The day Autism become "curable" is a day I dread.

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We can speculate the cause(s) of Autism, but science truly has not discovered an absolute cause. For all we know, it could be genetic or it could be completely environmental. It isn't known, but as I stated, science can and will progress to a point to where they most likely will be able to discover even while you are unborn.

It sounds incomprehensible, but it is a real "big picture" concern I have.

I really think this is scary. It might happen in my lifetime, It might take longer. It is a completely hypothetical given. It still frightens me, however.

The only unlikely yet plausible scenario is one where Autism is not only in the awareness of everyone, but in the acceptance of everyone, but I am pessimistic on this matter.

Science is advancing at a pace that is impossible for us to comprehend, what will be possible 20 years from now will be unthinkable now. Brave New World wasn't fiction.

Last edited by Jacoby on 06 Apr 2016, 11:26 am, edited 1 time in total.

I need to read that, don't I?

Just to point out, if autism were due to the Mendelian existence/expression of certain genes, or if it were due only to specific environmental factors, there are statistical tools to quickly and fairly easily ferret that out. It hasn't worked out that way, though. And the very idea is complicated by the observation that the aspects and attributes of autism are not considered problematic or dysfunctional until they clash with social expectations (which vary over time and across cultures).

Just because something is complicated now doesn't mean it will be 20-30 years from now

the pace at which technology is advancing far exceeds that of human society and development, there will come a time in our lifetimes when 70% unemployment is possible because of automation.

They're going to want to manage the population, they're going to want to limit their burdens, the second they can screen autism is the second they start aborting autistic children en masse. It will happen if that future isn't guarded against.

I completely agree. That is why I fear this outcome in a "Big Picture" sort of way.

Not that it is impossible to create a positive outcome, but I do think it will be very difficult to do.

(I'll be criticized for this) Silence is the greatest evil, and it is the duty of good people, no matter where you come from or what your level of disability is, to speak up and encourage others to do the right thing.

In this case, the job of good people is to do the right thing. It is our job to spread awareness and acceptance of Autism and Neurodiversity in general in whatever way we can manage, so that the likelihood of said outcome is lowered, though I remain pessimistic about whether a positive outcome can be reached.

Just my opinion.

I'm neither for nor against a "cure" for autism. I am however pro-choice, so I'd welcome a cure just for the fact that it'd give people with autism a choice - if they'd want to be NT or Aspie. As long as the cure isn't a forced thing, I'm all good.

However, I'm not sure where I stand when it comes to babies/kids diagnosed with autism and parents deciding for them at that age. It's their child and they should have a say in it, but at the same time, it's a pretty significant thing to decide and the person in question should be able to make it themselves when they're older.

Since the spectrum is so diverse, it's highly unlikely that they'd ever find a magical cure that works on every single person on the spectrum. There are too many unanswered questions and hypotheticals out there (due to the lack of knowledge from the scientific community) for this discussion to ever be had in a more serious/well-grounded manner.

My nightmare: waking up tomorrow as a Neuro-Typical.

How dreadful. Making small talk. Never getting to the point. Unable to formulate definite rules and principles for operating or solving problems. Who needs it?

Im definitely with you on that. I don't hate NT's and I do have a lot of NT friends but I do find their behavior weird, pointless at time, and confusing. They're always trying to impress everyone by trying to one up the other person with whatever it is their trying to make themselves look good it. Do they have some good traits about them though but I prefer my Aspie trait better so no cure for me ha!

Let it be a pre-choice cure.

And yes, it would be selfish to not cure LFA kids who struggle in life if there's a cure just because some auti-snobs on WP have some pro-autism ideology.

However, I don't think there will be a cure in the near future, autism is still a mystery.

http://autisminnb.blogspot.com/2008/04/ ... -want.html

People who are so anti-cure should read this.

So the vast majority of the world's population is unable to getting to the point and formulate definite rules and principles for operating or solving problems?

Yes to all three points.

LFA children who cant even dress themselves should not be denied a magic pill to cure them if it were invented.

Even if they could "cure us" - God forbid - this is still America, so I don't see them shoving us into clinics against our will. And even if any of us underwent a so called cure, as we have lived our whole lives as autistics, I would imagine we still wouldn't know how to live as NT's.

The last I heard of "cure" and "autism" in the same sentance I'm pretty sure I was learning of some deep dirt on autism speaks ... Apparently they wanna find the autism gene and abort all the fetuses.

the cure is and always will be code for prenatal screening

I don't think you can "cure" a developmental disorder, you can treat it with therapies and medications for the comorbid conditions but there is never going to be something that is going to make you not Autistic.