Autism Speaks #MSSNG campaign. Google involved - Thoughts?

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If there's a treatment or cure for whatever ails you and you aren't interested in improving yourself & your ability to function in the world, then that's your choice entirely. What I'm saying is that if you choose to be that way, then you choose to accept everything that comes along with it - challenges included - and the world shouldn't be expected to bend over backwards to accommodate you, as John is kind of suggesting the world needs to do.

I still certainly have ASD traits & I'm used to them and like the ones I can utilize to think and solve problems differently etc.

Sorry mate, I only have my own experiences in life to go by & share with others - and that's all I've ever claimed to share vs. ever saying I setup and conducted any sort of medical study on myself or others. Also, see sig.

Actually when you're quoting pseudo-science and women who have no science background, that does make you a liar and spreading potentially harmful information.

If you support Autism $peaks, then I have no words.

Also, who the hell are you to say the world shouldn't accommodate you? Are you being for real now? And with the pro-bacteria crap, no one here believes that besides you. I'm sorry to sound rude, but no one believes in that stuff. Not everyone wants to be a neurotypical either or have all their symptoms "treated".

Have you listened to her two hour presentation that I posted?

Of course I support Autism Speaks, they do good work.

I am me, that's who. And that is my opinion, which I am entitled to. The entire world isn't going to learn hundreds of ASD traits in order to recognize and forgive and accommodate for them when autistics make blunders in life and work or have sensory issues etc. It has not & simply is not going to do so. The only realistic solution is for the autistic person to treat/manage/minimize their symptoms by whatever means works for them in order to better fit into the world around them. I know for myself that this is working fantastically. I'm happier, healthier, and wealthier for it. I am 100% real about this.

Really? "No one believes in that stuff." Hmm, what about these people - and this is just the first page of google hits:

http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/sci ... ics-autism

http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/sci ... ouse-model

http://treatautism.ca/biomedical-treatm ... robiotics/

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... -bacteria/

http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... in-autism/

http://www.caltech.edu/news/probiotic-t ... mice-41306

http://www.optibacprobiotics.co.uk/live ... for-autism

http://www.nature.com/news/bacterium-ca ... ce-1.14308

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/0 ... 92838.html

Again, I'm not NT & don't reeeeally want to be completely NT, either, because I do enjoy some of my beneficial AS traits. I like being able to utilize them in my life and at work. But I also like being able to work and fit into the world well enough to be decently successful by societal standards as it allows me a better quality of life all around.

Again, like I said earlier, if there are treatments available to minimize the negative impact of ASD on your life and you refuse to consider them because you're truly happy with who and what/how you are, then that's your choice to make - but you, and others, shouldn't expect the world to bend over backwards to accommodate you. If there's an option to successfully treat your symptoms in a way that works for you and whatever causes your symptoms and you refuse it, that's the choice your making - and IMO you ought to accept all of the challenges & difficulties that come along with it vs. expect for some strange reason that everyone around you is going to treat you like a special snowflake and make sure you get through life & work ok. For those that choose this path, right on.. have at life however you want. But for those who say they're anti-treatment yet complain about difficulties with work/life/socialization/relationships etc - well, IMO your whining ought to fall on deaf ears because at that point the state you're in is one you're choosing to remain in & IMO you get to deal with everything that comes along with it and no one else should be expected to go out of their way to make sure you're succeeding. That's simply not the way of the world - never has been, never will be. The reality of the world is that "might is right," and it's the "survival of the fittest." Those who can do & achieve, win and be successful etc will, and those who cannot.. well, won't.

Accommodating neurodiversity isn't about memorising every trait of every condition, it works best by spreading awareness that people might behave differently in ways you might not have thought of. There are a few traits worth individually taking note of, e.g. in the UK there's some hope for not every job requiring you to go on about how much you love teamwork due to a sudden improvement in ASD awareness.

Yes, people do have to learn to function to some extent in an NT world, but the NT world is starting to realise that neurodiverse people have a lot to offer that they're currently missing out on most of, so some adaptation by them around us that is also reasonable to expect.

I know very little about Autism Speaks, they don't seem to be active in the UK. This doesn't seem like a bad thing.

