cure low function autism

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I never said that's *all* it is, but that's what you'd have to change to cure ASD. And I know quite a bit about it, actually, as sciences, particular nature, evolution and biology, are some of my strongest interests and I've done a lot of research on it in my own time. I don't, at all, claim to be a professional, as I have no interest in actually going into the field, Link about different brain wave patterns in Autism There are a ton of informational sites that have much the same information, as well as many other topics regarding the brain of people with ASD (size and growth patterns, thought processes, etc.)

As for adapting to it... Why do you think so many people are here? They want to adapt what they were born with. They come here to learn how to interact with people, what their strengths and weaknesses are so they can change what they can, etc. And yes, some of them, like me, DO adapt it well enough to be happy and live well, just with specific problems that never really go away. - where did you get your information?

I didn't at all mean to imply that they are trying to adapt their actual brain or anything, if that's what you thought..? Just how they express themselves.

And I'm well aware that abortion is not a cure, I was saying that's the only way to weed them out of society, a "cure all" sort of thing. I wasn't proposing eugenics at all, I was asking if that's what OP was talking about, thus my definition is largely irrelevant, but Eugenics is controlling the population by deciding who can breed, and preventing births of "less desirable" children. I think that fits perfectly with what I said.

By that reasoning: do you know what a person with "high-functioning AS" costs "society"?

Where I live that is:

The state providing several thousands of Euro every couple of months for an ASD therapy (only accessible by lucky (young) adults).

Insurances got to pay for all the medical health professionals one saw for the diagnosis/sees in the future.

Different levels of unemployment - that costs the city/state too.

Oh and there's also the monthly child benefits from the state for disabled "children" here.

Most "high-functioning" children with AS who I know need special support in school (for example, special equipment but usually an assistant) that are quite expensive and provided by the state as well.

Besides ASD-specific therapies, many also have need for therapies geared towards learning difficulties stemming from ASDs that and mimic more common disorders such as dyslexia or dyscalculia or for therapies for their visual difficulties, motor difficulties or attention problems (which, if I remember correctly, can be part of NVLD too). There are paid either by the insurance company or the state.

Why not cure all mental/neurological disabilities?


Not all of us have weaknesses and not all of us have strengths. We live in a society of intense hierarchy in aptitude. That is the problem. This is not a time to join hands smiling in peace. Fooling others into thinking that we're really sharing weaknesses and strengths would make successful fortunate individuals laugh at how they fooled them. Nobody believes that.

Hitler's docs experimented on people with mental disorders rather than to kill them. But, nothing that China does surprises me since they are number 1 worst in the human rights department.

I agree with the others, that I don't think a cure can be found for a disorder that we were born with, whether it is Aspergers, HFA, LFA, Bipolar or other disorders. Otherwise many of us wouldn't have grown into adults with the same disorders. However I think the disorders can be lessened through therapy and medications.

It also doesn't contradict the point that the majority of Aspies don't experience all or even most of those things. Using the most successful and least impaired people who fit in that category to counter the argument is not an actual rebuttal. It is irrelevant.

I know how you are, though. You try to argue on behalf of people who never chose you as a spokesperson and claim that they aren't able to speak for themselves. This makes it convenient for you to say "you can communicate, so you don't count." You also trivialize the challenges that the people who can speak for themselves deal with. I've seen enough of "you're too high functioning to talk credibly about being autistic" before I finally accepted that I was on the spectrum. Don't see any point to deal with it now.

Pretty sure the gas chambers which were eventually used on Jewish people were first created to exterminate people with disabilities and the mentally ill. Then they just applied it to another group they felt they should get rid of. Hitler exterminated people with disabilities in very large quantities, they didn't just experiment in them.
Anytime we start talking about a certain type of people being eliminated, it starts with "let's cure this", then when that doesn't work eugenics kicks in.

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php ... d=10005200

Difficulties due to autism are associated with lacking of aspects of brain connectivity. The wiring isn't necessarily just different. In some cases, the wiring may be insufficient. There is nothing reprehensible about repairing such problems.


Adapting isn't enough. That isn't going to make anyone content as a result. I don't think you just adapted. It is likely that the brains of you and others successful like you, have advantages that enable you to do well.

I don't think there can be a cure......just like every other mental disorder they cannot pin-point it to one specific problem to 'fix' not to mention the environmental factors. While I do not believe environmental factors will cause autism in a neurotypical born child.......I think the environment the autistic individual is exposed to may effect their functioning level. Studies have shown even people with severe autism or other mental illnesses do better in supportive, comfortable environments and I believe it since I've seen it myself with me...as well as how a bad environment can reduce ones abilities.

