Trying to find a cure is idiotic

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First, this is not meant to argue that a cure is a bad idea, I'm saying that curing it is impossible so trying to find a cure is a waste of time, energy, and resources that could be used for something that would actually yield. The entire problem with whole cure ideology is it views Autism as a disease; something with a specific cause, and if that cause is dealt with the autism would go away. The thing is autism isn't a disease, it's isn't even a specific condition. It's a somewhat arbitrary and ambiguous set of behaviors. There is no way in hell that a pancea could exist for such a nonspecific thing and trying to find one is rather immature. Also, we have achieved pretty much no success in trying to cure other developmental and mental conditions, so why should a cure work for autism. We have no cure for ADHD, OCD, or Schizophrenia, just medication that deals with some symptoms. We have some of those that sometimes work for autism as well, but as Autism is so broad no one treatment works. Why should we try to cure autism when we haven't cured Mental Retardation? The only thing that has even gotten close to "curing" anything is electroshock and lobotomies, and we all know how those turned up. Why don't we try to do something like cure human stupidity, that what we actually need! Trying to find a cure is really quite childish, it's like trying to run away from your problems and expecting someone else to deal with them and take them all away instead of figuring out how to deal with them yourself. You can't fix everything with a damn pill. Yes it's hard and no it's not fair, but life is hard and it isn't fair!

There actually isn't a cure for anything.

It isn't just about finding a cure. It's about learning about ourselves as a species. How our brains work, how they grow, what genes effect the brain, how we may effect our brains, etc. We'd know nothing about the brain without mental disorders. By seeing what is different, we can figure out how things work. We've only just scratched the surface of neurology and we have so much to learn. Mental disorders, or anything that's "different", helps us with that journey. Trying to find a "cure" is really just an excuse to do science.

It may seem like every study and every experiment is futile, but they really aren't. We learn something new each time. “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

Plus, you never know. All that research going into the "Cure for Autism" might actually lead to the cure for mental retardation or Parkinson's or Alzheimer's or any number of things. We won't know if we don't try. Remember Viagra? Meant for heart disease and high blood pressure but ended up being a treatment for Erectile Dysfunction and altitude sickness.

You just crushed my non-existent hopes and dreams.

Well I certainly wish that there was a magic pill to end AS misery, particularly for the young.
I went though hell on earth at school and if there is a "cure" to be had then let's have it.

I didn't "catch" AS, it runs in my family sadly.
I was the unlucky one though I see very slight signs of it in my siblings.

Very constructive.

I don't wish there to be a cure to make myself become opposite to being Aspie (if that is possible anyway). I just wish there was something, other than illegal drugs, that will definately give me better social skills without any side effects. The contraceptive pill has worked wonders with me; made the period pains less severe and more bearable and made my periods completely regular, and now I am able to enjoy myself whilst on my period. So I think there should be something for social skills in Autistic people, maybe not curing them but making things less of a barrier for them, and definately working for every Autistic individual without no side effects. That's what I'd be happy with, even if it only worked in the social area of the brain and nowhere else (not necessarily curing my anxiety or sensory issues, et cetera).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disease



Autism Spectrum Disorders/Syndromes are defined as neurological disorders in the International Classification of Disease (ICD10). All neurological disorders are broadly categorized as disease in the ICD10. So, technically as broadly categorized in the ICD10, Autism Spectrum Disorders/Syndromes meet the definition of disease, although they are specifically referred to as disorders/and or syndromes, as those are the more specific classifications.

There has been research ongoing for a goal of a cure for many neurological disorders for decades; some of this research has resulted in effective therapies and/or treatments to restore a balance of health and the ability for a more independent and productive life for some.

Part of the increased knowledge about autism spectrum disorders, that has resulted from this research associated with Autism, is potentially thousands of different causal factors related to the condition. Part of the goal of cure is to identify and potentially prevent causal factors to reduce impairments associated with the disorder. Other aspects include early diagnosis potentially resulting in more effective therapies and treatments to increase the potential of independence and productivity in life. And the development of more effective therapies and treatments. It is a hugely complex task, where there is the potential of a scale of improvement for some to lead a more independent and productive life.

Modern science provides this potential, and it would be inhumane not to pursue it, to provide the potential for greater independence and productivity for many on the spectrum, including research into co-morbid issues such as immune system dysfunction, mitochondrial dysfunction, and gastrointestinal illness, as well as others.

The goal of cure, means much more than a pill in modern science as it relates to neurological disorders. And as a previous post noted, research into a cure in many areas of disorder/disease has resulted in benefits in unexpected areas as a result of that research.

1800 scientists from 40 different countries recently met in the IMFAR International meeting for Autism Research. The complexity and scope of the research is amazing. It is far from child's play, and no less important than research that is ongoing associated with the goal of cure in other neurological disorders.

One cannot fully understand these goals, unless one understands the complex process ongoing and results that have already been achieved.

It is estimated that there is the potential of 10 to 15% of the population on what is defined as a broader autism phenotype, and potentially 30% of the population that may meet at least one criteria associated with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, per research done in the US and Sweden.

