Sensitive Topic What do you think about those who want to "cure" us?

[Tarragon]

Sparticus: "otter disgust for societal leeches" … I LOVE IT!!! Can I borrow that sometimes?

Regarding everything else on this thread: imagine how boring life would be if everyone was the same?

Having Aspergers isn't the disability and it doesn't require medication or a cure (my opinion). The disabling aspect all stems from intolerance, oppression, harassment, bullying, & persecution from narrow-minded people in power & authority. I wouldn't need antidepressants or anti-anxiety meds if I was recognized as an equal human being.

Everything I've been told to do … worthless free advice like "be more positive", "forget the past & move forward", "don't let it bother you", "try to be more social", and medical directives like therapy & medication … all they've ever done is make life more comfortable for the person giving the advice. None of that has ever helped me, and in fact doing as I was told has done me unbelievable harm & robbed me of my life … my livelihood … my ability to contribute to society … my self-worth … and any chance of having a good human relationship. But if you listen to them, it's all my own fault because I must not be doing it right. They continue to abuse us & take no responsibility for their actions.

Tell me again why I should want to be like them?

From my time here on AC I have seen people give advice to others, when asked by people for some advice. It's never usually just handed out in a bad way. Also, advice given to each other here on AC always seems to be well thought out and fairly respectful. Could it be that us aspies are BETTER at advice than NT???

I don't want to be cured thanks. I want to be left alone. Why can't this be respected? I want to be able to just be myself. That isn't too much to ask is it!?! So far, I haven't come across anyone in the "real world" who has mentioned the word cure. I pity the person who does this to me, as I might just feel the need to educate them severely!

 

[Berianireth]

I didn't read the whole thread, but I'm really not sure where I stand. I'd love to hear that someone found a way to prevent anyone from having a child that will live a life of pain and isolation. If there were never another child that has the inability to speak and socialize that sounds like it would be great. Of course there would still be a lot of things that the world would lose if we lost these individuals because of how uniquely they have been known to express themselves.
I'm afraid of mankind finding a cure for almost anything, which is ironic coming from me... I've completely devoted my life to studying therapies for maladaptive responses to traumatic experiences, and I'm a big supporter of pharmaceutical research. I don't think that preventions or cures (or even therapies) should be mandatory however, not unless the individual not receiving them then threatens the safety and well-being of other individuals. There's a very fine line here obviously, so I think that healthcare and counseling should aim to be as accommodating to individual wants, needs, priorities, etc as possible so that if there is ever a cure for Asperger's or a similar (even Bipolar Disorder or schizophrenia) then it isn't forced on someone that feels comfortable with who they are.
I'd love to have something available to me that makes socializing a little less confusing and overwhelming, but I think I'd be much worse off if I were not "disabled". It's definitely behind my creativity.

 

[KassieMac]

From my time here on AC I have seen people give advice to others, when asked by people for some advice. It's never usually just handed out in a bad way. Also, advice given to each other here on AC always seems to be well thought out and fairly respectful. Could it be that us aspies are BETTER at advice than NT???

I don't want to be cured thanks. I want to be left alone. Why can't this be respected? I want to be able to just be myself. That isn't too much to ask is it!?! So far, I haven't come across anyone in the "real world" who has mentioned the word cure. I pity the person who does this to me, as I might just feel the need to educate them severely!

I didn't specify that I wasn't referring to advice requested or given here on AC … thanks for understanding what I didn't think to say (and they think we can't read between the lines!!)

The only cure for my 'disability' is more acceptance & less medication … more tolerance & less therapy … more two-way understanding & fewer thoughtless/useless clichés. I haven't mentioned Aspergers to anyone except healthcare providers & all of you … not to family, friends, neighbors, acquaintences. But chatting with all of you & researching advocacy is helping me prepare. If anyone mentions a 'cure' to me, maybe I'll ask if they'd like to be cured of having blue eyes … musical talent … intelligence … a nice figure … or whatever makes that person unique.

But I suspect their response would be that same blank "cows at a passing train" stare.

 

[Peter A.]

The disabling aspect all stems from intolerance, oppression, harassment, bullying, & persecution from narrow-minded people in power & authority.

A sentence that sums up the entire situation perfectly!

 

[Peter A.]

Everything I've been told to do … worthless free advice like "be more positive", "forget the past & move forward", "don't let it bother you", "try to be more social", and medical directives like therapy & medication … all they've ever done is make life more comfortable for the person giving the advice. None of that has ever helped me, and in fact doing as I was told has done me unbelievable harm & robbed me of my life … my livelihood … my ability to contribute to society … my self-worth … and any chance of having a good human relationship. But if you listen to them, it's all my own fault because I must not be doing it right. They continue to abuse us & take no responsibility for their actions.