Autism Speaks does good work, are you f*****g serious?

They have zero Autistic board members, they want to find a cure for us, they put out heinous video advertisements and do not want to accommodate us. If you defend them, then I have no more words for you.

I facepalmed hard at this. Are.You.sh*****g.Me. Some people CANNOT help their symptoms. Are you suggesting a severely autistic person to magically be better due to some snake-oil salesman pitch about diet and f*****g gut bacteria? It isn't going to work like that. Same with this bigoted view you have that WE need to conform to neurotypicals. Christ, not everyone is high on the spectrum like you and doesn't have any other issues. Did you ever stop and think that others on the spectrum have a multitude of issues and they simply won't go away? Put yourself in someone else' shoes for once, it'll do you some good.

The world should learn to ACCOMMODATE people who are different, we're all in this together. Oh how I won't be sad if a solar flare cooks the Earth in the near future.

Wealth =/= happiness. It's laughable if you believe that (I don't know if you do or not)

Also mice =/= humans. Come back when you have credible proof in actual people on the spectrum and not the pseudo-science crap you keep linking.

I think the world is already becoming more aware of diversity and with information and knowledge being more widely available I think this trend will continue.



People don't necessarily respond to treatment as you do goldfish. For some behaviour modification brings unacceptable side effects. I think society has past the point of disposing of misfits.

I get that, you get that.. but the vast majority of people are going to be put off by off-putting behaviour. Simple as that. IMO it's not up to the "dominant ruling class" to accommodate others. It's up to others to fit in as best as they can. It's the way of the world. Going with the flow in this regard is much better for one's success in life, IMO, vs. expecting others to change for you and then getting frustrated when they don't.

And yeah, employers here are starting to recognize ASD talents in the workplace, too. SAP out of Germany has an office here in Vancouver and this year had an advert out specifically looking for ASD software quality control analysts.

I know very little about Autism Speaks, only what I've bothered to read on the forums and a little bit on their website and a few emails exchanged with someone from the research department, but by and large I think they're doing good work as they're looking into various treatments to help ASD people.

Completely serious. They're researching Autism causes and treatments in various ways - from probiotics to genetics. I applaud all of this. It doesn't require Autistic board members to do this. Not sure why anyone would think it does. Further, it's abundantly clear that not everyone on the spectrum has the same beliefs about Autism Speaks - so it seems to me that if you want an ASD person on their board it's more that you want one with your beliefs on their board. Chances are you wouldn't like it if I were on the board, would you?

They're trying to help with treatment R&D to better our lives. I applaud that. YMMV.

I couldn't help my symptoms before I figured out what was causing them and how to successfully treat them. What I find odd is that others don't seem to have the mindset of continually improving themselves - figuring out what works for them in order to minimize the negative impact of their symptoms and optimize their life. Whether it's some form of counselling, diet, exercise, probiotics, pharmaceuticals, practice practice practice in the social world etc there is always room for improvement and people can do better than their current limiting beliefs allow them to believe they can. IMO. YMMV. Probiotics may very well end up being the go-to treatment for Autism and may work for many on the spectrum. Time will tell. I've had a multitude of issues myself, so I'm very well aware. I've shared my story. Read it if you haven't, then feel free to talk to me about it vs. making assumptions about me, thanks. PM me with an email address and I'll send it to you no problem. I don't need to put myself in someone else' shoes, but I think some could benefit from putting themselves in mine. My life was crap due to symptoms, I figured out how to improve them and am living a second life for it & am sharing that with the community that's afflicted by the same things. Put yourself in my mindset of continuous improvement and you may benefit from it. I don't mean to be rude, but I have little to gain from putting myself into someone else' negative headspace and limiting beliefs.

The world doesn't work like that. Take a look at reality.. we have the largest wealth disparity in human history. This is because we're not all in this together. Everyone is in it for themselves and their loved ones. Embrace this reality as it's the way of the world. The world isn't going to magically start accommodating the feeble. Gain strength, knowledge, wealth, power & live as good a life as you earn for yourself. Or sit around and have yourself a pity party while others succeed.

