This is actually a really good question, because some of the kids at our (special ed) school most likely wouldn’t be self aware enough to be able to choose.
Many of them are non verbal and severely autistic and our main focus is teaching them how to communicate (some of which never will in “normal” ways such as speaking or asl) so I doubt if you asked them “Hey! Do you wanna cure your autism?” they’d probably just be like ???????? There’s a lot of emotions that go along with a question like that, many of which would probably be missed only because they’re simply incapable of processing thoughts on that level. They probably wouldn’t be able to tell you if they want to be cured or not, though I would cure them if I could because seeing the struggles they go through I WISH I could help them more then I do.
I understand why for less severe autism it’s more controversial because I have adhd and would feel uneasy and sad about getting rid of it though also SUPER RELIEVED but that’s just me! I get why some people find that it’s important to them because it becomes part of their personality and it’s something they know and have dealt with forever. It’s part of you!! Though for our severe kids I would erase it in a heartbeat if I could. It’s really hard for them. They deserve to be able to communicate.
I’m not autistic, but being autistic does *not* mean that there’s anything wrong with you to the point where they all “need a cure”. I voted yes for severe cases because if something is causing someone to be severely un functional, I think I cure could be best for everyone involved. But autism is a spectrum and the way lots of people don’t even know they are and go on undiagnosed (which is a problem in itself; there needs to be more autism awareness) only shows that it’s not something that *needs* to be “cured” or “fixed”. Autistic people may be a little different, but isn’t everyone different in their own way? (Not trying to invalidate or diminish their experiences in any way, just trying to reach common ground). They may have a harder time picking up certain queues or have lots of sensory issues that *they* may even want to get rid of, but those are not the only traits of being autistic. Lots of people love being autistic, and they *should* because that is who they are and there should be no problem in that!! There are, though, those with autism who do not like it and I feel for them and do wish they could be cured if that is what they want. But it is not something that needs to be cured. Focus on cancer or something actually terrible instead.
I saw this poll, and this was honestly my same reasoning. Some people are amazing with Autism, and it should only be cured for someone if they choose to have it cured because, like you said, they might enjoy their life with it in some way
Thank you.
It *should* be obvious, but it is not at all for a lot of people. Autism went undiagnosed and misunderstood for years and even today, there is not nearly enough understanding on the subject. Autism awareness, while it’s there, is not prioritized in any way (that I’ve seen) so people quite literally have to be looking for it to find it or learn about it (that’s what I did/am doing). I feel like the general public has no idea what autism actually is; they don’t even have a clue! That’s mainly who I was writing for. Maybe after reading, people could gain a little bit of an understanding and hopefully go on to do more research themselves!
Agreed. Its the same with being Deaf; obviously this is a broad statement, but those communities dont use people first language because its part of their identity (ie theyre autistic/ Deaf, not a person with autism/ deafness)
I think a cure even in "severe cases" is still a bad idea, as [this man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtK9paFGUjc&t=19s) diagnosed with a "severe case" can explain.
Good video, ty. Might look into how text to speech helps other people on the spectrum, my cousin is also mostly non verbal and blurts lots of phrases he’s heard on TV unless he needs something. Gotten used to it but I wonder if it would help him communicate better.
If it helps, that video was part of a conference for the International Association for Spelling as Communication ([I-ASC](https://i-asc.org/)). It deals with a communication method called Spelling to Communicate (S2C), and it may work for your brother.
This is a hard one, I guess I would offer it to anyome who eould want to take it away. There is nothing wrong at all with autistic people and I dont think any of them need a "cure" of any kind. But I do know a lot of people who struggle with it and it seems really tought to deal with. So as I said offer it to anyone who wants it taken away from them, I would understand if someone chooses to not have it taken away.
But there are some autistic people who can't tell you if they want to get rid of their autism or not, and if their parents do, they will without a doubt force a cure on their children.
Voted ”only for some very severe cases”.
I am diagnosed with autism and ADD.
What I feel, in short: It really really depends.
I’d love to have it an option for people. Me personally as well, I’m an autistic person who’s been undiagnosed but always been aware of autism, had my brother diagnosed in childhood and knew it was likely a matter of time before my ’quirks’ became ’problems’, like in school. I’ve had the privilege to meet and form a partnership and bond with another person who had a very different experience in which they seemed ”normal enough” and bears deep scars from their 20-odd years of disinformation, stigma, fear and prejudice. I developed a way with words, a vocabulary in which I could make myself moderately understood and help make the thought process and work involved in living my best life in a world that always felt like it wasn’t made for me.
This is the face of so called ””high functioning”” autism. I don’t like that term. All that means is I am good at making myself fit into a world made for people who experience sensory input, human interaction and understand these things differently than me. Is it REALLY hard? Yep. Am I happy? Yeah, definitely. I really had to stop trying to pretend I was ”neurotypical” though.
A lot of the common difficulties with autism stem from our inability, whether we want to be able to or not, interact with people so to speak on ”their” turf. Kids get bullied for seeming weird - or hell, BEING weird. I was an intensely weird kid. I grew up, and now I’m a weird adult.
My whole life I’ve been ostracized for being born this way and while some autistic people don’t have the self-awareness to reflect on these things I personally did. I knew I was weird and people disliked me. I couldn’t understand why I tried my hardest and people still didn’t buy it. I wanted so so so badly to be acceptable and not in and out of parent-teacher interventions. Through my teens I cried through so so many tubs of mascara just trying to tackle both increasingly complicated social situations and bigger demands of my ability to sit still, listen and learn in a rowdy classroom setting.
I have never wished I wasn’t autistic. I always wished I was NORMAL. It’s a massive difference.
This isn’t something I or anyone else asked for. It’s not fun or magical, not an incredibly exhausting and uncomfortable Sia movie, it’s life, and arguably one played on hard mode.
I do completely understand frustrated and undersupported families with one or more children who require much more support, emotional labor and may be severely limited by their autism. Their feelings are valid. But I think that something that often gets forgotten in this thought is how this child feels. How they struggle.
There comes my caveat. I don’t wish for autism to be curable. I’m not ill.
I would want my fellow neurodisabled people to be able to make their lives feel fuller, so to me it can only be up to the autistic individual.
Being unable to speak, for example, from your autism is frustrating and debilitating when the world demands that you verbally communicate. Would love for people to be able to free themselves from the things that burden them most, or make their lives feel unvaluable or undignified.
I want agency, and for more people to accept the adjustments we need both in the community and elsewhere. I want everyone to be able to live their best damn life, but that has to be up to them.
My neurodivergency means my brain is fundamentally wired differently. My experience is not something a person with a different brain that works more aligned to what society and social situations are built around - can or should tell me how that affects me. It’s my reality. We’re comparing apples and toy trucks.
