Autism "cure"= good thing

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I'm honestly not sure how to respond to this. It's so easy to just be rude or snarky and dismiss it with a wave and insult, but that wouldn't help anyone here. That said, though, do you understand just how rude you've come across? How dismissive and, frankly, arrogant? That you know enough about those of us with this that you can just wave your hand, say "that's just opinion", and be done with it? Never mind that I've lived with this my whole life? Do you understand that at all?

Rhinox I am sorry if I have come across as rude, I did not mean to be rude or insulting and I apologise if thats how I have come across, but I did mean to be provocative.

Verdandi and MrXxx, I did not suggest that Rhinox doesn't know what it's like to experience or have Autism.
As Rhinox has Autism he clearly has to know - but then surely it's also true that he cannot know what it is like to NOT have Autism?

Rhinox describes his Autism in part as a thought process, "we've always thought this way".
What way is that? How does he know its different from how others think?

He says that to be cured would be to destroyed in part. What parts would be destroyed?

If my son was able to talk, what part has been destroyed?

Genuine questions. Which is why I did not say Rhinox is wrong - because truly I cannot say that, and I am not saying that - rather that what he says is supposition. If I'm wrong tell me how.

It can't be both way's either the autism would be eradicated including any autistic mind strengths. Or the autism would remain with both negative and positive traits of it. Otherwise it wouldn't be a cure it would just be treating/reducing the negative symptoms while leaving the neutrual and positive differences alone.

And on that note should those who don't have low functioning autism decide for someone who does that they should be cured and then cure them?

Well those of us on the autism spectrum were born this way, therefore it is the way we are used to being...taking that away and replacing it with neurotypicalism could be a very confusing even traumatic experience. It would be like if someone altered your neurology...you'd still have the same life experiances in memories but have to learn how to function with a different type of brain wiring/neurology than you're used to.

Also a 'cure' would do more than just make your son able to talk, it would change the way his brain works and how he functions. Autism isn't exactly an external thing that can just be gotten rid of leaving some default normal state since that person never was 'normal' to begin with. Its engrained in the genetics and neurology so in order to actually cure it.......all that would have to be changed.

The part being destroyed would simply be its such an extreme change it could have a lot of negative consequences. It would be like all the sudden not having any idea how to use your brain. Maybe none of that makes sense though.

If your son is able to talk he might still be autistic. I am not sure what percentage is able to talk. I couldn't say whether your son should or should not be cured because I am not your son, do not know your son, and I am definitely not one of his parents. I think, from things you've said, that you sound like an all around good parent and that you do love your son a lot, and that you will do what you believe is best for him. That's one thing I really respect about you, as compared to some (not all by far) parents I've seen discuss their autistic and/or ADHD children.

I am not strictly pro- or anti-cure. I don't want my brain altered to work differently, but I don't speak for anyone else because there's a diversity of opinion.

I did not know I thought differently from other people until the past two years. I've had a lot of feedback on how different that is. That's whether it's a matter of needing to relearn how to drive with each car I've learned in (and I don't know how to drive and would not be safe anyway) or how I perceive things in ways that don't directly draw upon relationships to understand what I'm seeing. Sometimes this actually helps me, sometimes it causes me trouble (today it's causing me trouble, but not on WP).

That should be a private matter within the affected person's family. None of anyone else's business.

I would hope the decision actually includes the affected person as well as their family....and isn't just something forced upon them. What if the persons family does not have that individuals best interest at heart? Those are just issues that come up even there......but then there is not a cure so I don't think I have to worry about people with autism being changed into neurotypicals its all hypothetical for the time being.

You said "You can not know that."

How is that not saying he's wrong? How do you know he can not know that? You can't know. Maybe he can know.

Although I am on the spectrum myself, I do empathize with your situation. With a son that cannot speak for himself, it's a whole different situation, that those of us who can speak for ourselves, cannot fully understand.