No, wealth does not equal happiness. But financial wealth sure helps in life, doesn't it?? Further, financial success is a byproduct of physical/mental health & social success IMO. Improve those things and obtaining money becomes easier. Obtain money and you can afford to have whatever life you desire however you see fit. With limited money & other resources your life is constrained to what you can afford to do, or constrained to mere survival.

I AM actual proof. Just because you don't believe me doesn't make me a liar.

Yes, they're becoming more aware due to more and more people with neurological differences.. but that doesn't mean that the world is going to suddenly change to accommodate them with ease. We're still going to have masters and slaves. The neuro diverse are simply more easily enslaved, and the bigger better stronger faster smarter more socially adept ruling class will continue to be the most successful and obtain concentrated wealth & power. This has been the way of life for humans f o r e v e r and isn't about to change any time soon, or ever, IMO.

I disagree there. Most of the "dominant ruling class" are straight, should they stop putting up with gay people and expect gay people to act straight because it's better for the minority to adapt around the majority? Of course not.

Yeah… except that's apples to oranges. Sexual orientation has almost nothing to do with one's ability to fit into the social world & hierarchy. Sexual orientation isn't comparable to neurodiversity/ASD. Not at all. Sexual orientation can be completely unknown and invisible to others. ASD traits are WAY more likely to cause someone issues in their life. Further, sexual orientation isn't something that can be treated or changed. ASD & other neurological differences can be. There are so many ways your statement makes no sense whatsoever it's not even funny.

I'm gay, I know about this stuff, too.

I'm not sure that the only valuable goals are wealth and power. There are comfortable niches in the margins.

If you think JER is anti-treatment, then you misread his article. He's just talking about spending more on services rather than research for pipe dream cures.

Your method has not been replicated, let alone studied scientifically. If they were doing a clinical trial, self-diagnosed subjects wouldn't qualify. I'm not saying self-diagnosis makes one a fraud, but for scientific studies, they need professionally verified diagnoses. Without out a controlled, study, your anecdote is vulnerable to the placebo effect and confirmation bias. It's not "proof" as you claim.

Nobody's expecting NT's to bend over backwards, I think most of us just want respect and reasonable accommodations. I'm not anti-treatment, I used meds for anxiety, etc., but I don't think others should have to bear the risks of treatment in order to get reasonable accommodations.

That's the is-ought fallacy, along a lot of the rest of your argument.

If Autism Speaks were to put an autistic person on their board who was a curebie and had other views I didn't like (maybe Jonathan Mitchell or Kerry Magro), I'd be happy. I'd still dislike the organization since the lack of an autistic board member isn't the only major problem I have with them, but I'd stop criticizing them for that issue. Just about every organization that claims to representing a specific group of people or a specific disease or disorder has members of that group on their board. Examples include NAACP, National Organization of Women, and The Arc (they have members with intellectual disabilities).

Transgendered people need accommodations such as bathroom and locker room access, and possibly government-funded hormonal therapy and transition operations. Should we not "bend over backwards" for them just because they're not part of the "dominant ruling class".

Which is why I am shocked at some of these statements you writing. Maybe it is just because you live in an accommodating city in 2014/2015. When I was growing up and still today in certain parts of the world what you do naturally was a criminal offence and people are arrested for it. If you were an effeminate type gay if you showed any of that you were fired. If there were rumors you were gay that could get you fired in most places. If you were a teacher and gay most people assumed it was to seduce and propagandize the kids.

Thankfully the gay rights groups back in the 1970's and 1980's did not accept the nothing we can do because might is right idea. The did not accept treatments to make them less or not gay because the world would like them better. Because of these groups did not accept this if I own a business by law I must accommodate you. And the Gay marriage is being passed because these groups convinced straight people to accept them as they are not a gay who acts 100% straight.

You keep on using your life experience fair enough. My life experience and the changes I have seen makes me believe it is possible NT's will accept such Autistic behaviors as stimming in public some day.

And here's to a 2015 full of steps forward to us.

Here is an encouraging article I found this morning:
Jerusalem Post link

Perhaps Israel will lead the way towards inclusion.