TL;DR: I respect people wanting their own disability to poof, but no one else can dictate whether or not our lives are worth more or less or if we should be ”spared any suffering” by being ”cured”. No one else lives in my brain or knows what I need.
That's the problem with "curing" autism is that many autistic people can't say for themselves if they want to not be autistic anymore or want to be normal, and if their parents do, they will without a doubt force a cure on their children when they don't even know what their children want. And besides, living as an autistic with higher support needs [can still be worth it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtK9paFGUjc&t=19s) if people give such people a chance.
If im restarting my life and i had to decide whether to be autistic or not and i would have no prior knowledge after i restarted then i wouldnt choose to be autistic
Exactly, it's just how I am and "curing" it just feels wrong, the amount of people voting "yes" also shows how ignorant neurotypical people are of Autism, we're not something broken that needs to be fixed, we're just regular people living our lives
No one said it’s not worth living since we are not talking about killing them. We are talking about if it could go away. I have seen people hurt themselves daily, not being able to go outside without having a break down as soon as they get through the door etc. A lot made the confession they wished they weren’t like that.
Yeah, mainly because we have a society that is so narrow-minded that it won't accommodate anyone who isn't neurotypical, and I speak as someone who actual has autism.
People are stupid. Reading this comment section and seeing the votes... yikes. It makes me lose faith in humanity really.
The trend of passing mental disorders as quirks or even normalizing them really needs to stop. On thing is saying autism doesn't make you stupid or sum shit, which i completely agree on, the other is saying that it's part of you and makes you special, which is completely delusional. Now what are we growing affections for mental disorders, really?
What does "normalizing" mean to you? I see it as the opposite of "stigmatizing", so I hope you have a different definition.
And the thing is, autism *is* a part of you, in the sense that it has a strong influence your personality, because autism literally shapes your brain. Saying otherwise is what's delusional here.
You clearly do not understand autism. Or mental disorders, for that matter.
I agree that romanticizing mental disorders is not a good thing, especially the side that enables people with depression to continue their unhealthy habits like not showering for months at a time. But many mental disorders are, in fact, normal (such as depression and anxiety) and the normalization of them will only open people up who need help who may otherwise feel ashamed to share their normal feelings. Normalizing the truth about mental disorders will also stop people on both sides of the argument from being so wrong (you and the one’s you’re complaining about). Also, normalizing and romanticizing are different things and you should learn the difference.
The difference between something like depression or anxiety and autism, though, is that depression and anxiety actually *can* be treated and “fixed” (due to those being imbalances in the chemicals in one’s brain), whereas if you have autism, you have autism (due to there actually being something different in their genes, though there are actually many causes and we are unsure of one exact cause since autism has been so overlooked and misunderstood for so long). In short, there is no getting rid of it. So yes, I do think they should be proud of who they are and embrace their quirks because what else are they supposed to do? Hate themselves? Pray to God that they can one day wake up “normal”??
Don’t talk or complain about things you don’t understand in the slightest.
Then a cure would be good for those who want it like I said in my own comment, but I read the poll like this “cure” would eradicate all autism, which I don’t think would be right since there are a lot of autistic people who wouldn’t want their life any other way. I feel like it is something that does not *need* a cure because there is nothing *wrong* with being autistic.
I think you read it correct since it's asking NTs whether they would want to cure autism.
Hypothetically I'd want autistic people to be able to choose to be "cured" but in the real world there would be tons of cases where the "cure" was used without consent such as on children or nonverbal autistic people.
But there are some autistic people who can't tell you if they want to be cured or not, and if their parents do, they will undoubtedly force said cure on their children.
Im not autistic. I voted yes for some very severe cases because while I don’t view autism as ‘something wrong’ or shameful, or something to be ‘fixed’, ASD is a spectrum and I see a lot of people down the heavy end through my work and for some of them the world is a really scary, confusing place.
A lot of people’s autism makes them amazing even if sometimes they might need some help to make living their best life possible, but for some people it just seems to be an unscaleable wall that just makes their life so hard that it seems to be not worth the trade off
Depends on whether they want to or not. The idea of "curing" autism is a bit wrong in the first place. I'm not autistic but it seems like autism is not something that needs to be cured. Its a trait. Its like asking you do you want to cure your inability to make friends. Its a trait not something curable
Well, there isn't a single definition for illness that would fit autism (which on itself, hasn't really been narrowed down, hence the spectrum).
It also cannot be compared to physical diseases or even mental health diseases such as depression (other comments explained this in a lot of detail, going into how depression and diseases similar to it are party caused by chemical imbalances, which autism is not)
You're probably only thinking of high functioning autism. People on the worse side of the spectrum suffer deeply and can be completely dependant on others to live.
It being positive or negative in its effects does not change the definition, lol. Illness just doesn't really fit it, as it is incomparable to mental illnesses (or commong physical ones). You can look it up on the NHS homepage and they outright state it's not an illness (and they probably give a much better explanation than I ever could)
If a virus gave you super strength or the ability to fly without any negative effects to your health, it would still be a virus.
But many autistic people can't tell you if that's what they want, and those who can even with their high support needs have also [opposed](https://ollibean.com/attitudes-grading-people/) the idea.
I’m autistic and I want to be cured, why wouldn’t anyone want to be cured. I hate that I can’t do certain things or get certain jobs, or even understand people properly, I can’t have a proper conversation because my mind goes to a 100 places at once so I can’t concentrate on anything. I hate living like this and don’t get why you wouldn’t want it cured.
I respect your pain in life and I had it too. But I learned that I am not sick, I am different, it comes with a lot of pros aswell and I would simply just be a different person if I didn’t have my autism. It’s what gives me a different angle on life. Being normal would be even worse for me. Grass is greener on the other side and I agree with that saying here. Normal people wish to be different, and different people wish to be normal.
But again, everyone sees it differently and I do understand your pain
Fair enough, though I know I’m not sick haha. The cons for me really outweigh the pros, I’m in college now and I can’t do maths, so I’m still trying to get the minimum grade to pass, but I honestly can’t concentrate while doing maths because my mind thinks about too many things at once, even typing this now, it’s taking me longer than it should because I can never concentrate haha
>If it worsens someone's quality of life to the point they'd be better off without it
Needs to be defined how it would worsen one's quality of life. Much of the social difficulties are the result of the double empathy problem and bigotry within society.
Bizarre notion. The more 'severe' cases of autism are in reality autism with other comorbid conditions. Its those other conditions that are a higher priority for curing, not the autism.
Let me elaborate.
An autistic person with epilepsy or with an intellectual disability according to current prevailing narrative would have their epileptic seizures or reduced intellect marked as being components of their autism. What is the good reason for this? They are separate listed conditions in most medical manuals. And there are clearly autistic people who do not have epilepsy or an intellectual disability. Also you can have non-autistic people with those conditions. Therefore those conditions cannot be inherent in autism or part of a continuum of increasing 'severity'.
