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UK Govermnent to conduct audit on adults with autism

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shopaholic
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08 May 2008, 3:25 am

I've just seen this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7389228.stm

Looks like finally we may be getting somewhere!

(Though I do feel very slightly uneasy about the implications of developing a government register of all adults with autism - what if they suddenly decide to force a "cure" on us all?)



velodog
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08 May 2008, 3:35 am

Just make sure they don't start making you wear Baby Blue Dodecahedrons in public.



KingdomOfRats
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08 May 2008, 6:55 am

it is a good idea.
there are already registers for other stuff like blindness/VI in the UK,and if are awarded DLA-are already on the disabled register/are registered disabled.
they do not force registered blind people to have operations that would cure their VI,so they wouldnt do the same with autistics either.
it would go against that many laws and rights.


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psych
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08 May 2008, 8:13 am

KingdomOfRats wrote:
it is a good idea.
they do not force registered blind people to have operations that would cure their VI,so they wouldnt do the same with autistics either.
it would go against that many laws and rights.


Maybe that is the case now, but that can change in the future.



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08 May 2008, 10:34 am

velodog wrote:
Just make sure they don't start making you wear Baby Blue Dodecahedrons in public.

I get the reference. Very clever! :chin: :thumleft:


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09 May 2008, 6:57 am

wow- brilliant!! !! would i be able to get DLA?? i find shopping, cooking etc really hgard to manage (current diet= pizza- put it in the oven, take it out, eat) though if im ok, i can cook cordon blue!! but the obv problem with getting help is taht i HATE dealing with people. i'd rather go to the supermarket than get it delivered after getting it online...- as id still have to let them into my flat, thank them, make eye contact etc...



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09 May 2008, 7:58 am

bettybarton wrote:
wow- brilliant!! !! would i be able to get DLA?? i find shopping, cooking etc really hgard to manage (current diet= pizza- put it in the oven, take it out, eat) though if im ok, i can cook cordon blue!! but the obv problem with getting help is taht i HATE dealing with people. i'd rather go to the supermarket than get it delivered after getting it online...- as id still have to let them into my flat, thank them, make eye contact etc...


yes you can get DLA for not being able to cook a meal (i do), it doesn't matter if you can occasionally do it, what matters is that you can't do it most of the time (i think that means 5 days a week or more). just don't tell them about what you can do :wink:



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09 May 2008, 7:02 pm

And how exactly do they plan to find all the undiagnosed cases without evaluating every man, woman and child on their little island?


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psych
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09 May 2008, 8:33 pm

Orwell wrote:
And how exactly do they plan to find all the undiagnosed cases without evaluating every man, woman and child on their little island?


A compulsory DNA database would come in very helpful with that....

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt65176.html



DivaD
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09 May 2008, 9:18 pm

i keep misreading this as "UK government to conduct audition on adults with autism" 8O

i hope they're not going to ask us to sing! :oops:



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09 May 2008, 11:20 pm

psych wrote:
Orwell wrote:
And how exactly do they plan to find all the undiagnosed cases without evaluating every man, woman and child on their little island?


A compulsory DNA database would come in very helpful with that....

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt65176.html

But has Great Britain implemented one of those yet? Even if you have, Autism isn't as easy to pick out as Trisomy 21. We don't have unambiguous genetic markers for it yet.


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10 May 2008, 2:09 pm

psych wrote:
KingdomOfRats wrote:
it is a good idea.
they do not force registered blind people to have operations that would cure their VI,so they wouldnt do the same with autistics either.
it would go against that many laws and rights.


Maybe that is the case now, but that can change in the future.

I believe that all blind people should be cured, since blindness is nothing but a restricting physical illness and gives a person no advantage over sighted people. However AS/autism does not fall into the same category and should not be treated as a handycap. It is not a prison the way blindness or other physical disabilities can be.



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10 May 2008, 9:39 pm

KateShroud wrote:
I believe that all blind people should be cured, since blindness is nothing but a restricting physical illness and gives a person no advantage over sighted people. However AS/autism does not fall into the same category and should not be treated as a handycap. It is not a prison the way blindness or other physical disabilities can be.

For people born blind, the mental connections to process visual information have not been formed and so the sudden introduction of sightedness can cause some problems for them. Basically, if you have lived without sight it may be better to continue that way rather than complicate your life with new sensory input that you can't really comprehend anyways. Those who were once sighted and became blind don't object to the possibility of regaining sight, as far as I know.


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10 May 2008, 10:28 pm

Orwell wrote:
KateShroud wrote:
I believe that all blind people should be cured, since blindness is nothing but a restricting physical illness and gives a person no advantage over sighted people. However AS/autism does not fall into the same category and should not be treated as a handycap. It is not a prison the way blindness or other physical disabilities can be.

For people born blind, the mental connections to process visual information have not been formed and so the sudden introduction of sightedness can cause some problems for them. Basically, if you have lived without sight it may be better to continue that way rather than complicate your life with new sensory input that you can't really comprehend anyways. Those who were once sighted and became blind don't object to the possibility of regaining sight, as far as I know.

I was born blind, but I strongly believe that it would be better to adapt the best I can to sight when they find the cure. I get so under-stimulated. Believe me, I wouldn't make such a strong statement if I weren't blind myself. That would be speaking for a whole group of people I don't actually identify with.



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10 May 2008, 10:37 pm

KateShroud wrote:
I was born blind, but I strongly believe that it would be better to adapt the best I can to sight when they find the cure. I get so under-stimulated. Believe me, I wouldn't make such a strong statement if I weren't blind myself. That would be speaking for a whole group of people I don't actually identify with.

Ah, I did not realize you were blind. In that case, your opinion probably has more weight than mine. However, there might be some blind people who would rather not go through the tremendous upheaval of being inundated with incomprehensible visual stimulus. It isn't clear if it would ever really be possible for someone born blind, and fully developed without sight, to be able to establish the mental connections needed to process visual input. You should certainly be commended for your intrepid spirit and willingness to adapt to a new way of life. But I don't really think anything should be cured forcibly, even things which are genuine defects.


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KateShroud
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10 May 2008, 10:58 pm

Orwell wrote:
KateShroud wrote:
I was born blind, but I strongly believe that it would be better to adapt the best I can to sight when they find the cure. I get so under-stimulated. Believe me, I wouldn't make such a strong statement if I weren't blind myself. That would be speaking for a whole group of people I don't actually identify with.

Ah, I did not realize you were blind. In that case, your opinion probably has more weight than mine. However, there might be some blind people who would rather not go through the tremendous upheaval of being inundated with incomprehensible visual stimulus. It isn't clear if it would ever really be possible for someone born blind, and fully developed without sight, to be able to establish the mental connections needed to process visual input. You should certainly be commended for your intrepid spirit and willingness to adapt to a new way of life. But I don't really think anything should be cured forcibly, even things which are genuine defects.

Orwell, I suppose you're right that we should not force someone to be healed, even if they are sick. Studies have found that there are people who have grown so acustomed to life behind bars that they can not function in the real world. Going from blindness to sight would be even more traumatic, and if it was forced upon someone, then they would probably never except the change. I meant what I said with the best intentions, as it would be best for no one to ever have to come to terms with blindness. As far as adapting from being born blind to full sight, some can and others can't from what I've heard. I've somehow always known that I was meant to see though.