Cures vs culture

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Hi all, I ran into this article recently discussing cochlear implants and how they are killing deaf culture: https://medium.com/matter/22979c8ec9d6

I'm curious how people feel about this issue with respect to autism treatments such as ABA based treatments, or so-called "cures" or attempts to discover cures or prevent ASDs. I know these are complex issues and there are many reasons to feel different ways about them, but I'm specifically curious about the cultural element. Do attempts to help people on the spectrum fit in to typical society destroy autism-culture? Do they ever have the effect of making people on the spectrum feel more isolated, perhaps because rather than connecting with other like-minded individuals, they are pressured to emphasize relationships with NTs?

Such attempts do damage to Autistic culture.
Yes, such attempts pressure us to conform to NT pressure, rather than liberate us to enjoy our own Autistic culture.

What does autism culture consist of?

Despite how strongly my son identifies with his ASD, my son has never really met another ASD kid he has actually liked, so I am not sure he could ever be happily part of an ASD culture. He doesn't want to be an NT either, and somewhat resents how good he has become at faking it, but ...

America has always been a melting pot, and that is a concept slowly taking foot in the rest of the world. Just as ethnic groups keep a part of their history and culture, while losing other parts, as they integrate, so it happens with disability diversity. You gain something, you lose something. Many of the best gifts of any sub-culture take their place in the mainstream. But we don't all become the same. We are always are still our unique selves.

The autistic culture consists of the following:

* Blogs written by autistics. For example:
Radical Neurodivergence Speaking: http://timetolisten.blogspot.co.il/
Autistic Hoya: http://www.autistichoya.com/
Evil Autie: http://evilautie.org/

* Books written by autistics. For example:
A painful gift - the journey of a soul with autism : http://www.catholicireland.net/a-painfu ... th-autism/
SONGS of the GORILLA NATION - My Journey Through Autism : http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/june_2004/gorilla.html
A Blessing and a Curse - Autism and Me : http://www.jkp.com/catalogue/book/9781843105732

* Forums run by autistics. For example:
Wrong Planet : http://www.wrongplanet.net
Autism Friends Network : http://autismfriendsnetwork.biz
AsperClick : http://asperclick.com/

* Organizations run by autistics. For example:
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network : http://autisticadvocacy.org/
Association for Autistic Community : http://autisticcommunity.org/about/
Asperger Adults of Greater Washington : http://www.aagw.net/
Greater Chattanooga Aspies : http://www.meetup.com/G-C-As/

* Events run by autistics. For example:
Association for Autistic Community Conference : http://autisticcommunity.org/2014/02/19 ... entations/
Autscape : http://www.autscape.org/
Authaven : http://www.divergentlabs.org/temp/authaven.html

* Other projects run by autistics. For example:
A comedy troupe of autistics, Asperger Are Us : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger%27s_Are_Us
A magazine published by autistics, Autism Aspergers Network Magazine : http://www.aanmag.com.au/
A theatre production by autistics, Stim Rock Express : https://www.facebook.com/StimRockExpress

Etc.

You forgot a blog by one of our members... http://www.savagelightstudios.com/warpedlens

When asked what autistic culture consists of, instead of answering the question like an allistic by talking about the specific social, political, artistic, linguistic, sexual, technological, media, and intellectual parameters of autistic culture as a 'culture' so far as such things are possible to discuss, KenG replies in typical autistic fashion by simply listing groups of factual places, organizations, and what not with nice practical links, where autistic culture may be found & where the above aspects are, in part, being defined & evolving.

That's funny as hell.

For the record:
I'm not sure how much a coherent autistic culture really exists which can be pointed at as such, but it seems like it does, in fact, exist to some degree or another.

it is a culture with a multiplicity of sub cultures with in it

I buy that.

It is not funny, but simply efficient. Instead of composing a long, comprehensive answer, I pointed you to places in which this answer can be found.

If you read the blogs I linked to and the blogs they link to, you will no longer dispute the existence of the autistic culture.

Like vermontsavant says, the autistic culture indeed has a multiplicity of sub-cultures within it. If you want a thorough description of one of these sub-cultures, read Jim Sinclair's "AUTISM NETWORK INTERNATIONAL: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMUNITY AND ITS CULTURE":
http://www.autreat.com/History_of_ANI.html

If you want a thorough description of autistic culture within autistic spaces, read Thomas Owren's "Autreat and Autscape:
informing and challenging the neurotypical will and ability to include":
http://steinkjelleren.no/resources/Owre ... rch-11.pdf

Yes it is funny, you just apparently missed the joke.

Moreover, I disputed nothing, that's the very definition of a straw man argument, putting words in my mouth.

I asserted that it seems like a coherent autistic culture does exist to some degree or another, just that I wasn't entirely sure how much of one there was.
Point to where I disputed the existence of autistic culture, please?
In fact, you cannot because I ASSERTED its existence, which is the OPPOSITE of DISPUTING it.

I love being constantly misinterpreted, even by fellow autistics.
How much f*****g clearer could I have been?! !?!?
FFS.

OK. You are right. Sorry.

I'm also not sure how much of an autistic culture there is, because I'm not sure how to measure it. Measure by the number of blogs? By the number of events? By the number of organizations? By the number of members within organizations?

What I'm pretty sure of is the autistic culture is growing from year to year. A decade ago, there was already an autistic culture, but it was tiny compared to what we have nowadays. A decade from now, it may be huge compared to what we have nowadays.

Well I appreciated the list, and took it for an argument that "yes autistic culture exists and here are some examples." Thanks for that list Ken G. I'll probably refer to it in the future.

Thank you KenG, I appreciate and accept your apology.
I may have gotten a little carried away there myself.
No harm done.

I'm actually interested in learning more about autistic culture, so I was really hoping someone might post a detailed analysis.
When I saw your 'do it yourself' version of that, it was such an autistic thing to do, and so much the opposite of what I had expected/hoped for that I was laughing my ass off.
No offense intended

Qu1.)I don't think so because help can't stop someone from being autistic.
Qu2.)Yes, I think it could cause someone to be isolated.

When I was in high school, I took a Sign Language class. I learned about Deaf culture there. Many people who were born Deaf feel the same way about a "cure" as I do about a "cure" for autism: most likely it would cause more harm than good. I noticed that the article says "implants don’t work perfectly. Everyday conversation can remain a challenge, for instance, especially when there’s a lot of background noise". There is only so much that humanity can do for something that is natural.

I think that our communities like these can still exist with these "fixes" around, as long as the parents don't force it on their children, or give it to them before they are old enough to make a decision that will change their lives forever. In other words, children should be allowed to choose; however, parents should do some research if their child wants the "cure" to see if it can cause some harm, and let the child know the kind of harm it could cause.

A change like this can be a shock; if you were different since birth, you would feel like this is normal. In my opinion, giving someone a "cure" would be more like giving an isolating illness if not careful.

I think a way that we can introduce NTs to a great community of people with autism and prevent them from turning straight to the "cure" for their autistic child, (if there ever is one), is by showing them that we can have happy and successful lives, but we should not be too prideful of our condition or success.

I believe in an autistic "culture"

--but I don't believe in a "culture" for people on the Spectrum which separates itself from the NT world.

An analogous situation would be a separate "white" culture which advocates separation from other races.