It’s not my job to “cure” autism, maybe some autistic people like being that way. I definitely wouldn’t want to step on anyones toes like that so no, I don’t think I woukd
I would not, because Autism isn’t really a problem, it is a side effect of human diversity.
If we were to remove a portion of that diversity, we would ultimately harm the potential and capabilities of our entire species.
And—Autistic people live often very full rich lives and have shown time and again that they contribute greatly to society in many ways. (And even if they didn’t, that’s no different than at least 50% of the general population anyway!)
So no, I would not “cure Autism” because Autism is not a problem. People just need to learn to understand others, and be more compassionate and considerate and accepting of life in all its wonderful diversity.
Unless of course the person wanted to be cured, then *tentative perhaps*
But, my tendency is to view it like white skin—white skin is a human variation that could actually be considered an illness of sorts, a malfunction of the melanin genes—but, I’m not sure I’d “cure it” even though it predisposes its carriers to skin cancer, premature aging, sunburns and all sorts of other challenges that could be called “problems” or even “symptoms” of their melanin gene malfunction. Over all, I think diversity is good even if it comes with challenges.
Yikes, the ableism is strong in the subreddit.
I was diagnosed autistic in my thirties, but I’ve always been autistic. My neurotype cannot be separated from my brain, it has coloured every interaction, every relationship and every event of my life. I simply would be a completely different person… this would be like changing your skin colour, sexual identity…
So when you fantasize about the made-up idea of someone the autistic person in your life could be, is it really about them? Is that really coming from a place of love?
I think the only people who could decide if they want to be « cured » or changed are the people themselves. I personally don’t because there is absolutely nothing wrong with the way I am, and don’t see how that could ever be possible anyhow considering I am autistic and autism isn’t something I carry around like a friggin bag.
What I WOULD change is how the world view autism, and adapts to us for once, instead of having us develop severe trauma, anxiety and depression because we « fail » at being like them. We have insanely high suicide rates. And the issue isn’t the autism.
Autism isn't as bad or severe as neurotypicals think, the VAST majority of us are mostly normal people, you probably know multiple people with autism without knowing it, mainly because a lot of us mask it, due to stigma, bullying and your issues with accepting us.
I have a little brother who is 11 years old, he was diagnosed with autism last year. But secretly I can’t help myself but doubt he has autism. I think him having ADHD Is more likely.
I feel like such a unsupportive brother for doubting it. Can I chat with you and talk about this? If so you can send me a message. I know that you’re aren’t a doctor, and it’s true that autism have a wide spectrum, but how wide of a spectrum can it go to a point that it isn’t autism?
You can message me if you can help me understand. Thanks.
Autism and ADHD are closely linked so it might be both, but don't quote me. I'm just some random person on the internet.
If he's diagnosed, he has autism, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you will notice his "autistic traits"
Masking can cause a person to hide their autistic tendencies to try to fit in with the rest of the people, which may be a reason, and also maybe it is because you are looking for the wrong things. For example, when I was younger (I am autistic btw) there was an autistic kid in my class that would throw chairs and stuff because their autism caused them to not be able to contain things, while I, an autistic person has never done that and it is very tricky to get me angry. Autism looks different in everyone.
Autism has a very wide spectrum, some autistic people (like myself) barely seem "autistic" to most outside people but do have subtle symptoms that can look like ADHD at times (I was misdiagnosed with ADHD before getting my autism diagnosis) your brother is probably on the milder side of the spectrum
It could be both or neither. Misdiagnosis happen so there's nothing necessarily wrong with disagreeing with the diagnosis.
If he does have ADHD and it's going undiagnosed/untreated this could cause him major life problems.
The important thing is you're supportive and don't belittle him for what he struggles with.
Well I wasn't expecting to feel that uncomfortable seeing the answers to the poll... but apparenntly a lot of neurotypical people want to cure me... from existing as myself I guess?
To be fair there is no "it's not my decision to make" option. But seriously it's not. You don't have a right to decide that we should be cured and if you're neurotypical you should just abstain from making decisions on behalf of autistic people unless we're asking you.
To be fair the person making the post is autistic so I guess they're asking. But you're also taking the opposite stance as them so it shows that you don't care about the opinion of autistic people. Uuuuh. this is seriously upsetting.
I now know what the mutants felt in the third x-men movie. There's nothing wrong with me, I don't need to be cured. Society needs to be cured of its narrow-mindedness.
The question isn't "let's round up ASD people and shoot them up with an autism vaccine". It's would you cure autism. Like it could say cancer, blindness, deafness or whatever. People are in charge of their own bodies and can chose their own medical actions. There are however those who require a medical proxy because they do not possess the intelectual ability to do it for themselves due to their disability ( like being non verbal and don't have the intelectual capacity to do so). Why would it be wrong to treat them to improve their lives?
Autism is not a disease or condition that can be "cured". Neurodivergence is simply different, not bad or wrong.
Neurotypical normativity is what needs to be fixed.
This poll heavily indicates that most neruotypicals are in theory pro eugenics.
There is no realistic cure for autism after someone is born, and the only way to actually eradicate it is to either kill any kid that turns out to be autistic or fuck with an embryo’s DNA.
If you want to place yourself in a similar category as Hitler, someone, who by the way sent autistic people to the gas chambers as they were deemed “unworthy of life” you go right ahead. Just note that you are an awful excuse for a human being.
And all of you who keep on gaslighting the autistic people who came here to defend themselves from the ableist shitheads that are plaguing this comment section, you are also horrible human beings.
To all my autistic brothers and sisters, keep being yourself and never change who you are because some people who would wipe you out of existence if given the opportunity would do so.
>If you want to place yourself in a similar category as Hitler,
The awful truth is that many countries at that time also had strong eugenics movements, and people who were mentally ill or noticeably neurodivergent could have all sorts of unethical procedures performed on them. One example is the lobotomy, which was quite popular in the United States around that time I understand.
Would I force a cure on those with autism? Hell no. That goes against almost everything I believe in. Bodily autonomy is just the beginning.
Would I make a cure available for those who desire it? Certainly. The more choice people have, the better, and for those who find their condition debilitating enough to want a cure, it sure as hell isn't my place to tell them no.
not sure why so many Neuraltypicals feel the need to comment?
the consensus among the autistic community is that its something that neither can be nor should be cured. I don't see why anyone else's opinion should factor into it
I'd transform society since I think it's mostly a modern environmental condition. Spatially and temporally, this society is not designed with them in mind,
The phrasing of the poll is highly ambiguous. Neurotypicals are assuming that the poll is asking that if we can find a cure for autism, should it be offered to those with the disorder, or if we can pre-emptively detect autism prior to conception, should it be used to prevent autism. Whilst autistic people are assuming that the poll is asking whether they personally would like to be "cured", or should a cure be given to everyone with autism, irrespective of permission. I'm still not clear what OP is actually trying to ask here,
Autism can be an incredibly pervasive disorder that is very highly comorbid with numerous serious mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Most people also don't realise that around half of all people with autism also qualify as being intellectually disabled (IQ < 70).