Tell me again why I should want to be like them?

Gawd, yes, the number of times I myself have been given the exact same 'advice' from well-meaning people who simply had NO idea what the f*&^ they were talking about! Whenever I would hear it I would have an overwhelming desire to punch the source of such inane drivel in the mouth, and it has only ever been my very high degree of self-discipline and understanding of the difference between right and wrong (an 'Aspie' trait!) that has ensured I have not been charged with assault.
How on Earth are we supposed to not let past injustices 'bother us'?! Is this even possible? Is there some kind of toggle switch somewhere that allows us to do this?

 

[Timmy1]

Well maybe depending on the severity of the "autism" curing it may be OK... well, as in if a treatment that works (turns the child into more communication between the parents or people or whatever, you know just be good. hope its going good and all that ok.

 

[Thea]

In my opinion there's is nothing about me that requires curing. I think differently and have more acute senses. In the movies that makes me a superhero.

 

[gregmcph]

Honestly, probably to the annoyance of alot of people here, I could do with a "One Hour Spray" that makes me all Empathic and "Normal" for a while.

There are times when I need that. When I have to mix with other humans, when my wife needs me to openly care for her more (caring inside is not sufficient).

I'd buy that.

But this weird creature is what I am. I don't want it to go away. Just hide that beast for a while and release a different beast. Jeckel and Hyde.

 

[AsheSkyler]

I got very ill this afternoon. There is some mental health flyer one of our clients hung on the wall a few years back. Today I read part of it. "Diseases like autism, schizophrenia, (long list) are horrible things. But with the right treatment, recovery is possible." Ooooooo, pity my poor momma for all the ranting and raving I did when we had our evening chat!! Diseased!? I'll show you diseased, c'mere and let me cough on you and we'll see what diseases I really am carrying. You want a recovery? C'mere a few minutes, there'll be a recovery to be had all right. Wanna find out how cripplingly disabled I am? I was managing an infant, college, all the housework on a daily and weekly schedule including cleaning and laundry, all the financial matters and bill paying, I had a hot meal for breakfast and supper for my husband, and successfully might I add. Now my husband and I have partially switched roles, so I'm also building a career and keeping a roof over our heads with my husband tends the kid and most of the housework. Do I sound ******* disabled to you? I haven't been "cured" or other ********, I've learned how to be a responsible adult and work with my strengths and weaknesses instead of rolling in self-hatred like those morons in mainstream medicine and gossip magazines want people to do!

Honestly, probably to the annoyance of alot of people here, I could do with a "One Hour Spray" that makes me all Empathic and "Normal" for a while.

There are times when I need that. When I have to mix with other humans, when my wife needs me to openly care for her more (caring inside is not sufficient).

I'd buy that.

But this weird creature is what I am. I don't want it to go away. Just hide that beast for a while and release a different beast. Jeckel and Hyde.

Tools are not bad, it's how you use them. If an Empathy Spray would be good for both your health and your spouse's, and you both want it, I should think there is no harm for it and I can't fault you for wanting one.

 

[aj]

I think I'm the magneto (xmen) in this one. Some NTs want to change us, why cant they just leave us alone. We are unique and great people. Why change that?

 

[113]

Autism is much larger than Asperger's, and very high functioning Aspies are just a subset of all who have Asperger's. Not everyone has a mild case or a good support system. The condition can be extremely bad for some people.

I don't think that it's reasonable to say that there shouldn't be a treatment for a neurological condition that can prevent people from speaking or from taking care of even their most basic self care tasks.

What if a cure is not something scary like a brain pill or lobotomy, but something that only balances one's gut bacteria to prevent the worst symptoms of the condition? (Just an example of an imaginary future technology.) Instead of being completely against any possible talk of finding a medical solution, I think it would be more reasonable to have a balanced approach. Those who suffer the worst could have some relief, and no one would have to take the treatment.

I often hear things like, "I was diagnosed with autism when I was younger, but usually no one can tell any more." Not everyone is that lucky.

 

[Greg]

I think that is totally off to say that they want to cure us. Personally I feel like I am the way I was intended to be. We act differently than so called NT's but who's to day that we are for lack of terms "broken". We just need things differently than others do. I mean there are some lower functioning individuals that suffer more than others but I feel for myself that I am just wired differently than others.

 

[113]

We act differently than so called NT's but who's to day that we are for lack of terms "broken". We just need things differently than others do.

That isn't the case for me. Some things are broken. I only speak for myself, not for autism. That's why I'm for for a balanced outlook on things. If one doesn't feel broken, then no need to take a treatment. Other people do want help though.

