Autism Speaks/opinion?

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What is the overall concensus on autism speaks and CAN? I

'd like to hear your viewpoints. So far, I've read that the voices of HFA/Aspie are not being heard. Is this true? If you could elaborate, I'd appreciate it.

thx,

equinn

never been there, but from all I've heard, I wouldn't be welcome anyway

I think that Autism Speaks and other like organizations have good intentions. They are just fighting to solve the wrong problem. I think they are afraid of what they don't know. I think that they are caring people who are trying hard to bring awareness to autism but that they are doing it the wrong way and for the wrong reasons. I believe that they are only misguided by ignorance...

I still don't see what the big deal is. A lot of people here think that Austism Speaks wants to cure everyone on the entire spectrum, but I highly doubt that. I think they're leaning more towards helping lower-functioning autistics that want to be helped and will make things easier for them and everyone involved in that person's life. I doubt they're acting out towards individuals with higher forms of autism, like AS. It's not like they're threatening that person's life over curing them...

The biggest issue I have with Autism $p£aks (funnily enough, their initials are AS, but anyway...) is that they portray autism as a terminal disease which has to be cured now, 'before it's too late.' They also do not, as far as I am aware, employ anybody who is on the spectrum, nor do they listen to our points of view. They paint a very biased, one-sided picture of autism, using emotion and scare tactics to make people think that 'sufferers' of autism are locked in their own head, constantly tormented and somehow not quite human.

There may be good intentions somewhere, but Autism Speaks is totally obsessed with finding a cure, while having a very biased, textbook understanding of autism.

I am not against finding a cure for the most severe, unbeneficial symptoms associated with autism, but finding a wholesale cure is like trying to find a cure for black skin. It's unnecessary and probably impossible.

It's considered a global health crisis and an epidemic. Yet, the so called epidemic is simply the addition of Aspergers and autism as a diagnostic code in the DSM. It didn't exist before the 90's. Autism was associated with mental retardation and withdrawal. There was little hope for someone with autism. It is not that there is an epidemic, but a broader interpretation of a spectrum. Seems like common sense stuff to me.

I don't believe in a cure. It's like raisnig money to find a cure for mental retardation. Bizarre. Accept the powers that be! It is neurological and the child is BORN this way. What scares me is that parents are so desperate and would resort to lobotomy type offers or some kind of crazy blood cleansing experiement--don't people use the heavy metal cleansing procedure? I find this hard to believe too.

If you read Unstrange Minds you will be enlightened about autism.

equinn