The majority of these individuals lead independent and productive lives; this is the goal of research into Autism Spectrum Disorders, to allow those individuals diagnosed and more severely impaired to lead a more independent and productive life, whether that means early diagnosis for earlier intervention with more effective therapies and treatment, or research into effective programs for social inclusion that provides individuals a greater opportunity to find employment. Cure is much more complex in this context, than a pill for a headache, but in general, people understand that a cure means much more than a pill, as it relates to any complex neurological disorder.

If one finds the the word cure offensive in the context of use with Autism Spectrum Disorders, or is aware that others find it offensive that they are communicating with, it is probably better to explain the detailed process of research that is ongoing rather than to talk about the overall generalized goal of cure, that is associated with many different neurological disorders.

I'm sorry that you were bullied at school but as I've stated in other threads, bullying is the reaction of some individuals to AS. Why should we change to accommodate those biggots? Besides, I know many other young people with AS who don't want to be cu- I mean, murdered and replaced by an aesthetically identical person.

The language being used in your brief commentary is reminiscent of anti-abortionist propaganda.


People should have choices.



TheSunAlsoRises

Regarding abortion, women already have choices. It's impossible to get pregnant without engaging in sexual intercourse or otherwise being fertilized. Women have the choice whether or not to have sex, otherwise they were raped, which ought to be far more illegal than abortion. So, going by the people ought to have choices logic, if anyone needs a choice it's the baby, and they are being denied. If someone were to be cured of AS as a child they would be minor, and thus not legally accountable.

I can agree with this, but erectile dysfunction and heart disease are a lot different than autism and Alzheimer's.

I agree. If you're going to cure something, cure meat.

What exactly is a "cure"?

No, seriously: How do you define that word?

Here's how I do it. The human body has a preferred state--healthy; a homeostasis where you are in balance, where you have the resources you need and the set-up to use them properly. When you get sick, your body tries to repair itself. If you have the repair equipment and there's not too much damage to keep up with, your body can successfully do it, and you don't need any outside help. That's what happens when you have a cold or you scrape your knee--your body just fixes it.

But there are situations where damage or disease overwhelms the ability of the body to heal itself, or even takes advantage of the body's healing equipment to make the problem worse (such as a cytokine storm triggered by a bad case of the flu). In that case, a doctor can intervene. What he does can be referred to as a "cure" if it is able to put your body into such a state that its natural healing mechanisms can once again take over and bring you back to your homeostatic baseline. So for example, you have strep throat (a bacterial infection). You have a dangerously high fever, and your body is losing the fight against the bacteria. The doctor's cure for your problem is antibiotics. The antibiotics kill the bacteria, and your body can catch up with the repair process.

So in order for there to be a cure for something:
1. The body has to be out of homeostasis.
2. The body's resources to repair itself have been overwhelmed.
3. Some outside assistance can help the body to "catch up".
4. When this treatment has been given, the body can repair itself and return to homeostasis.

OK, agree with that? Right then.

If those things are true, then a "cure" for autism is not a sensible thing to talk about.
1. An autistic person's body is structured differently, but it is not out of balance most of the time. Autism can be found in the physical structure of the brain, similar to the way dwarfism is found in the physical structure of the bones.
2. The autistic person's repair mechanisms have not been overwhelmed, because there is no damage to repair. If, as in cases of congenital rubella syndrome, autism is the result of damage or disease, by the time it is diagnosed the damage has already been repaired, and what remains is not equivalent to an injury; it's more equivalent to a scar left after an injury has been healed. In either case there is no interrupted healing process.
3. While we don't know whether it's possible to force the body to change itself to the degree that a person would not be autistic anymore, we do know that any such treatment would be changing a healthy body--not helping a sick one repair itself.

Since, abortions occur, before a certain trimester; i would argue that a baby is incapable of making a decision whether to be aborted or not, obviously. In which case, the decision would rest upon upon society as a whole or the one who is carrying the child. Roe v. Wade acknowledges that the decision lies with the mother.

My arguement is with the language being used to suggest a cure is liken to 'aborting' your true self.

My contention is THAT if there is a cure; people should have a choice. Now, whether that choice, should rest with a child, guardian, or both is an entirely different matter, altogether.

TheSunAlsoRises

The definition of autism per the DSM criteria, is based around observable behavioral impairments. The potential causal factors that may result in these behavioral impairments are potentially myriad per biological and environmental factors. There is the potential that in some cases the behavioral impairments are in part, a result of factors associated with the balance of homeostasis impacted by biological or environmental factors, but this is impossible to determine without research.

As long as there is the potential of these causal factors associated with some forms of autism as well as potential successful prevention, intervention, therapies or treatments of autism spectrum disorders, it is reasonable to talk about cure as a goal. Whether or not that goal of cure can or will be achieved for some on the autism spectrum cannot be determined at this point, because there is not enough understood about the potential causal factors that may vary greatly among different individuals on the spectrum, as has already been identified, in part, in some cases.