 

[annominous]

My opinion is that we feel 'broken' because we are treated like we are broken by the NT world. I would like to find a cure for NT behaviour. I also tend to believe autism is evolution, and look forward to humanity evolving. I read some curative baloney once that suggested by 2025 half of the world would be autistic (because pesticides or some other baloney). I was like, 'Woohoo bring it, we're going to inherit the planet and fix all the nasty things you've done to it, and to us.'

We are disabled because society isn't geared towards us. The 'cure' is to fix society so it is geared towards us. Let's have 'quiet shopping' days where no muzak is piped in and people aren't talking over loudspeakers, lights are dimmed and we aren't forced to 'small talk' with cashiers. The only conversations allowed should be sincere, and unless the weather is your special interest, please don't mention it. Let's have days when we can go into a clothing store and ask if something looks good on us where the requirement is honesty: No, that doesn't look good on you, try this outfit instead. Days when we can go for a haircut and get the haircut we actually ask for, and if the hairstylist can't do what we ask for, we are given to someone who can. Let's have schools where we can learn independently and aren't forced to sit still and be quiet.

I look at it like this: Take the blind. We don't say to the blind, 'Hey, Blindy McBlind, you really need to learn to function in our world so we are going to tell you that you either learn to see or just stay at home and stop bothering us seeing people with all your ridiculous blind requirements. Can't learn to read? Oh well, you're not trying hard enough! Gonna get hit by a car if you try and cross the road? Not our problem, McBlind, we're the majority and we can drive our cars wherever we please!' No, we don't do that to people. We provide things in Braille. We integrate special sounds in our crosswalk lights (not enough of them, I'm sure), we have guide dogs, we do what we can as a society to help people who are not sighted.

Autistics need the same supports to integrate into society. Until we get to that place, where we are seen as valued and like we deserve accommodation, there will always be those of us who wish we weren't autistic. Nobody wants to be isolated from the world and told there is something wrong with them. Nobody. That's hardly an autistic trait.

 

[113]

We are disabled because society isn't geared towards us. The 'cure' is to fix society so it is geared towards us.

I think that society needs to do more to accommodate people with disabilities, but I don't think that support is exclusive of developing treatments.

I would be in the same situation if society were run by Aspies - unable to function in certain areas without help.

I look at it like this: Take the blind... Autistics need the same supports to integrate into society. Until we get to that place, where we are seen as valued and like we deserve accommodation, there will always be those of us who wish we weren't autistic.

I agree with the part about needing help with integrating into society... but I would say that this line of reasoning is an argument for the availability of (optional) treatment, not against it.

 

[annominous]

'Treatment' suggests disease and cure. Access and inclusion for disabled people is not = treatment.

 

[113]

'Treatment' suggests disease and cure. Access and inclusion for disabled people is not = treatment.

I agree with that. I'm saying that both are relevant. ASD is no more a "disease" than visual impairment, but one wouldn't argue against finding a treatment for visual impairments, even if not everyone wanted the cure.

I think that if people don't want a cure, they shouldn't take one, but many people with ASD are interested in treatment, myself included.

My autism isn't a problem for me, it's 'society' that is the problem. All of my 'issues' are only 'issues' because society says so.

This is not the case for me (or those who have even worse problems), which is why I think that statements like that don't apply to all autism in general.

 

[annominous]

You're using treatment for access/therapy, and the words aren't interchangeable. If there are steps to take that make it so we can access the world, like tablets to reduce anxiety or cognitive behavioural therapy, etc., then I use those to help me. Treatment suggests disease and cure, therapies can help us. Sorry if I'm being too pedantic to be understood, I think it's a communication issue.

 

[annominous]

This is not the case for me (or those who have even worse problems), which is why I think that statements like that don't apply to all autism in general.

It's hard to say if it is or isn't the case for you not knowing what you struggle with. I struggle with quite a few things, am often not 'high functioning' and my issues are all due to how society is constructed.

 

[AsheSkyler]

What if a cure is not something scary like a brain pill or lobotomy, but something that only balances one's gut bacteria to prevent the worst symptoms of the condition? (Just an example of an imaginary future technology.) Instead of being completely against any possible talk of finding a medical solution, I think it would be more reasonable to have a balanced approach. Those who suffer the worst could have some relief, and no one would have to take the treatment.

Always seek balance.

Having enough sense to work with your body is one thing. We're one of many species that use tools to enhance their lives, and if somebody needs a vitamin or hormone or whatever to addresses gut bacteria or other things, that's fine. Somebody calling you broken, busted, and past your warranty for using that tool is another matter. Something of a common fuss in the art community too, the artists who work purely digital are considered lesser artists because they don't use traditional mediums like paints and pencils. They're not lesser, just different. They may require electricity to do their thing and not have the mobility as a pencil set, but they still can create some beautiful works. But heaven forbid getting some of them to admit there are strengths and weaknesses to each medium, they'd rather get into a pissing contest over who's superior and who needs to convert.