Topical these days is finding the "cause" of Autism with, one suspects, the goal of "curing" it or eradicating it. Would that make the world a better place?
How different is that from finding the cause and cure for being gay, being Black, being deaf, being anything other than white and "normal"? Why do the powers that be have such a desire to eliminate anything that is different from them? It's not new, of course; Eugenics has been around for quite some time.
I would be able to work, i would be able to have a relationship, i would be able to engage in physical intimacy. I would be able to go about my day not getting triggered, And i would not be a burned on society. There is more that all links into what i wrote above but i struggle to find the words to describe my inner world.
In short i would be 'normal' and contributing and living life, not this sad shell of a human being.
and not being me anymore sounds great tbh i hate they way we as autistics struggle
Its all the problem, socially i really struggle and am alone a lot, i find connection both mentally and physically hard, i cant work because i shutdown every time i get a job. I have to take medication that does not work, told the pharmacist and they told me to keep taking it. I dont understand the world and it is getting more and more hostile towards disabled people. So if there was a pill then yeah would prob try it
Who would you be if you were "cured"? I'm not taking away from how tough you might find autism. But if you're entire brain is changed which has to happen for you to stop being autistic as our brains are physically different to NTs, then you would not be you any more.
This is why a cure isn't going to happen and shouldn't be wanted though. You can't cure half of autism and not the other. Ye absolutely sometimes autism really really sucks. But we wouldn't be us if it was cured. What we need is more support with the elements of autism that are tough.
I believe it unlikely that there will ever be a cure for someone with autism, however I believe it is possible that there may eventually be cures for some of the co-morbidities such as the ME/CFS that I got in my 30s (dependent upon funding for research).
I think it depends. If you have no pain, a happy life and support, then fine.
If you have autoimmune issues from the stress, dark thoughts, can't work, have communication problems, etc. you might think it is a bit less fine.
I think it may also depend if you knew about your status early and could avoid burnouts. Or if you got to enjoy the dysfunctional thinking, screwed up your relationships, did less well than you could have done and have had dark periods, you might view it a bit less favourably. Being depressed on a regular basis is not great, nor is breaking down in front of someone due to complete overload.
I'd keep the thinking style as it suits technology, but I'd be happy if they could remove the negative bits.
Some believe that the world would be a better place without autistic people. They would also dispense of people with Down’s Syndrome, the LGBTQ+ community, people with physical and/or learning disabilities, people who aren’t considered ‘beautiful’ or ‘handsome’, people of ‘other’ religions, the chronically ill, black people … and anyone who doesn’t fit the ‘norm’ criteria. A law would pass that would confine women to the home.
I would prefer not to have to work harder than others to do certain things, but otherwise, I wouldn’t want to be cured because I wouldn’t be me. Also, a cure might mean that I would no longer focus intently on my favourite things, and I wouldn’t give those up for anything.
Those who promote a cure are simply self interested and politically and financially motivated. They will not let the truth get in the way of their ambition. Unfortunately the world has become immune to the ridiculous and blatant lies that come out of Trump and others’ mouths. “Oh don’t worry, he says all sorts of stupid things” is a response that really worries me because it means the world is standing still and is not demanding that politicians act with integrity. I mean even his social media channel is called ‘Truth Social’! That is just a slap in the face!
I’m still not decided on what autism truly is, if it’s naturally occurring or man-made in some way. Possible exposure to chemicals that were available world wide or is it just a natural occurrence. Did it begin at the start of the industrial revolution or were there cases of autism yet to be studied and diagnosed. Autism can surely only be as old as the final agreements on what is considered the disorder itself. Anything else that came before is speculation because it hadnt been defined yet.
Autism could just be part of natural variation - the physical neuroanatomy of someone with autism is different to someone who doesn't have autism (connectivity, regionalisation and some of the microstructure is different).
Regarding natural variation even though books are published on anatomy and neuroanatomy they are usually an amalgamation of many individuals because everyone's anatomy and neuroanatomy is different.
Also the number of bones in the human body is similar in that there is an average number that is generally used (around 206) and you may have more bones or you may have fewer bones.
If you subscribe to the social model of disability—that your environment and people around you disable you—to what extent is your Autism the problem or is your environment the problem?
I'm not disagreeing with your position, I'm just wondering if you might elaborate. Thanks.
This question reminds me of X-Men 3: The Last Stand when they find a cure for mutants. In the film, there were some mutants that actively wanted the cure, though most found it abhorrent.
With that in mind: Yeah, many of us Autistics (myself included) would probably find a cure to be an attack on our personal identity, but there would certainly be some that would gladly take it.
To clarify - the answer is we don't. But ignorant people think we need fixing/eradicating rather than supporting.
It's all a load of nonsense, ND has lots of causes, most of them a combination of genes, so how's that going to b eradicated.
I like being me and wouldn't want to be "cured" even if it were possible, I'd far rather be cured of osteoarthritis which causes me far more problems than autism.
People don't like what is different unfortunately and anything like this seems to involve so many steps forward and then a load back. Race is a good example of this too.
People with little knowledge also see the highest support needs and use that as their definition of autism and then just see us as a drain on society who can't contribute anything. Absolutely no disrespect to those who have high support needs. That is not my opinion, just an observation.
