If you could be "cured" of AS...

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I read a novel called "The Speed of Dark" by Elizabeth Moon in which the protagonist Lou and his coworkers are autistic. Their fascist new boss is going to fire them as "liabilities" unless they agree to undergo an experimental new procedure to "cure" them.

That got me thinking, would I want to be "cured" of AS if possible? It would be great to be less sensitive of noise, light, foods, people, etc. but I'd have to learn a whole new set of coping skills. And what about my interests like reading, numbers, and languages? Would I, as a new and different person, no longer enjoy these things that have (at times) been the only things that made my life worth living?

Any opinions?

That is funny - I'm reading that book right now, too - I just love Lou's character - the way he narrates the world is so familiar . . .

I would say that I wouldn't be cured now because I would be just flooded with all sorts of things like caring about relationships and that sort of thing that would mess up things that I like to do . . .

If I could prevent myself from being autistic - I don't know - I might do that . . . I certianly am quite a failure right now, so if I could prevent that from happening I would . . .

But I don't think I would change who I am now - it would be far too complicated . . .

Well, NTs and aspies are on a completely different frequency. NTs don't have interests that are as strong as ours, so they just don't even know what it's like to be aspie. And us aspies? We don't really know what it's like to be NT, but it would be sort of irrational to say that we know what life would be like if we were to change to NT tomorrow. We have to remember that our brains would have to be re-wired, and our interests would thus no longer matter to us as they had in the past. We would then be brainwashed into the arena of socialization. Gee, that would suck as an aspie, but as an NT? Probably not. You'd be brainwashed, or more accurately, re-wired.

I have to say that I like that part of AS that gets me so engrossed in my interests, because I like that feeling of self-gratification, or whatever it is that gets me so excited about things. I like my ability to hyperfocus and gain a keen eye for research and all. I have opinions that are held deeply, opinions that I research a lot about, and even though I'm not always as factual as I really want to be, since I'm preoccupied by trying to fill in those holes in the gaps of logic, which tends to annoy me at times to a point where I can be seen as stubborn and making up stuff to be seen as I know what I am talking about. Gee! I hate it when I am told that I don't know what I'm talking about. When you're trying to make sense of the world, no matter how literal you want to think, the world's constructs are never that literal and defined.

I voted for not sure on the post here, but I don't know what I want to be, but I know that I don't want to be an NT. I have always liked the weirder parts of the population. I see something in them that I don't see in NTs, yet I just can't pinpoint what. I guess it's more or less a reflection of my intense emotional state.

- Ray M -

This comes up again and again...

Speaks for me too.

It would be nicer and easier to be more integrated into majority culture, but...
The price tag may be too high.

"It is no good thing to be well-adjusted to a sick society" Krishnamurti

I'm not sure losing the ability to stand apart and perceive would be a good thing, even if it might improve comfort. Similarly with other abilities and nuances that might be lost in the change. "...only such people are capable of certain achievements..." Hans Asperger

Of course, from the NT perspective, expressing the desire not to be cured may only confirm the degree of our illness.

My AS isn't bad enough to make my problems truly insurmountable; and if I were NT I'd have problems too. I'd rather deal with Aspie problems than NT problems any day.

[quote="Callista"]My AS isn't bad enough to make my problems truly insurmountable [quote]

Also I don't really know any better, I've not been an NT who then turned into an Aspie. Besides, I wouldn't be me if I didnt have Asperger's.

Big No from me. I LOVE having AS. It makes me so unique and I wear my Aspie badge like a Pro Athelete heading to his perspective Hall Of Fame. I've been called arrogant, cocky and as*hole because AS makes me feel superior to NT's. I love it.

Oz

Oz_Sputnik pretty much sums up how I feel

I doubt it.
It would depend on a lot of things though some of which I will post here for your benefit:
-Leglasition
-Funding
-Experience
-Survivial rate
-How 'guniea pigs' are obtained.
-Who? If ran by CAN, I would run for the hills....probably literally
-Where? Obviously, if it's not alivable in my area......
-Why? The reason behind this.
It goes on and on but most likley, I would leave well enough alone. Nature made my brain - could be survival of the fittest.

I doubt it.
It would depend on a lot of things though some of which I will post here for your benefit:
-Leglasition
-Funding
-Experience
-Survivial rate
-How 'guniea pigs' are obtained.
-Who? If ran by CAN, I would run for the hills....probably literally
-Where? Obviously, if it's not alivable in my area......
-Why? The reason behind this.
It goes on and on but most likley, I would leave well enough alone. Nature made my brain - could be survival of the fittest.

i would not want my aspergers 'cured'. The way i think is a good thing. I would like certain parts of autism helped. some of my friends have trouble speaking to me, they are much worse in school or with other people. The anxiety is a problem and i think that could be helped. My hearing (as well as most of my other senses) drive me crazy at times.

but the good things out number the bad.
>imagination
>organized
>quick memorization
>my senses(+and-)
>my teachers think i'm smarter thn them
>and I can relate to other people who feel like outsiders
more too. i just forget.

Hmmmmm If I could be cured of As well I think of it as a gift but if there was a way of being cured for just a day or 2 I would definetly say yes.

Did any of you answering this just see X-Men and think it relates to this question?!

I mean, even if you don't subscribe to the theory out there (and I mean "out there") that says that Asperger people are actually mutants...

My husband (also unofficial AS, like me) was talking about seeing Xmen for months so we went to see it and all I could think of was the Cure Autism Now stuff I'd just been reading about ...

So I liked the movie and so did he and afterwards we said we didn't want to get that injection, neither of us.

I had a blind student once for tutoring, and I asked her the stupid question everyone asks her, and she said she didn't mind being blind because she had never known what it was like being sighted. Well, I guess it's a little like that... maybe...

I only know this way of perceiving the world and so how could I miss the other way?

(Of course, my movie connection may be loopy. I thought War of the Worlds was about Iraq and the US/allied forces were the aliens...)

It's like left-handedness. ((No, I'm not. No offence))
You could do more damage than good by fiddling around with it.

Nope not here

I like being odd and different it makes the world more fun ^^
~Warlock

Nope, I like my life with its challenge even though it can be frustrating at times.