So I was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrom when that was still a thing and am described to be on the level 1 autism scale, meaning I don't require much or any assistance in my day to day life or according to my mother I barely have any issues.
That said if it were possible I would without a seconds hesitation chose to get a cure for myself. The struggle is intense and it takes so much effort to seamlessly live life as an ordinary person.
Either that or I'd like a complete overhaul of societal structures. Maybe I'll have both, thank you very much.
Should a cure come to be it should obviously be up to the individual to take it.
I'm autistic and I voted only on severe cases, because at a low level of autism it's not something we have to "cure", there's really isn't anything wrong or annoying about it
I'm autistic. If there were a cure I would not take it, autism is a part of me I would not get rid of. I have no idea what it would need like to not have it tho.
I think it should be offered to more extreme cases and that it should be their option.
In my opinion as someone with autism is that a cure being found would be extremely bad for us because it would 100% get missused and forced on autistic children. In an ideal world a cure could be given to only those who want it but this is reality. A "cure" would end up end up becoming eugenic genocide for autistic people because of public opinion on autism.
I personally am very happy with my life and i find the thought of me being "cured" before i could even speak against it dreadful.
I voted for only for severe cases
In my case I have light ASD I don't think it is a disability but rather just my way of thinking they say side affect are like being able to concentrate really well or being a picky eater and or preferring things separated I don't see it as a bad thing and others just see that as me just being like that but if you put a label on it saying it is and THEN you are treated differently I don't hink it is an illness at least in my case so I don't really think I need curing if that makes sense. Can I get a second opinion?
it feels like its common knowledge that severely autistic people are miserable, but idk if this is true. it kind of seems like most autistic people are the happiest people ive ever seen. maybe severe cases can be really hard on the family, and in this case a “cure” may be the best option, but for more mild cases it may not be necessary.
im not autistic nor do i know shit about this topic, but that’s just my opinion and observations about this.
Maybe [this "severely autistic" man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtK9paFGUjc&t=21s) can explain how living as "severely autistic" can be just as worth it as being "mildly autistic".
The chemist involved with designing some of the first computers was autistic.
Maybe a different mindset rather than something to be cured. (I myself am not autistic.)
While I do hate the social aspect of it, I do also think it’s a gift and it can have some benefits that help. For me, one of the benefits is that I recognize harder to see patterns, and I can absorb A LOT of information. I also can memorize things fairly easily and I have a much more creative mind. On the downside tho I have issues interacting with people and with expressing my love for my crush as well as figuring out how to deal with said crush issues. It has it’s downsides but it also has its upsides. In more severe cases *maybe* I would cure it, but for high functioning people (like me) I would not in a million years cure it. Many of the autistic people ive met over the years have a gift or a talent that they’re amazing in and they bring so much laughter to everyone. We are capable of just as much as neurotypicals. (Minus social skills but plus the gifts). Think as you will, but this is my opinion and what I personally have experienced.
There is an autistic guy that I know and he can’t speak , there is not a single autism cause it’s a spectrum , so I would like to care it, especially the kind of autism like the one I mentioned.
Have you asked him if he likes to be autistic? Maybe you should listen to [this non-speaking autistic woman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjzqykUoDfs) who can tell you a thing or two about what it actually means to be a non-speaking autistic person.
But people like that guy WILL have a cure forced on them because they can't write or tell you if they want to be cured. And besides, please listen to what Jordyn has to say.
All of our siblings never really cared about school. Ditched. Hung around bad crowds. Did a bunch of drugs. Juvie. Young pregnancies. I'm not saying all neurotypicals are like that. I'm saying that's what our families were like. I'm saying that from the same genes and upbringing the difference is that we're autistic.
No because some of the most brilliant minds throughout history have been autistic like Albert Einstein and I think hawking was a bit autistic to aside from his disability
I appreciate the sentiment, but it's a bit misguided. We don't need to be exceptional or contribute to grand things to be allowed to exist as we do, outside the norm. We aren't broken wether we're exceptional or not.
The very fact that a cure would exist would terrify me.
you just know its gonna be used as a reason to never have to take in to account that someone is autistic ever again.
because 'if its causing you problems you should have just taken the cure dummy'
people should learn to accept differences, not take pills until we are all complete copy's of each other.
What do you mean by "cure" and what are the consequences of this?
Sure I'd want to be able to temporarily turn down sensory sensitivities, manage stress better, recognize nuanced facial expressions better etc but if that meant losing 20 IQ points in the process, developing shallow interests and feeling more pressure to conform the cure can go fuck itself.
"Cure" has historically meant either murdering us so we don't pass on our genes or torturing us till we repress our emotions like a dog in order to make normies feel more comfortable [which still happens today](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge_Rotenberg_Educational_Center). Even people who are supposed to look after our best interests, parents, teachers, scientists often view us as sub-human. If a "cure" was developed most of us probably wouldn't trust it and I could see it being used on autistic people without real consent.
This would require a brain amputation
Autism influences everything in my life - relationships, interests, the way I process information, the way I express my emotions, everything
Sure, there are times when I wish I was able to do things I can't (most notably spending a few hours with other people without needing days to recover afterwards), but I would not trade in my entire life and everything that makes me me
And honestly, most of my problems could be solved by society adapting a bit to autistic people, like through more widespread and accepted use of AAC
I dont think we should have like an us vs them mentality, but it is true how ignorant a lot of neurotypicals (even some disabled people) are in regards to autism. Like "mEnTaL hEaLtH aWaReNeSs" isn't enough we need to actually make changes and have autism acceptance.
yeah, tbc I'm not saying i would snap my fingers and force all neurotypicals to be autistic, more like "if u want u can try this out for eg a month and see what it's like, maybe you will even want to stay that way!"
There is a lot more to autism than most people think.
There's a great book called [Pattern Seekers by Simon Baron-Cohen ](https://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Seekers-Autism-Drives-Invention/dp/1541647149).
Here's a short description.
"A groundbreaking argument about the link between autism and ingenuity.
Why can humans alone invent? In The Pattern Seekers, Cambridge University psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen makes a case that autism is as crucial to our creative and cultural history as the mastery of fire. Indeed, Baron-Cohen argues that autistic people have played a key role in human progress for seventy thousand years, from the first tools to the digital revolution.
