Adults with ASD: If there were a cure, would you take it?

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I thought a few more people might be interested in voting on this poll:

http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/about_asds/
A Web Project of Kennedy Krieger Institute • Sponsored by Autism Speaks

I also posted a thread on the newsgroup alt.support.autism about it.

I know its unpopular to say it, but... Yes, in a heartbeat, I would take the cure.

I'm not saying that there aren't some positives to it. But for the most part my complete lack of tact and emotional cluelessness have caused me to hurt a lot of people I care about. If there was something I could do to make that not happen, I wouldn't hesitate.

I've only recently learned that I have Asperger's (Or rather that "Asperger's Syndrome" is the name for what I've experienced throughout my life). So maybe I still have some acceptance and adjustment to do. Maybe my attitude will change. But for now, that's just how I feel.

warning, warning this is a test. of the national broadcast system and we will be currently playing some annoying music during the test wich will last for a complete minute. after that your soap opera should resume or whatever it is you were watching, thank you

I agree with you in wanting a cure. There are things I'm just not able to do that I want to do and everyone else can. However, tact and emotions can be learned. I used to speak directly and honestly. If someone asked me how they looked, I told them the truth because that's what I thought they wanted to hear. However, I learned that if you want people to like you then you can't do that. Now, I know they ask to feel better about themselves so I say they look nice. I noticed when I watched Seinfeld that they would say "you look nice" but then communicate with their facial expression that they mean the opposite of what they said. That way they make the person feel good while also giving their opinion. I have trouble with the facial expression that I'd like to cure but some other things you can learn.

Except that those people can also read the facial expression, thus know (or at least think they know) what was meant, and again, hurt feelings abound. In point of fact, most of the people I know who've had their feelings hurt in conversation have done so while conversing with NTs. The few who have felt insulted while speaking to me either didn't know me (and if I gave a crap, I explained what was actually meant, and that my expression could not be used as useful input), or were being deliberately insulted by me (that latter list quite short, but it does exist...).

Thus, as we can see, "curing" your AS would not keep you from hurting people's feelings - although it would seem to increase the likelihood that you'd be doing so on purpose, rather than (as is the case now) without meaning to. NTs do that sort of thing all the time, then try to claim it's all the insulted party's fault - "I was just kidding, they're too sensitive, it's all about being PC!"

I dunno. I think that some early intervention techniques are very valuable and can help with some of the things that annoy us most. Social skills training is valuable. Sensory integration training is valuable. Studies are showing us that these things are helping to make people on the spectrum higher functioning.

Would I myself change me and eat a cure? No, prolly not. I am what I am. I've accepted it. Are there things that I would change? Definitely. But cure? No. I'm a weird kid. Not going to change after 40 years. I wouldn't know how else to behave. I am very wary of all the curebie agenda. Someone with not enough info will make a law stating that all babies will need to be screened for autism and then before we know it, all forms will be a death sentence. I understand both sides of the fence. But I would not be willing to face a Gattaca like situation.

I always laugh when I work with parents of lower functioning autistic children. They always say the same thing. I wish I knew what was going in his head. I always think. No you don't. I've been inside my head and it's a frightening place. My son's brain is pretty scary, too. NTs can't handle the things that go through our brains. Thinking in pictures is not always what you think it might be. Being able to think in spiderwebs is also not always the great experience that they think it might be.

I'm always open to things that might alleviate the more annoying AS traits, but curing it overall might be bad. Temple Grandin always says we would be sitting in the dark never talking to each other if it weren't for AS people.

Let me see how I can phrase this.....

Oh HELL no!! !! !

If it would not mean the loss of my musical talents or connection to nature and if it would help me be able to understand other people and protect myself better from their manipulations, yes I think I would.



Aaaah, I see I am no longer an "emu egg", but have risen to the status of being titled:

"Tufted TitMouse" A mouse that has huge ear-tufts that tries to feed nocturnally on humans?

Last edited by MusicMaker1 on 12 Jan 2008, 6:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

No.

ahahahahah delicately put!

Had you have asked me this 10 years ago, when I was in my early teens, I'd have said yes in a heartbeat. I'll say 'no' now, but only because I've learnt my various coping mechanisms and I don't see that I'm that far off NT anyway, so it'd be pointless. I like being 'quirky'. I'm certainly not against 'cures'.

No i wouldnt cure something i was born with, this is how im suppose to be, i'm not going to play god. If i could cure some of the traits though I wouldnt mind.

LeKiwi, that may be why the question is being asked specifically of adults...

And if I had the choice,
I'd take the voice I've got
'Cause it was hard to find,
You know I've come too far
To wind up right back where I started -
Won't let them tell me who I should be,
I'll never let the monkeys make a mess of me,
I'll be who I am, and that's all I can do,
Oh, but I'm true...
- Concrete Blonde, "True", Concrete Blonde

Not only no, but hell no.

I would see what happened to others. I would do major research and look for interviews of people who had switched to the other side after the treatment, and then interviews months after the treatment.

More likely then not I would keep my current form.

I feel the same way as long as I don't lose my talents...