Besides that though so far I am under the impression they are looking into the possibility that different things can cause the same disorder. For instance lets use depression as an example. Well they are finding its possible there is more than one 'cause' of depression or multiple 'causes' that are too complex to determine exactly what the issue is. A lot of this also comes from the general variations in peoples brains in general since no two brains look the same it is hard to have a control......to compare the variables to.

And I suppose ultimately I think it's society that is sick...and should be cured.

Yeah, I used to be a runner, and I'm high functioning. (I would run away when I got overloaded or stressed out. I stopped doing this when I was being homeschooled and I realized I could handle stress better in the presence of my parents than when I was alone.)

Many of the issues people portray as unique to LFAs are problems for HFAs too. Running, toileting accidents and self-injury are all issues I've had at least to my midteens (I still self-injure, but I've outgrown the other two issues), even though I'm verbally gifted and have a gifted-level IQ.

You do realize, of course, that in one breath you both confirmed and denied what I said, correct?

And who said it was reprehensible? I implied "impossible" or "unlikely" to change those who currently have the problem, but that brings me to your second point; " It is likely that the brains of you and others successful like you, have advantages that enable you to do well."

So you are suggesting that we trade the things about ourselves that we love, for something we have never experienced that *may or may not be worth it*? Because let's be serious here... If you change one part of the brain to make it "normal" it's going to impact the rest. You can't have it only one way when you talk about neurobiology like this. You can't pick and choose what aspects you want to remain intact when you speak of "curing"; that would be ADAPTING.

What do you mean it's irrelevant? Disparities are proven to exist. So it's kind of complicated. That doesn't mean that the level of disability is the same across the spectrum.


What? Me the spokesperson? Who made all of those mild aspies the spokespeople? Oh, cause they're so smart and preeminent, and therefore in some way morally sound, their choices on policy for those way less fortunate than them should be obeyed? I didn't claim they couldn't speak for themselves at all. Let's be honest, the lower functioning one is, the less resources they have to counter the condescending and vainglorious propaganda and distorted claims expressed by the anti-cure crowd.


Speaking doesn't necessarily mean that there is enough effectiveness of communication. I'm not targeting my arguments simply towards all who can speak. The fortunate I speak of are secure in many abilities besides just speaking. You don't want to acknowledge the reality of what I'm describing, as you know it would seem very unjust compared to the portrayal you favor.
Why should those who clearly are doing much better than others have the final say in the policies lived under by those who are clearly a lot less fortunate than them? Unless they have some right due to being elites within some hierarchy.

You are probably right on sending people with mental issues to the gas chambers, but not before the docs and scientists experimented on them. Suicide was to easy for that fking Hitler. I would have like to see him sent to the gas chamber. He was deranged BIG TIME.

I don't know what you mean.


What things about yourselves that you love? What trading? Why is something bad cause it hasn't been experienced yet?


You are making up these slippery slope arguments with no evidence. You are the one bringing up the word normal. Not me.

No evidence? Tell me, how much do you know about how the brain actually works? I can likely fill in a lot of gaps you might have in that regard; I love learning about how the brain and body work, and go out of my way to stay fairly current on new discoveries. Like do you know that if you lose a limb, the portion of your brain used to "sense" that limb is converted to "sensing" other parts of the body, but still registers as the missing limb's sensations, which is what creates the "phantom limb" syndrome? The human brain is terribly good at weaving everything together, like a tapestry. If you remove one thread, it will pull on others, and change the pattern, and the other threads might even migrate into the gap left behind, effectively changing nothing except aesthetics. Not only do we not know which thread to pull, we don't know what other threads will be pulled with it.

I want to be VERY clear so you cannot misunderstand me. I *never* said it's bad, or even potentially bad, I said "worth it" as in "worth giving up a part of the core of ones being in exchange for something unknown".

As for the things about myself that I love? I'm fairly smart, very logical and honest, I can learn about whatever I want and have a drive to do so, I have fun quirks that help me to interact with people that I've developed over the years (such as making funny faces at people as an ice breaker because I don't understand how else to do it, and that's OK) The trade off would potentially be to *not* have these things in exchange for social skills and a more intuitive understanding of other people, which, as I said, may or may not be worth it (for me, personally, I'm erring on the side of "not")

Don't get me wrong, I fully support helping kids who can't communicate or function; There is a good chance my children will have similar needs, since 2 aspies reproducing can, according to current research, potentially lead to a higher rate of autism, however I don't believe a "cure" for the way someone is born is necessarily the right way to go. They can't tell you what they want, and in that regard, some way to communicate with them would be wonderful, really, but what if, like me, they like who they are, the way they are?

Society wants to change them because they are difficult to deal with, not because it's necessarily in their best interests as a person as they see themselves, and THAT is the core of my issue.

[Edit for clarification]

Can you give a reference for that? I thought that question hadn't been studied - just rate of autism in siblings of autistics, including twins and kids with multiple autistic siblings.