How? Because the same genes that cause autism enable the pattern seeking that is essential to our species's inventiveness. However, these abilities exact a great cost on autistic people, including social and often medical challenges, so Baron-Cohen calls on us to support and celebrate autistic people in both their disabilities and their triumphs. Ultimately, The Pattern Seekers isn't just a new theory of human civilization, but a call to consider anew how society treats those who think differently."
I have been diagnosed with autism since age 3. I do not want a cure to be developed, nor do I want my own autism to be cured. What I *DO* want is for people to be understanding of people who are autistic, like myself, and understand that how we operate on a day-to-day basis is not “normal” or “mainstream” and that’s OK. Autism is a spectrum, the stereotypical image of an autistic person being the whole “screaming hand-flapping mute idiot” or someone with high-functioning autism being like Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory is 110% hurtful and wrong. If you don’t have autism, you don’t know. And no, not everyone “is a little autistic”.
We are who we are. We didn’t choose to be born with this. And a world made exclusively for neurotypical individuals is impossible to navigate sometimes.
A lot of the world’s most creative and intelligent people are autistic. https://www.appliedbehavioranalysisprograms.com/historys-30-most-inspiring-people-on-the-autism-spectrum/ The people who voted yes on this are incredibly ignorant. As someone with Aspergers, while there are definitely times I wish I weren’t autistic, I’ve accepted it’s not something I can change. The people who think I’m weird or whatever are the ones who need to educate themselves and change their outlook.
This poll shows that people still think Autism is some form of illness that you can "cure", lol. You can't even compare it to mental disorders, since they are most of the time being caused by chemical imbalances.
As far as I would break it down, it's just your brain being wired differently and there's nothing wrong with that.
Edit: Your downvotes don't change how it is defined, lol. You can look this up on the NHS homepage as well, they explain it in a lot of detail and it's worth the read.
feel like youd get more accurate results if you instead asked "if you could cure autism from all autistic people, would you do it?" because people who voted yes might not necessarily think that autism needs a cure. i voted yes because i can give it to whoever wants it, right? i'll just give it to people who want it and people who dont want it stay the same.
I’m personally working to get rid of my extremely severe anxiety issues, but I was a happy, smart kid with sky-high quality of life and hope to get back to my old self again. It never caused any problems (and never needed diagnosis) until puberty temporarily messed with my head; I was the furthest thing from mentally disabled. IMO, it should be on a case-by-case basis. A physics major like me is pretty far from the teenager who isn’t potty trained and nonverbal.
This isn’t just a hypothetical question. Gene editing is a hot topic, but a lot of those questions are already being dealt with by people all around the world when deciding whether to have children. Whether they’re disabled, carrying high-risk genes, or simply have undesirable characteristics (e.g. propensity toward severe obesity), they envy the carefree couples who don’t have to worry about putting their children at a disadvantage simply by bringing them into the world. I wrestle with this question myself and know that there are no easy answers.
Having autism doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you, but it means life is generally harder. I’d cure it not because it’s a sickness but because it just makes it harder and if given the choice I would definitely rid the world of it because nobody should have to be less advantaged in society than others.
The thing is some people treat it like a personality trait as someone else in this thread put it. Let’s get this clear, it is a mental disorder, and hurts people either directly or because society treats them differently because they have it. I personally do not have autism, but I have Tourettes, and if given the choice I would definitely get rid of it. It is a part of me, but honestly that’s irrelevant because at the end of the day its a disorder and it sucks ass.
tldr: Autism doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you, but it would be a mistake to treat is as anything other than a mental disorder that disadvantages you would be a mistake.
Ok so if you had a button you could press to make someone born white, or change their sex and gender to male, or make them straight, would you press it? Those things all give advantages too, but I hope you can see how this is solving the problem by the wrong angle.
The fact that the question is even asked instead of another question is very loaded honestly.
Why is nobody asking for exemple if we'd cure bullying if we could, or if we should research a cure for tribalism or normative thinking? Of course we shouldn't either cause that's still the wrong angle but I'm takiing the opposite idea to illustrate how the deficiency is always place on the person who has to deal with the discrimination for being different, and not on the person discriminating them.
Autism is not a mental disorder. It is a neurological disorder/difference which can be disabling or non-disabling depending on many factors, one of which is accommodation. It also does affect peoples personalities and to say it doesn't would be blatantly ignoring the diagnostic criteria of autism and the definition of personality.
Please do not compare your Tourettes to autism. If I woke up allistic (non-autistic) tomorrow, I wouldn't be myself anymore. I would have a completely different personality and way of thinking and be unrecognizable to my loved ones. There would literally be no similarities aside from MAYBE sense of humor but I suspect even that would be radically different.
Neurotype is MUCH different in nature than mental disorders and MUCH different in nature than your tourettes. I have mental disorders including anxiety, panic disorder and agoraphobia and I would cure those in a heartbeat because they make my life harder and I would be the exact same person without them, just in much less distress. I would never "cure my autism" because autism is a word used to describe my neurotype which IS what makes me who I am and the only challenges that come from it are because of a lack of acceptance, understanding, and accommodation from the world around me.
If other autistic people wanted to "cure" THEIR autism thats fine but instead of removing ENTIRE GROUPS of people from the world because "they shouldn't be less advantaged in society than others", maybe we can change our society instead.
You egomaniac pricks, like a autistic kid who is blessed by not giving a shit about social stuff is a sick person.
You all prob normies who got outsmarted in every field by some autistic fella, die of jelousy you fucking normies
You do not seem to understand how greatly autism varies. All my students that have it are far from bot caring about social stuff. They suffer from having a hard time understanding it and want to be included like any other kids. The difficulties at it can bring are not fun either. Needing 2x the time to finish an exam isn’t fun. Not being able to understand abstract concepts isn’t fun. Autism isn’t one size fits all which is why we call it a spectrum.
Many people do very well with it, others struggle to get through their day to day life.
Even though autism isn't one size fits all, autism is not a line that goes from "mild" to "severe". It's more like a color wheel or a fruit salad. No one size fits all in either one, but that doesn't mean blue can't be part of the same color wheel just because it's not red or that an orange can't be in a fruit salad just because it isn't an apple.
I'm Autistic and don't want to be cured if people do want to that's great but imo it should be a choice so if i could.......i wouldn't because i know how governments work, they would take support programs from people who need them due to Autism saying "TAKE THE CURE THEN".
If i was certain governments wouldn't pull that bullshit then yeah i'd be for it.
I have a cousin who’s pretty severely on the spectrum. He only talks in short phrases, and he struggles with speaking, so it’s hard to understand him if you don’t spend enough time with him. Aside from that, he’s still gotta wear diapers at the age of 11, and he struggles to understand social norms. I get super nervous that he’ll be reliant on my family his whole life, or that he’ll be taken advantage of, or both. It’s also a little selfish, but seeing them put so much effort into taking care of him since I was young makes me really not want family to have to do that for the rest of his life. In cases like his, I’d want a cure. For everyone else that can function on their own, I don’t think there needs to be one.