The problem with this debate is that some who can speak for themselves are so vocal about not wanting a cure to even be sought, sometimes those who would prefer one for their loved ones forget that not all of us think that way. I totally understand your support for a cure, and would never stand in the way of one being sought, but I do not want one for myself. Not because I know what the cure would do to me, but specifically because I do NOT know what it will do to me. That isn't a fear of the unknown for me. It is simply the reality that I do not know.

That is enough for me, because I have spent 52 years adjusting to who I am, and have no intention of learning to adjust to whatever differences a "cure" would cause in me. Perhaps a cure would allow for abilities I've never had before. Perhaps though, while giving those abilities, I may lose some of those I would not have were it not for my autism.

The fact is there is no cure right now, so a lot of this debate is rather moot. Another fact is that if there comes a cure, no one really knows what effects the cure may have on any individual.

Perhaps a cure would give your son the ability to speak, and that prospect seems understandably a good thing.

I'm sure in your mind's eye, a cure would be a wonderful thing for your son. I'm sure you have visions of him hugging you and thanking you for giving it to him.

Are you prepared though, for the possibility that if he one day could speak, that he may not like what it does to him? That it could be possible that he might actually resent you for it? I don't personally think that's likely, and I certainly would not wish that on you.

What I believe some who can speak for ourselves are trying to tell you is that you can't know with 100% certainty that the cure will create the mind's eye vision of what you hope for in your son. That perhaps, those who want to cure others, want it more for themselves than for the child. I'm not personally saying that though. You know your son better than I do, so I would not tell you that.

What we are trying to tell you is that you don't know us. That there is no possible way you could know how well we know ourselves.

It is the possibility that a cure could change us fundamentally that concerns us. Actually, it is not just a possibility, it is a certainty that it would. It would have to in order to cure the symptoms we have, because the symptoms are core to our beings, and core to who we are as individuals. Autism is part of who we are. Cure it, and we will be fundamentally different people.

Some of us are willing to seek that. Some of us want nothing to do with it.

What you decide for your son is your business. No one has the right to judge you for it, but that won't necessarily stop some from doing it anyway.

I have frequently argued that a cure may be nothing more than an alleviation of negative symptoms.

Well, that's not the definition "cure" but I can understand why someone could mistakenly use it that way. Most who support Autism Speaks have that misconception, even though what they want is just to have their kids have a good life, which isn't a bad thing. But the word cure shouldn't be used in my opinion.

I personally wouldn't want a cure and I don't think it's possible anytime in the next 110 years, and by then, hopefully a cure would be seen as a bad thing by most of society.

what does it matter how cure is defined technicaly.

any thing that has benifit can be defined as cure unofficialy as long as it cant meet the defination of leitrill,which only applies if cure is promised.
but to try to invent something that has benifit is good.

I always thought that cure meant turning autistic person into typical person with typical brain.

I don't think that autistic child learning to speak means that autistic child is cured of autism. I think that autistic child learning to speak means that autistic child learned to speak.

why dont we just forget the word cure.lets work to find the benificial.arguements on what defines cure are irelivent and beside the point

I think that it is a good idear to teach non-verbal autistic kids to read words for things and also to type words and over time, learn to use language for communication. I eggspect that some of the kids will learn to speak if they don't have severe verbal apraxia, but even kids with severe verbal apraxia can learn to type independently. The attempts should be made, no matter the severity of autism or low IQ score. Another area to be targeted is abstract thinking. I think that it is possible to build up abstract concepts from concrete objects to teach to autistic kids who aren't picking up on these things on their own, just like they are not picking up on language on their own or through traditional language therapies. Some new and different techniques need to be developed and applied, if standard therapies don't work to improve functioning, cognitive development, and long-term outcome for autistic kids.

Thanks for your comments MrXxx, reading your words (several times) helps me understand the viewpoint better.

I'm going to stop using the word cure, and use treatment instead. I think of cure as a one-way thing, I highly doubt that would ever be possible, and its a bit of a frightening thought too. But maybe medicine to allow better functioning will be developed, in my mind I think of the sort of thing used for ADHD.