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Cure for Autism?

K-1 · 2011-08-25T08:56:41+00:00

I have Asperger's, which is part of the autism spectrum, and I am a part of several online communities for individuals with autism and/or families with autistic children. Recently, there have been several discussions about a possible "cure" for autism within these communities, and I wanted to see what a (relatively) normal group of people had to say on the subject. A better way to say that is, I wanted to see what a group of people that aren't autistic and don't have any autistic family members has to say about a possible "cure" for autism. I'm not extremely knowledgeable about autism itself, having researched only Asperger's, and I am sometimes bad at explaining things, so I'll leave the research of autism itself to the reader and focus on the question - Should a cure for autism be pursued? It may seem like a clear-cut question; you'd pursue a cure for cancer and AIDS, so why not autism? But the truth of the matter is that there are a lot of things to think about. First, is a cure really possible? Autism isn't a sickness that can be expunged. It doesn't affect just a single part of the body. It affects the person's brain and how it functions, and a cure would require something beyond brain surgery. Science aside, would autistics even want to a cure? It is often said, and I definitely believe it to be true, that an autistic person is who they are because they have autism. Meaning, if the autism were somehow removed, the person left would not be the person that existed before. The new person would think differently, act differently, really be a different person. At times, I wish I didn't think or behave a certain way, but I never wish to be a completely different person. For me to do so would require that I hate myself, hate who I am, to the very core. There are a lot of people that hate the very idea of searching for a cure. To some of them, it is the same as saying that all autistics are broken and need to be fixed, and to a lot of autistics, that is grievously offensive. I certainly don't feel broken. On the other hand, it is understandable that parents of autistics would want a cure. When they see their child, so different from kids his own age, and think of the troubles he will face in the future, it can be heartbreaking. Their child may never live independently or get married. Why wouldn't they wish for something that would allow their child to change, to do those things he cannot do? I don't want to sway opinions, so I won't say any more. I'm looking forward to some good responses. Also, I don't think I need to say this, but just in case - keep things civil and avoid statements that could be damaging to others. I'm not saying to hold back with your opinions, but don't say that all autistics are worthless people that deserve to be euthanized or something along those lines. That sort of thing doesn't leave room for discussion and is downright offensive.

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skyking117

13 years ago

i have autism but i have a less sevire form i have a extremily high iQ which a lot of kids with autism have i don't see my autism as a diseas or something to be cured i may not be able to under stand most people and the way they think but people with autism can see the world in a diffrent light than normal people and some of the smartest people to ever live were belived to have autism eg albert einstien so i belive it dosn't need to be cured.

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