felt by some parents of autistic children, and misinformation thrives. Sometimes much better then the truth does.

I think the balanced approach I'm getting is for parents to do whatever it takes to help your child (within reason!)
But don't expect it to be a cure. I would not call the poster to be a closed mind twit; because after all she is doing what she thinks is right, albeit I think some of her perceptions may be flawed.

But I’m not going to argue. She claims her child had heavy metal toxins. I believe her, because I have no reason to not. I mean I can’t travel over and test her child. But I don’t want all parents to get false hope either…

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Hypothetically:

Okay say AS, CAN and DAN get their way. Okay they find a “cure” that makes non-verbal autistic children become verbal. In my honest opinion, it won’t cure their autism. It may make them more HFA at best. My fear is sooner or later if this treatment fails, those children are going to grow up and find themselves confused thinking, “I thought I was cured. What’s wrong with me?” And their self esteem plummets.

I don’t think it is realistic to expect a cure. My fear is if the government and insurance companies think that these treatments fully cure autism, these parents and autistics who thought they were doing their best to find and advocate a cure, may find themselves screwed if it doesn’t work 100%.

That’s my big concern. Plus I think it is foolish to expect these cures to make people “normal” Like my grandma says, “What is normal” Her neighbor asked me to define what “normal” is. Basically it is the Hypothetical model child and citizen. The neighbor pointed out that isn’t normal it is exceptional.

Talking of insurance, add this point, MJ.

How about denial of insurance if you don't pursue to treatment? So much for freedom of choice.

THAT is the point.

If, by whatever means, a non-verbal child with no eye-contact, no attempts to make social connections and other barely manageable issue is 'cured' of all these impairments and symptoms - will the child remain autistic?

The answer to this is a difficult one. Because currently, nobody really knows what autism is.

Is autism being non-verbal - well, we know it's not - is it missing eye-contact, the inability to form social bonds, a desperate need for routines? That's how autism is diagnosed. Someone who doesn't meet these criteria is, by medical means, not autistic.

Or is a child who has been treated and cured from all these issues still autistic indeed? Can it read body language on its own? Does it still need to cope, but has learned to so in other way by therapy?

Is autism any like Down's for example? You either have it, no matter how awesome you have coped or not - or you don't? Or is a curable, a chemical imbalance, a poisoning, an overreaction to chemicals and thus can be made away?

Unless autism spectrum disorder can be diagnosed by physical means someday - as currently, everything who meets the criteria for autistic behaviour IS autistic - we won't know.

The argument of those who said they cured their children is:

My child doesn't meet the criteria any more. Thus it has been cured from autism.

But is it true?

For the cat fanatics: If I raise my cat to behave like a dog - is it still a cat? Or has the 'cat' ever and always been a dog who just pretended to be a cat?

That the dog has always been a dog, that's the argument of those who believe autism is reverseable.

And, really, that argument's quite good actually. There's hardly to say anything against it.

Currently, we assume two things about autism: 1. Autism is a life-long neurobiological disorder. 2. You must mee the criteria of an ASD to be recognised as autistic = anyone who doesn't meet the criteria (any more) is not autistic.

Why is that your or my business to judge? We all have our issues in Autism to deal with. Let's focus on our own lives and taking care of the business that's at hand.

You have a point there. I cannot fully speak for another person or put words into their mouths, but I can offer my perspective. That's all any person can do. You offer your perspective and I offer mine. We all have our opinions and they may be right or wrong but each of us believes we are doing the right thing. If someone identifies with me, maybe it will help, if they don't that's okay.

I've been pondering over it after some sleep and to be honest we won't know if these so called "cures" are effective long term or not. If they are not, hopefully the people who honestly believed there was a cure won't be dissappointed and feel like they've been misguided in the long term.

That's what I was loosely thinking when I made that statement.

My brother in law was left-handed until he started school, at which point, every time he reached for a pencil with his left hand he was rapped on the knuckles with a ruler. Eventually, he learned not to pick up the pencil in his left hand. This is just pavlovian response. He was still left-handed although all through school he wrote with his right hand. It was only once he'd left school finally that he allowed himself to use his left hand. He wasn't cured from being left-handed, he was simply tortured out of letting anyone else see his left-handedness.

I fear such "cures" being used to force children to behave as NTs expect and in fact are not cures at all but punishment eliciting a pavlovian response.

I've seen the horse therapies and their affect on handicapped children of all sorts up front. They have no more value or affect than anything else over which the child might feel successful. But their value lies in the child's feeling of success, so it is a valuable therapy.

-- and I might add, far more effective than a rap on the knuckles with a ruler.

It is up to society to judge certain therapies, and our job, I believe, as communicable ASDs, to speak out if therapies that are abusive need to be stopped.

just had to add that.

I second.

I personally think if there is any REAL treatment to autism, I think it is self awareness.

"Know thyself" The more I find out about myself and the more I think about things and understand myself, the better I become able to communicate my needs, etc... I think that has been the greatest milestone over anything else.

No it doesn't cure autism, but it does help me adapt to this society and be able to put my frustrations into words. It also helps NT's see where I am coming from and understand why I behave like this in so and so setting.

What is really hard to explain to the parents at AS (or anywhere) is a lot of this is beyond their control. I speak because I choose to. It's a concsious decision the autistic individual must make if they are able to.

I just wish that the AS parents would come by here and read our thoughts (without judgement) and see the bigger picture. Not for them to focus on the hot debates, but rather the posts where we talk about our stems, meltdowns, frustrations getting along with people, etc... That will help them see some perspective into their child's life.

I honestly believe I have many of the same hang-ups as their children, but the main difference I am able to express them into words. Because I've become able to express myself I've gotten to where I am.

i agree with you, offensive,. i dont suffer from anything.

your rite it needs better understanding

xx

Here is a topic about some people on facebook i've been taliking to A conversation on facebook
It is just sad how misinformed people are

Who wants to be normal? Normal is boring.

I second that

This just annoys me so much... who do they think we are.

I was reading the topic and they class us as the 'few'... erm excuse me, aspies make u around half the population of autistics.
Some of the replies were just ever so ever sad and really got on my nerves, especially the way they adressed to you MJ, they treated you like trash.

When will they ever get 'vaccines caused my sons autism' out of their head.

We are starting to change peoples opinions though, a youtuber I know called philcommander used to be exactly like this with his aspie son, but we've helped to change his mind and see the positives of his son being autistic (this was mostly due to me ).

Normal doesn't exist.

Which proves that it's boring.