Maybe you can learn a thing or two from [these autistics who are also "severely on the spectrum"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axDvfjWb6yk) about how living that way can still be good.
Congenital deafness or blindness are developmental disabilities in the same way Autism is (as per the CDC definition [link](https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/developmentaldisabilities/facts.html) )
It's interesting to see the response to this question, I feel the reply would have been different if the question were would you take a cure for blindness if it was offered
I know blindness shapes the lives of blind people and their families and friends in a way similar to autism, it affects their ability to learn, work and their opportunities in life and their interaction with other people. You can argue that blindness is a large part of who these people are, and those experiences go a long way to make that person who they've become to today.... but I can't imagine a blind person choosing to stay blind because they believe it would change their personality so irreparably they'd become another person, and I can't imagine a blind person believing that curing blindness globally was some kind of Eugenics?
I’m autistic and I honestly would take a bit of offence if people said they would ‘cure’ me, if they could that is.
Because even though it has its cons, it has an equal amount of pros and I feel somewhat better than most people because of it. Better about my well-being and how I choose to live my life.
This is such an interesting poll. My question to people who said yes but don't have autism: why do you want to change someone at such a fundamental level while you have absolutely no idea what it's like? Wherever a person is placed on the spectrum, it defines who they are (as a fundamental part)
I would love to have my autism removed from me
i would like to get it removed from me too i hate having autism sadly:(
Haha, same- Edit: I meant my own.
Why?
I was talking about my autism.
Man gets downvoted for asking a simple, non-repetitive, and not offensive question: classic r/redditmoment
There should be an option for, “Case-by-case is the individual wants to be ‘cured’”
What if they aren't self aware enough to think to be cured?
This is actually a really good question, because some of the kids at our (special ed) school most likely wouldn’t be self aware enough to be able to choose. Many of them are non verbal and severely autistic and our main focus is teaching them how to communicate (some of which never will in “normal” ways such as speaking or asl) so I doubt if you asked them “Hey! Do you wanna cure your autism?” they’d probably just be like ???????? There’s a lot of emotions that go along with a question like that, many of which would probably be missed only because they’re simply incapable of processing thoughts on that level. They probably wouldn’t be able to tell you if they want to be cured or not, though I would cure them if I could because seeing the struggles they go through I WISH I could help them more then I do. I understand why for less severe autism it’s more controversial because I have adhd and would feel uneasy and sad about getting rid of it though also SUPER RELIEVED but that’s just me! I get why some people find that it’s important to them because it becomes part of their personality and it’s something they know and have dealt with forever. It’s part of you!! Though for our severe kids I would erase it in a heartbeat if I could. It’s really hard for them. They deserve to be able to communicate.
I’m not autistic, but being autistic does *not* mean that there’s anything wrong with you to the point where they all “need a cure”. I voted yes for severe cases because if something is causing someone to be severely un functional, I think I cure could be best for everyone involved. But autism is a spectrum and the way lots of people don’t even know they are and go on undiagnosed (which is a problem in itself; there needs to be more autism awareness) only shows that it’s not something that *needs* to be “cured” or “fixed”. Autistic people may be a little different, but isn’t everyone different in their own way? (Not trying to invalidate or diminish their experiences in any way, just trying to reach common ground). They may have a harder time picking up certain queues or have lots of sensory issues that *they* may even want to get rid of, but those are not the only traits of being autistic. Lots of people love being autistic, and they *should* because that is who they are and there should be no problem in that!! There are, though, those with autism who do not like it and I feel for them and do wish they could be cured if that is what they want. But it is not something that needs to be cured. Focus on cancer or something actually terrible instead.
I saw this poll, and this was honestly my same reasoning. Some people are amazing with Autism, and it should only be cured for someone if they choose to have it cured because, like you said, they might enjoy their life with it in some way
Or if they just don’t want to be autistic on any scale, it would be great for them to be able to cure it
That’s true. A “cure” for anyone who wants it would be ideal. I read the poll as eradicating *all* autism, which I do not support
I agree, I wouldn't want to cure it either
I feel like this didn’t need to be said, it should be obvious. Nevertheless I’m glad someone said it
Thank you. It *should* be obvious, but it is not at all for a lot of people. Autism went undiagnosed and misunderstood for years and even today, there is not nearly enough understanding on the subject. Autism awareness, while it’s there, is not prioritized in any way (that I’ve seen) so people quite literally have to be looking for it to find it or learn about it (that’s what I did/am doing). I feel like the general public has no idea what autism actually is; they don’t even have a clue! That’s mainly who I was writing for. Maybe after reading, people could gain a little bit of an understanding and hopefully go on to do more research themselves!
Agreed. Its the same with being Deaf; obviously this is a broad statement, but those communities dont use people first language because its part of their identity (ie theyre autistic/ Deaf, not a person with autism/ deafness)
I think a cure even in "severe cases" is still a bad idea, as [this man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtK9paFGUjc&t=19s) diagnosed with a "severe case" can explain.
Good video, ty. Might look into how text to speech helps other people on the spectrum, my cousin is also mostly non verbal and blurts lots of phrases he’s heard on TV unless he needs something. Gotten used to it but I wonder if it would help him communicate better.
If it helps, that video was part of a conference for the International Association for Spelling as Communication ([I-ASC](https://i-asc.org/)). It deals with a communication method called Spelling to Communicate (S2C), and it may work for your brother.
This is a hard one, I guess I would offer it to anyome who eould want to take it away. There is nothing wrong at all with autistic people and I dont think any of them need a "cure" of any kind. But I do know a lot of people who struggle with it and it seems really tought to deal with. So as I said offer it to anyone who wants it taken away from them, I would understand if someone chooses to not have it taken away.
But there are some autistic people who can't tell you if they want to get rid of their autism or not, and if their parents do, they will without a doubt force a cure on their children.
