I'm getting kind of tired of the talk on Autisable about finding a cure for autism. Fact is, I don't have any desire to be cured and you couldn't pay me enough for me to let you cure me. I rather like the different takes that I have on the world. What I hate is the "normies" who have no respect for anyone with any kind of a different view, and those are the people who I think we need to cure.
I realize that since I am a pretty high-functioning Aspergian that my take on a cure is going to be different than a lot of lower-functioning autistic people and their families. I still believe that those lower-functioning people will have great invaluable insights into the world. We just need to be willing to accept that they have worthwhile insights and maybe teach them to communicate better and then be willing to listen to them.
Now, there have been times in my life when I would have jumped at a cure. The thing about all of these times though is that in each of them, I was doped up on all kinds of medications in an attempt to make me "normal". Those medications always made me extremely miserable. What I wanted a cure for really wasn't the Asperger's but rather it was the misery that was brought on by the meds.
Comments (19)
I hope that you are having a good week with no candles!!!?
@guestbrief -
No candles this week.I did come across a bit harsh in this but I've a long history of people refusing to listen to anything I say when they don't want to hear it. As a result when I think maybe people won't want to hear my take I jump to anger and defensiveness from the start. Its a hard lesson to unlearn.
Its possible that some people would consider the meds worthwhile. The short version of the problem I had with them is that I felt like a puppet with other people controlling my every word and action while I was still stuck inside with no way to express myself.
Also, I can kind of see how given different circumstances growing up a person with Autism might want a cure.
@guestbrief -
I may have to look into that.@tialoca_talks -
That's true. But what I fear is that parents would force their kids to have the cure and the kids could lose what they like about themselves and what makes them special.@tialoca_talks -
Except I think that Autism can add some great qualities to the world that the world really needs even if they don't see it. I don't want that to be lost which would happen.@tialoca_talks -
I know@kpsmom3 -
When I was young I was on some ADHD drugs (that was what people said I had until I was 18) and I never really had a complaint about them.@mrcolorful - He doesn't mind them too much. He knows they help him in school (really, TONS), but I see changes in him when he's on them. He's just a more reserved kid and that's not PJ. I think because I was so painfully shy as a kid I see it as an assest that he can talk to anyone about anything (of course, without regard for personal space or even really caring if they are listening).
@kpsmom3 -
Sounds like a little knowledge about how to interact with others would be helpful. Of course that's not the easiest thing to teach a kid...I'd definitely say to encourage that openness, I was more like that when I was a kid and then over time I learned to fear such interaction. Some of the people doing the teaching had good intentions it just didn't work out so well (be careful how you teach him to the social stuff as that was stuff that made me very self-conscious and scared of interacting with other people).
@mrcolorful - That's part of the reason we don't medicate him in the summer. It gives us a chance to work with him. I never discourage him from being outgoing, I just try to explain "personal space" and give him cuddle time with me when he's really struggling. It's getting better, but the kid got himself slammed in another kids desk this year because he was so close when they were closing it. Luckily our school district has great teachers that work with him and his needs too. I've never met anyone that didn't comment on what a sweet kid he is so that helps.
@kpsmom3 -
That's great!@Botolf -
I would have no problem with finding a way to help the lower-functioning people to be higher functioning so long as we don't take them off the spectrum. I strongly believe that the type of thinking that people on the spectrum do is a great benefit to society.But yeah, fuck that, I'm screwed up for life and I'm fine with it. Who else can get joy out of kiddie cartoons my age and notice every little obscure drawing style? Who else can find joy in staying up all hours of the night without anything going on? It's not only fun, it's saves me hours on boredom.
@KyJotheIII -
YEP!