A Third Option in the Cure Debate

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Lately I have been thinking about the whole "cure debate". Should autism be cured or not? This debate keeps on going with no end in sight.

I'll take a third option: It doesn't matter.

Alright, let's pretend you think autism should be cured. What are you going to do about it? I suppose you could donate money to autism research ... but there is no guarantee of results. Tons of money has been donated to autism research and that might help us in the future ... but what can we do for autistic individuals right now?

The pro-cure position and the idea that autistics are an oppressed minority are, contrary to popular belief, compatible. We can help the autistic community right now. This, unlike cure research, will get fast results.

I'll use an analogy. Just about everyone want to cure spinal cord injuries. Wanting to cure spinal injuries doesn't make you an opponent of the wheelchair ramp.

Would that would almost imply some of that hard-earned NPO fundraising money be spent on educating the general public on the normal* variations of the human mind, and that differences are okay? Or is it more a matter of using said funds to educate people on the spectrum how to best adapt to the NT world that is assumed to be the standard?

I have a feeling those are the two camps that would result & they really might not be so different from the two sides of the current debate?

*occurs repeatedly over time in the population

like that!

I do not like this analogy: a spinal cord injury is objectively a disability, ASDs are not, not always and not objectively.

I personally do not care if a cure is found or not, but i do care about whether it will be forced on everyone with an ASD diagnosis: that would be a bad idea, as the "higher functioning" (i don't like that term but i know of no better one) among us have valuable uses in society, which we'd lose with an obligatory cure...

"Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning."

I think having the disabilities I have (I think autism is a disability) made me a better person, and I'm happier for having them. It's society that has a problem with me, and not doing anything about having a problem with me. If I have a problem with myself, I try to accept myself as I am today.

However, another "cure option" is to pick and choose which parts of autism (or other disabilities) I want to be cured, but leaving everything else in tact. I would find it nice to not have to deal with pain and tightness due to the cerebral palsy spasticity down the back of my legs and feet, to find it easier to communicate, to not skin pick anymore, to be able to regulate my emotions and sensory processing better, to not tire as easily, and curing my depression entirely, but leaving everything else--the special interests, the repetitive movement, etc.--behind. I'm not sure if this is possible, though.