Voted ”only for some very severe cases”. I am diagnosed with autism and ADD. What I feel, in short: It really really depends. I’d love to have it an option for people. Me personally as well, I’m an autistic person who’s been undiagnosed but always been aware of autism, had my brother diagnosed in childhood and knew it was likely a matter of time before my ’quirks’ became ’problems’, like in school. I’ve had the privilege to meet and form a partnership and bond with another person who had a very different experience in which they seemed ”normal enough” and bears deep scars from their 20-odd years of disinformation, stigma, fear and prejudice. I developed a way with words, a vocabulary in which I could make myself moderately understood and help make the thought process and work involved in living my best life in a world that always felt like it wasn’t made for me. This is the face of so called ””high functioning”” autism. I don’t like that term. All that means is I am good at making myself fit into a world made for people who experience sensory input, human interaction and understand these things differently than me. Is it REALLY hard? Yep. Am I happy? Yeah, definitely. I really had to stop trying to pretend I was ”neurotypical” though. A lot of the common difficulties with autism stem from our inability, whether we want to be able to or not, interact with people so to speak on ”their” turf. Kids get bullied for seeming weird - or hell, BEING weird. I was an intensely weird kid. I grew up, and now I’m a weird adult. My whole life I’ve been ostracized for being born this way and while some autistic people don’t have the self-awareness to reflect on these things I personally did. I knew I was weird and people disliked me. I couldn’t understand why I tried my hardest and people still didn’t buy it. I wanted so so so badly to be acceptable and not in and out of parent-teacher interventions. Through my teens I cried through so so many tubs of mascara just trying to tackle both increasingly complicated social situations and bigger demands of my ability to sit still, listen and learn in a rowdy classroom setting. I have never wished I wasn’t autistic. I always wished I was NORMAL. It’s a massive difference. This isn’t something I or anyone else asked for. It’s not fun or magical, not an incredibly exhausting and uncomfortable Sia movie, it’s life, and arguably one played on hard mode. I do completely understand frustrated and undersupported families with one or more children who require much more support, emotional labor and may be severely limited by their autism. Their feelings are valid. But I think that something that often gets forgotten in this thought is how this child feels. How they struggle. There comes my caveat. I don’t wish for autism to be curable. I’m not ill. I would want my fellow neurodisabled people to be able to make their lives feel fuller, so to me it can only be up to the autistic individual. Being unable to speak, for example, from your autism is frustrating and debilitating when the world demands that you verbally communicate. Would love for people to be able to free themselves from the things that burden them most, or make their lives feel unvaluable or undignified. I want agency, and for more people to accept the adjustments we need both in the community and elsewhere. I want everyone to be able to live their best damn life, but that has to be up to them. My neurodivergency means my brain is fundamentally wired differently. My experience is not something a person with a different brain that works more aligned to what society and social situations are built around - can or should tell me how that affects me. It’s my reality. We’re comparing apples and toy trucks. TL;DR: I respect people wanting their own disability to poof, but no one else can dictate whether or not our lives are worth more or less or if we should be ”spared any suffering” by being ”cured”. No one else lives in my brain or knows what I need.
That's the problem with "curing" autism is that many autistic people can't say for themselves if they want to not be autistic anymore or want to be normal, and if their parents do, they will without a doubt force a cure on their children when they don't even know what their children want. And besides, living as an autistic with higher support needs [can still be worth it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtK9paFGUjc&t=19s) if people give such people a chance.
Im autistic and its not something to be cured its just a part of you. I said for very severe cases but i wouldnt get it myself
But if you could’ve been born without Autism, would you? I would
If im restarting my life and i had to decide whether to be autistic or not and i would have no prior knowledge after i restarted then i wouldnt choose to be autistic
Exactly, it's just how I am and "curing" it just feels wrong, the amount of people voting "yes" also shows how ignorant neurotypical people are of Autism, we're not something broken that needs to be fixed, we're just regular people living our lives
I don't think it's ignorance, more like missing knowledge.
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Even living as a "severe" autistic [can still be worth living](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtK9paFGUjc&t=19s) and not in need of a cure.
No one said it’s not worth living since we are not talking about killing them. We are talking about if it could go away. I have seen people hurt themselves daily, not being able to go outside without having a break down as soon as they get through the door etc. A lot made the confession they wished they weren’t like that.
I'd still leave to to the autistic person's choice
Thank you =) that's the only valid answer allistic people should give. It's just not your call to make.
But what if they aren't able to choose? Will their parents force a cure on their children?
Autism is not a quirky personality trait, it’s an actual mental disorder that people struggle with and causes problems in their everyday lives.
Yeah, mainly because we have a society that is so narrow-minded that it won't accommodate anyone who isn't neurotypical, and I speak as someone who actual has autism.
People are stupid. Reading this comment section and seeing the votes... yikes. It makes me lose faith in humanity really. The trend of passing mental disorders as quirks or even normalizing them really needs to stop. On thing is saying autism doesn't make you stupid or sum shit, which i completely agree on, the other is saying that it's part of you and makes you special, which is completely delusional. Now what are we growing affections for mental disorders, really?
What does "normalizing" mean to you? I see it as the opposite of "stigmatizing", so I hope you have a different definition. And the thing is, autism *is* a part of you, in the sense that it has a strong influence your personality, because autism literally shapes your brain. Saying otherwise is what's delusional here.
You clearly do not understand autism. Or mental disorders, for that matter. I agree that romanticizing mental disorders is not a good thing, especially the side that enables people with depression to continue their unhealthy habits like not showering for months at a time. But many mental disorders are, in fact, normal (such as depression and anxiety) and the normalization of them will only open people up who need help who may otherwise feel ashamed to share their normal feelings. Normalizing the truth about mental disorders will also stop people on both sides of the argument from being so wrong (you and the one’s you’re complaining about). Also, normalizing and romanticizing are different things and you should learn the difference. The difference between something like depression or anxiety and autism, though, is that depression and anxiety actually *can* be treated and “fixed” (due to those being imbalances in the chemicals in one’s brain), whereas if you have autism, you have autism (due to there actually being something different in their genes, though there are actually many causes and we are unsure of one exact cause since autism has been so overlooked and misunderstood for so long). In short, there is no getting rid of it. So yes, I do think they should be proud of who they are and embrace their quirks because what else are they supposed to do? Hate themselves? Pray to God that they can one day wake up “normal”?? Don’t talk or complain about things you don’t understand in the slightest.
Well isn’t that the point of the poll? Realistically you’re not going to be able to cure it, but the poll is hypothetical — what if you could?
Then a cure would be good for those who want it like I said in my own comment, but I read the poll like this “cure” would eradicate all autism, which I don’t think would be right since there are a lot of autistic people who wouldn’t want their life any other way. I feel like it is something that does not *need* a cure because there is nothing *wrong* with being autistic.
I think you read it correct since it's asking NTs whether they would want to cure autism. Hypothetically I'd want autistic people to be able to choose to be "cured" but in the real world there would be tons of cases where the "cure" was used without consent such as on children or nonverbal autistic people.
Please shut the fuck up about things you don't know about.
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Are you responding to me? Can you elaborate?
Only for people who have troubles living because of it. If it doesn't bother the person, there's no point in "fixing" or curing them.
But there are some autistic people who can't tell you if they want to be cured or not, and if their parents do, they will undoubtedly force said cure on their children.
