Asperger's Cure

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I tried Amino acids, but I only lost weight and put on a little musle. I tried meditation but it only improved my concentration. I tried boxing as way of stopping depression but I only learnt how to box.

A Chelsea tracter in Chelsea is broken, a GTI hatchback in the desert is broken.

There is a difference between cured and treated.

No cure is needed becasue AS is not a disease.

But treatment in the form of helping deal with social skills and seeking employment is always welcome.

And preventation of some of the emotional issues that accompany AS such as depression is treatment.

Last edited by fangfarrier on 16 Nov 2007, 4:25 am, edited 1 time in total.

If I can keep my high IQ then yes cure me, I wanna be more sociable.

I don't live in a fantasy world (X-men)

That's what I thought was the purpose of the Anti-Cure Autism Activist Movement for HFA/AS, along with misdiagnosis and extensive use of neuroleptics, that had side-effects of irrepairable damage for some people. I don't know EXACTLY how it turned into such a large pride movement of Elitists and hate for the Neuro-Typical. You can't deny the possibility of those who might have brain injury or disease, being a cause for their social dysfunction.

Ah...maybe what needs to be considered is that people don't come back to us after they've died to tell us whether or not being rich and famous, having a family, traveling, etc. was worth what they thought it was worth. It's all about priorities and, personally, all I see is most people living with warped priorities.

As for feeling like it's impossible to catch up?...that's because it is, so if catching up is also another priority, then you're probably being foolish to judge your life by how other people appear to be enjoying theirs. That's the beauty of Asperger's if you'll only give it a chance...there are treasures, but unless you dig and search for them, you'll always remain on the surface never having begun to truly enjoy the life you've been given.

You might want to read my story:

http://narrative.neurelitism.com

I don't think I am some unusual exception either.

I think that best states the way *I* see it.

Fatal-Noogie,

Some people DON'T see this as a handicap. It is like a new computer that has firewire when the old one doesn't, and lacks the old parallel port. Is that bad? Well, in SOME ways it is BETTER! It just isn't compatible.

Danielismyname,

They keep changing the description of AS. I wish they wouldn't. Half the people on this board complain that people don't have the right idea about AS or autism. constantly changing description, who can blame them?

2ukenkerl,

AS is well defined, you have DSM-IV-TR/ICD-10 and you have Gillberg's.

I would be happy with a cure .. if I had never known what it was like to think differently.

I've looked too much at people, and what they are, and what they do

.... it would be like giving up something special for an easier life.


... coincidentally, I was just reading this (long) news article:

Autism: What are the ethics of treating disability?

(Published: 16 November 2007)

I am happiest when I am me. When I am me, I am normal to me. I think I've felt a glimpse of the other side and it is not for everyone.

Most of the time, I like who I am, but when I screw up a ridiculously easy task that everyone else can do so easily, I find myself wishing I was normal. I'm smart in performing more difficult tasks, but who would know that I am smart if they could see me at my worst.

Speaking for myself, I don't want to be cured. I think that I am just a different type of person and the type of person that is seen as the "default" doesn't interest me. While I am not suited to interactions with the NT's quite so much, I am suited to other things very well, and those are the things that are important to me.

But there's no way I'd stand in the way of anyone else who really wanted to be cured, though I'd hope that they had thought it through completely. I realise that there are many different levels of AS and my hardships (and blessings) might not be comparable to another person's.

What I do fight against is the idea that we should have no choice. That we should be forced to take the cure. If such a cure became compulsory, I'd be on the frontlines of the war to stop it. But I'd also fight for the rights of anyone who really wants to be cured to have the freedom to choose that option as well.

As a kid, I would have done anything to be "cured" (though it was not clear back then what I would have been cured of). Now, at 51 years old, I have no desire to be cured of anything. My neurodiversity has contributed to the person I have become. I am happy with that person.

The problem with a cure is that you do not understand the conditions of what a "cure" implies and what "autism" or Asperger's implies. A "cure" means a quick and simple way of getting rid of the problem. You drink some medicine, swallow a pill, or inject a vaccine, and it's done and over with like that. Autism or Asperger's is genetic and cannot be cured just as you can't help getting cancer because of your genes, or the fact that you're male or female. If there was a way to help Aspies communicate better or have fewer social problems, it would have to be not a cure, but rather a "develpment" or "improvement". Think of it as trying to achieve a goal or some dream--like for some people, becoming a doctor. You don't become a doctor overnight; you have to study, attend classes, get volunter experience, learn to write resumes and letters, write exams, be presentable and amiable with other people, and do fine at interviews. You can't do all of these things in one night. It takes years for you to finish university and gather working experience. It takes you several more years of studying at medical school, and even getting into medical school may take years too. Like becomeing a doctor, there's no "easy" or "quick" way of overcoming some difficulties of being an Aspie. You can only overcome these problems by actively trying to understand other people and why you don't get along with them, where you have problems communicating and to actively keep practicing them. It would help though if you could find other people who do understand your condition. At least they won't leave you without telling you why they didn't like you or what they found strange about you.

I simply do not believe in a "cure" because such a "cure" does not exist. To want one is simpy wishful thinking, and I have no desire to conform to society if it does not agree with what I believe and think to be rational. Wanting for there to be a "cure" means you do not understand us and are in no position at all to be able to help us. What we probably do want, however, is a better understanding of how we think and what we value, to accept it and help us communicate better along the way. I would think that a facility designed to help Aspies communicate better is a better investment than trying to find a cure.

Further, I am successful. I have a loving wife, a cohusband who is my other best friend, two beautiful children (one Kanner's, one NT so far), and enough money coming in to keep the bills paid and food in the fridge. I have a car, an apartment (although we're angling for a larger one, possibly in another part of the country - depends on where J gets assigned after he gets back from Iraq), cable TV and high-speed internet.

I have everything I need. It makes me happy and content. And that, as far as I'm concerned, is the definition of success. Sure, I could look at people who are "better off", and pine about not having their lifestyle, if I want - but what on Earth would I do with, say, a ten-bedroom house in the hills and a Rolls-Royce? How would having that stuff make me any happier than I am right now?

Fitting in with society? Why in the Nine Billion Names of God would I want that? I don't want to be just another grasping, unsatisfied cog in the great machine of consumerism, forever striving against everyone around me as if life were a zero-sum game, and someone else winning must mean I'm losing. Life is positive-sum in nature; by working together, and keeping each other in mind (and not as competitors), we can all win. But that doesn't seem to be the NT mind-set...