What would a "cured" autistic person look like?

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Look into the "GAPS" diet

That's old-fashioned and dumb.

A cured autistic person would probably be in a lot of distress, because they would be driving them self into the ground, trying to look as NT as possible. I imagine that person would look very tired and haggard by the end of the day.

I personally don't wish to be cured. I'm autistic and my life has been mostly positive. I will stick to my guns and make sure that such a prenatal test is never discovered. I guess I'm not the dark shadow of WP, after all.

Why would that be?

If they were 'cured' of autism then they wouldnt have to strive to "look" NT because they would be NT naturally. They were "cured" after all.

They'd look the same as they always had. Their behaviour will be different.

I don't believe in a cure.

It's like the Common Cold---except it doesn't go away on its own.

It can be treated.

I know. This day and age? come on.

Most people don't want to continue knowing the foetus has a high chance of a lifelong disability. They fear outliving their kid and him/her not being looked after properly after they've gone, among other things.

People don't normally die young from having autism or Down Syndrome.

Frequently, the disability for both is not severe. They can live lives of quality.

Exactly, so the parents have to think about what's going to happen once they die. It's likely their kid will outlive them. They can have a large amount of independence if they're not severe, but what if they are? And then there's that they may not get the right support or they may be abused and such. I'm sure it's not an easy decision and I don't agree with making people feel guilty for being concerned about the level of support their (now foetus) will get once they die. That's without mentioning the comorbid health conditions.

There is a difference between those two, though.

I would also prefer that my child was neurotypical. Everyone wants their child to be healthy and disability free. But not because they'd love them or want them any less with disabilities, but because they want their children to have life's easy path.

My own daughter shows some signs of autism. Not enough to be affecting her significantly yet, but she's very young. I don't think they affected me at her age, either. All that said, she may turn out to grow out of all of this, to be NT.

I would prefer not to have experienced meltdowns with her as a toddler, where we went to what were supposed to be fun events and I spent half an hour hugging her in a quiet corridor until we gave up and left. I'd have much preferred for her to be able to join in the activity she desperately wanted to do, decorating cookies to eat, with her friends that all had a fantastic time.

I'd prefer not to have to get out ear defenders for her, just so she can play in a play centre or walk along a street in close proximity to cars.

I'd prefer not to have to be the parent shouting over to her in her activity classes, because the teacher's used slightly vague language and she's taken it too literally and needs the extra prompting.

It'd be easier for her not to go through all this, and it would be easier for me not to have to watch it happen and feel so sad for her, but it doesn't make me love or want her any less, and it definitely wouldn't have made me even consider getting rid of her if I'd expected these things in advance.

I understand your viewpoint, but on one hand you've said 'I'd prefer a neurotypical child' and on the other you've said that you would get rid of an autistic child. They're two different reactions - one a very extreme one, and the other probably something that any expectant parent could agree with before meeting the amazing human that their child turns out to be, disability or none.

Would I want a 'cure' for her if one became available? No, because she's my perfect girl the way she is and I wouldn't want to change her for anything in the world. But it would be her decision to make, not mine.

but i'm pretty a sure a cure for autism would not cure all the mental distress you had prior to being cured. So I sort of agree with Cockney in this hypothetical debate , you would still have baggage.

Well that autism speaks for ya, very eugenics happy it seems

I didn't mean what they would look like "physically". I meant how would they be perceived? What would they look like to others? What exactly are these cure people looking for? Is it someone who just "looks" normal? Would the formally autistic person now seem "normal"? Would they act like a "normal" person in private too or only when they are in public?