For those who would take a cure if the was one

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I can not grasp these sayings of how autism is a fundamentally beneficial part of who someone is. Or that it's just supposed to just be a difference or a lifestyle or whatever.

Autism is a neurological disorder. Period.

It doesn't give intelligence or creativity. If an autistic person has those attributes, they have them in spite of autism not because of it. Or perhaps those things are augmented because of autism the way a blind person hears better.

It seems like the attitude being pursued is being autistic is like being gay and there's nothing wrong with it and the only real problem is society isn't understanding or accommodating etc.

Autism is a neurological disorder, like epilepsy or cerebral palsy.

It's not a gift.

At least that's been my experience with true autism.

^ Well said, Ezra.

Unique thnking is a gift.
So is hyper obsession and single mindedness
The ability to put all your effort in one thing and not be bored
Obsessive to the point where you can string many details together to form conclusions

How about social awkwardness?
Being withdrawn?
Meltdowns?
Stimming?
Hyper sensitivity?
Sensory overload?
Needing a fixed routine?
Not able to cope with changes?
Not able to multitask?

If there were a cure, I wouldn't be the first in line. I would try to gauge how effective and humane it is. I would internally debate whether I would actually want to change to fit the majority even though when all the conquerers came and did their conquests, they changed everything to their own needs. I skimmed so I can't remember who said that we are "blank" in spite of autism. That's inspiring and all but I hypothesize that we are more "blank" because we either become fixated on whatever it is that we become better than average or an expert. Granted, not everyone on the spectrum experiences this but like the person said you can be two things at once. Suicide rates due to academic pressure have been on the rise in the United States. Although, it is not comparable to India, South Korea, or China, the US has put more and more faith in standardized testing. The negative effects have come to a point that they try to allow for more tailored education ( i.e. the move-on when ready) because they find that it tends to be more effective. I am not good at a lot of things but I work hard and do well as long as no one points it out to me (academics, autonomy) because then I become self-conscious and try to regulate myself to the normal. So would I take a cure if there were one? Unlikely. I believe in the pursuit of developing more specialized workers or others who strive to optimize all human capital, that society will either internally normalize itself for autism or autistic people will use all the available opportunities (given that they're more accessible) in order to make integration easier. I know this was more addressed towards those who would take the cure but when I first saw the title, I hesitated. I considered it. Then I skimmed and actually considered it. I have Asperger's and I'm a girl, I learned how to cope early on and I'm still learning. I figure out some things a little earlier because of how much I've tried to learn what comes naturally to others. I find that irreplaceable so when offered that I would lose this insight that I've honed or made a point to be a defining quality, I got scared.

I think such social things as awkwardness and eye contact are a lot about disadvantages of bieng different from society. Some cultures look down on eye contact and extroversion.

Stimming is a difference as natural to autistics a urinating to everybody. You should if you can control it public but eventually you got to do what you got to do. This is why the "loud hands" movement has sprung up in opposition to behavoiral therapies that attempt to eliminate stimming aka "quiet hands".

I think things related to executive functioning such as poor multitasking are true disorders they will impair you in any culture in some way. Right now executive dysfunctions are not considered autistic traits but co-morbids. I hope this changes in the next DSM.

Anything at a severe level will be impairing to crippling. That is why the cliche "too much of a good thing" was coined.

I would take the cure for sure,
My AS sucks for me as I don't have many others like myself to interact with and as best as I try
The shortcomings hit me in my face painfully each time.

Especially bad since I actually think I wish I had worse autism so I could be oblivious to nt interactions.

I don't know that I would take a full cure as I would likely be a different person altogether, but being rid of the sensory issues would be a blessing.

I belive that I will still be the same person without ASD, just without the problems that ASD brings. I will still think uniquely. I will still obsess over my interests. I will still be able to string details together to form a conclusion. NTs in my school do those things all the time.

As of now, I can still lead a good-quality life, so I don't feel the need to take a hypothetical cure. If I get extremely disgusted with my life because of ASD, then I'd take the cure. That mindset also applies to many other things in my life.

+1 good post

For me autism is the problem not how other people are. NTs can be smart and kind and wonderful, just as autistic people can be. I don't think becoming NT would make me less of a person. But I would gain a lot in social skills that make my life hard. A lot of my problems are internal, not due to external factors.

I'm honestly not sure. I despise pointless traditions that have absolutely no meaning to me and I find conformism repulsive on a personal level. Besides, most of the great innovators in society had Asperger's or another disorder that caused them to be wired differently. It's more fun to be able to do things to your own accord then to feel trapped by what society wants you to do. Who's remembered more by society? The average joe NTs or the extraordinary Aspies?

That's not actually based in fact. Which innovators for definate can you say had autism? You can't. It's just people trying to feel better about themselves by saying, oh I think Isaac Newton had aspergers. Evidence suggests that he didn't.

I'm assuming Bill Gates probably has a mild case, as well as Mark Zuckerberg. Einstein most likely did as well. Problem is, even in the modern day, not everyone is going to agree over whether someone has Asperger's or not. To some degree, it's all speculation.

Beneficial or not, this is an essential part of who I am, and has been since birth. I wouldn't be "me" otherwise. You might as well talk about "curing" me of being male or heterosexual.

In the US, Asperger has been eliminated.

The new diagnosis means you have obvious functioning problems that need support.