a cure for AS?

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02 Feb 2008, 5:46 pm

there has been a lot of talk about needing to find a cure for autism. But the question is; do people with AS want to be cured, and is it a good thing? It has been said that AS is the next stage in evolution, and some of the smartest, most succesful people have had it. And how many Aspies even want to be NT? I don't.

Basshead
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02 Feb 2008, 6:17 pm

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But the question is; do people with AS want to be cured, and is it a good thing?

Generally, no, but some do. This is an old subject on WP.

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It has been said that AS is the next stage in evolution,

Extremely unlikely and downright arrogant.

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some of the smartest, most succesful people have had it

They had Asperger's, not the more severe forms of autism. And it's dubious in some cases, like Einstein.

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And how many Aspies even want to be NT?

Those who want a cure.

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And how many Aspies even want to be NT?

Normality has its advantages, just like AS does. I'm personally for breeding people with the best features of both. World domination would be so much easier.

I agree with you though, but I think the anti-cure position is flawed, most of which you demonstrated.
Sorry if I came across as abrasive, pedantic or sarcastic.

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CockneyRebel
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02 Feb 2008, 6:19 pm

I don't wish to be cured.

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TheMidnightJudge
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02 Feb 2008, 6:23 pm

This has been discussed...
Most people don't want cures, some do.
Neurotypicalism and Autism both have advantages.
Some highly successful aspies exist....but some highly successful NTs exist too... I think the reason people like Einstein might be AS is because being wired differently, we see things in a different way.
"We can't solve problems with the same thinking we used when we created them" -Albert Einstein

OregonBecky
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02 Feb 2008, 8:54 pm

It's like trying to "cure" a German shepherd to act and think like a poodle.

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ToadOfSteel
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02 Feb 2008, 9:04 pm

In the case of autism, curing is genocide.

zendell
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02 Feb 2008, 11:11 pm

ddrapayo wrote:

I cured some of my autistic symptoms and none of my positive traits were affected. I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to help themselves.

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02 Feb 2008, 11:15 pm

OregonBecky wrote:

It's like trying to "cure" a German shepherd to act and think like a poodle.

that sums up my anti-cure beliefs better than any other phrasing i've ever heard in my life.

I hate these celebrities crying on TV for a cure for autism when there's still AIDS, cancer, famine and ManBearPig.

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02 Feb 2008, 11:21 pm

I admit I'm too caught up in trying to make sense of the concept than to juggle the ethical issues.

Autism is the result of neurological structure, not a pathogen of some kind. To claim to want to "cure" it seems, regardless of whether you view autism as a positive or a negative, somewhat misguided.

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zendell
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02 Feb 2008, 11:24 pm

Phagocyte wrote:

Autism is the result of neurological structure, not a pathogen of some kind.

The problem is there is no proof of that. I think pathogens (such as Mycoplasma fermentans, HHV-6a, Candida, Clostridia, B. burgdoferi, C. pneumonia) cause most autistic symptoms.

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03 Feb 2008, 10:17 am

zendell wrote:

The problem is there is no proof of that. I think pathogens (such as Mycoplasma fermentans, HHV-6a, Candida, Clostridia, B. burgdoferi, C. pneumonia) cause most autistic symptoms.

There is good reason to believe that it is the result of neurological structure, which seems to be the stance that the mainstream medical and scientific community seems to be taking. Of course, little is known either way so I do not intend to rule out discussion on non-genetic possibilities, but there is also no proof of your hypothesis, making the assumption that ASD's can be treated as diseases a bit presumptuous.

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zendell
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03 Feb 2008, 1:31 pm

Phagocyte wrote:

zendell wrote:

The problem is there is no proof of that. I think pathogens (such as Mycoplasma fermentans, HHV-6a, Candida, Clostridia, B. burgdoferi, C. pneumonia) cause most autistic symptoms.

No conclusive proof but there's evidence from scientific studies. One example is evidence that autistics have larger brains which may be due to inflammation as the result of a virus or other pathogen.

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03 Feb 2008, 1:47 pm

zendell wrote:

I cured some of my autistic symptoms and none of my positive traits were affected.

You didn't "cure" anything. Maybe you were able to learn to supress some of the more outward symptoms in the interest of maintaining an NT appearance (as I have), but it's not like you took a single drug that permanently removed those symptoms (although some drugs can temporarily lessen them).

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I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to help themselves.

Turning yourself into a pathological liar (a.k.a. an "NT") is not helping yourself...

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03 Feb 2008, 2:11 pm

ToadOfSteel wrote:

zendell wrote:

I cured some of my autistic symptoms and none of my positive traits were affected.

Quote:

I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to help themselves.

Turning yourself into a pathological liar (a.k.a. an "NT") is not helping yourself...

Why are you so close-minded? I took probiotics which can cure the intestinal dysbiosis that causes autistic symptoms. Other people noticed the same benefit in a recent double-blind, placebo-controlled study using probiotics to treat autism.

Instead of calling me a liar, why not attack science since that's what I'm basing my views on? Just write something like "I hate science because it disagrees with my belief that autism can't be treated."

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03 Feb 2008, 2:44 pm

zendell wrote:

I was reading an interesting book about neuroplasticity that suggested the enlarged brain may be due to an overgrowth of the neuron's fatty covering. The author, a psychiatrist, brought up research that seems to lead to the belief that autism is genetic but inactive unless a conditional "trigger" is activated. Whatever science inevitably proves ASD's to be, this is a fascinating field that could definitely afford more research.

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ToadOfSteel
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03 Feb 2008, 5:42 pm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism#Prognosis

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There is no cure.

Maybe you have taken some form of therapy that was effective for you, but you are in no way "cured".

zendell wrote:

Instead of calling me a liar, why not attack science since that's what I'm basing my views on? Just write something like "I hate science because it disagrees with my belief that autism can't be treated."

I'm not calling you a liar (you're not an NT). I don't hate science as it's provided humanity with every technological advancement we take for granted today. The only thing that I've been opposed to from the start are groups like DAN and what not. I have accepted the autistic spectrum to be a part of what I am, and so when I see something like "Defeat Autism Now", I instead read "Defeat ToadofSteel Now", and I for one am not going to be defeated without a fight.

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