Cure for AS as impossible as converting a chimpanzee into a

Post Reply New Topic

Is a "cure" for AS as impossible as converting a chimpanzee into a human?

yeah basically

Someone who says they want to cure their childs AS is like saying "I dont want my kid, give me a different kid but i want him in my childs body. AS is a part of you, its who you are....

They just don't think to the next level. Having AS is, to a person, like having a different CPU is, to a computer.

In the 70s, the 68000 was a VERY nice processor. The Z80 was a nice processor. If NTs had a Z80, then AS might have a 68000. Most Z80s ran CP/M, and 68000s couldn't. To change the processor, EVEN if the rest of the computer were somehow IDENTICAL, EVERYTHING else would have to change. Likewise, one with AS develops certain habits, mannerisms, learns their limits/abilities, etc.... If they became NT, a LOT of that would have to change!

I don't like this analogy.

how about "turning a chimpanzee into a sheep"?

Yes it is impossible to "cure" AS, and yes people calling for a "cure" need to STFU and put their attention toward something that really does threaten the lives of people who have it.

I don't think I am anything like a chimpanzee. For one thing ,I can't swing through the trees, but it would be great if I could. I wish I had their strength. They can do a lot of things humans can't because of their strength. The AS/ape connection I don't get.
Curing AS is like turning a human into a chimpanzee?
If you watch documentaries with Jane Goodall one thing you notice is that Chimps rely on non verbal communication a lot, more than humans, even. They don't have complex language structures like humans. They are aware of all kinds of things going on with other chimps that most humans are oblivious to and we think; how do they know. The comparison between AS and ape is not a good one. A chimp with AS might be more confused than a human with it, but could help the chimp world advance technologically and verbally, maybe?

I think the question contains the same error in thinking as those who hope for a cure. The idea that AS is a thing, rather than a collection of traits.

But think of psycho-stimulants. Anti-depressants.

They don't cure in the sense of 'do away with the disorder forever and completely'.

But they're called or thought of as 'cures' too by many people.

Couldn't agree more!

No; curing AS is turning a human into a chimpanzee.

Well there's a whole lot of research that attempts to simplify autism, thinking there's one single, simple difference somewhere that we can change and voila, shazam! you're now Mr. Averege!

But since we already know that it's not that simple and they won't find anything like that, the claim that AS is impossible to cure is pretty rational.

Doesn't that mean they've skipped the human stage and went straight into the mindless stage?

We are what we are. It is wired in the genes. What an Aspie can do is learn the rules of the NT world and apply them. I am an Old Aspie. Over the last forty years I have internalized the rules of NTness as I have understood them and worked them out. As a result I can "pass" for normal in most circumstannces. Since I am married to an NT and most (but not all) of my children are NT knowing how to navigate the NT world has been very useful. But inside I am what I am. All I can do is regulate how I appear to others and my overt behavior in the company of others.

Think of it as learning the rituals and customs of a foreign country. It is very doable.

ruveyn

There isn't a cure, but learning how to appear normal... it's like starting to speak with an accent. If you're American, the best way to learn to speak with a British accent is to live with the British, and vice versa.

For me, the more time I spent being around and interacting with people, the more normal I appear. I make friends easier and most people would be surprised if I told them that I was an Aspie.

That is very close to my experience.

ruveyn