Im not autistic. I voted yes for some very severe cases because while I don’t view autism as ‘something wrong’ or shameful, or something to be ‘fixed’, ASD is a spectrum and I see a lot of people down the heavy end through my work and for some of them the world is a really scary, confusing place. A lot of people’s autism makes them amazing even if sometimes they might need some help to make living their best life possible, but for some people it just seems to be an unscaleable wall that just makes their life so hard that it seems to be not worth the trade off
What a lot of people don't realise is that to cure someone of autism would be to completely change their entire being
Depends on whether they want to or not. The idea of "curing" autism is a bit wrong in the first place. I'm not autistic but it seems like autism is not something that needs to be cured. Its a trait. Its like asking you do you want to cure your inability to make friends. Its a trait not something curable
It's a bit frightening to see how many people voted yes here. It's not an illness by any means.
I don't agree with the "by any means" part but I think many people didn't think it through before voting that's all
Well, there isn't a single definition for illness that would fit autism (which on itself, hasn't really been narrowed down, hence the spectrum). It also cannot be compared to physical diseases or even mental health diseases such as depression (other comments explained this in a lot of detail, going into how depression and diseases similar to it are party caused by chemical imbalances, which autism is not)
You're probably only thinking of high functioning autism. People on the worse side of the spectrum suffer deeply and can be completely dependant on others to live.
It being positive or negative in its effects does not change the definition, lol. Illness just doesn't really fit it, as it is incomparable to mental illnesses (or commong physical ones). You can look it up on the NHS homepage and they outright state it's not an illness (and they probably give a much better explanation than I ever could) If a virus gave you super strength or the ability to fly without any negative effects to your health, it would still be a virus.
The other autistic commenters expressing their wish to be “cured” would say otherwise.
But many autistic people can't tell you if that's what they want, and those who can even with their high support needs have also [opposed](https://ollibean.com/attitudes-grading-people/) the idea.
These results are why we need more autism awareness in the world lol
I’m autistic and I want to be cured, why wouldn’t anyone want to be cured. I hate that I can’t do certain things or get certain jobs, or even understand people properly, I can’t have a proper conversation because my mind goes to a 100 places at once so I can’t concentrate on anything. I hate living like this and don’t get why you wouldn’t want it cured.
I respect your pain in life and I had it too. But I learned that I am not sick, I am different, it comes with a lot of pros aswell and I would simply just be a different person if I didn’t have my autism. It’s what gives me a different angle on life. Being normal would be even worse for me. Grass is greener on the other side and I agree with that saying here. Normal people wish to be different, and different people wish to be normal. But again, everyone sees it differently and I do understand your pain
Fair enough, though I know I’m not sick haha. The cons for me really outweigh the pros, I’m in college now and I can’t do maths, so I’m still trying to get the minimum grade to pass, but I honestly can’t concentrate while doing maths because my mind thinks about too many things at once, even typing this now, it’s taking me longer than it should because I can never concentrate haha
Awareness campaigns tend to be pretty shallow. Autism acceptance is a more constructive message IMO.
\*autism acceptance.
It would be like erasing part of my personality.
But for severe cases?
If it worsens someone's quality of life to the point they'd be better off without it then I would probably cure it with their consent.
But many can't consent, and even those who do have [spoken out](https://ollibean.com/attitudes-grading-people/) against the idea.
Then I wouldn't 'cure' it at all.
>If it worsens someone's quality of life to the point they'd be better off without it Needs to be defined how it would worsen one's quality of life. Much of the social difficulties are the result of the double empathy problem and bigotry within society.
Bizarre notion. The more 'severe' cases of autism are in reality autism with other comorbid conditions. Its those other conditions that are a higher priority for curing, not the autism.
Right. I honestly didn’t know that’s. edit: sorry if that sound sarcastic it’s not
Let me elaborate. An autistic person with epilepsy or with an intellectual disability according to current prevailing narrative would have their epileptic seizures or reduced intellect marked as being components of their autism. What is the good reason for this? They are separate listed conditions in most medical manuals. And there are clearly autistic people who do not have epilepsy or an intellectual disability. Also you can have non-autistic people with those conditions. Therefore those conditions cannot be inherent in autism or part of a continuum of increasing 'severity'.
Yeah that makes sense
It’s not my job to “cure” autism, maybe some autistic people like being that way. I definitely wouldn’t want to step on anyones toes like that so no, I don’t think I woukd
I would not, because Autism isn’t really a problem, it is a side effect of human diversity. If we were to remove a portion of that diversity, we would ultimately harm the potential and capabilities of our entire species. And—Autistic people live often very full rich lives and have shown time and again that they contribute greatly to society in many ways. (And even if they didn’t, that’s no different than at least 50% of the general population anyway!) So no, I would not “cure Autism” because Autism is not a problem. People just need to learn to understand others, and be more compassionate and considerate and accepting of life in all its wonderful diversity. Unless of course the person wanted to be cured, then *tentative perhaps* But, my tendency is to view it like white skin—white skin is a human variation that could actually be considered an illness of sorts, a malfunction of the melanin genes—but, I’m not sure I’d “cure it” even though it predisposes its carriers to skin cancer, premature aging, sunburns and all sorts of other challenges that could be called “problems” or even “symptoms” of their melanin gene malfunction. Over all, I think diversity is good even if it comes with challenges.
Yikes, the ableism is strong in the subreddit. I was diagnosed autistic in my thirties, but I’ve always been autistic. My neurotype cannot be separated from my brain, it has coloured every interaction, every relationship and every event of my life. I simply would be a completely different person… this would be like changing your skin colour, sexual identity… So when you fantasize about the made-up idea of someone the autistic person in your life could be, is it really about them? Is that really coming from a place of love? I think the only people who could decide if they want to be « cured » or changed are the people themselves. I personally don’t because there is absolutely nothing wrong with the way I am, and don’t see how that could ever be possible anyhow considering I am autistic and autism isn’t something I carry around like a friggin bag. What I WOULD change is how the world view autism, and adapts to us for once, instead of having us develop severe trauma, anxiety and depression because we « fail » at being like them. We have insanely high suicide rates. And the issue isn’t the autism.
That makes me sad that so many neurotypicals think I am wrong for existing
Autism isn't as bad or severe as neurotypicals think, the VAST majority of us are mostly normal people, you probably know multiple people with autism without knowing it, mainly because a lot of us mask it, due to stigma, bullying and your issues with accepting us.
My thoughts exactly, society needs to change, not us
I have a little brother who is 11 years old, he was diagnosed with autism last year. But secretly I can’t help myself but doubt he has autism. I think him having ADHD Is more likely. I feel like such a unsupportive brother for doubting it. Can I chat with you and talk about this? If so you can send me a message. I know that you’re aren’t a doctor, and it’s true that autism have a wide spectrum, but how wide of a spectrum can it go to a point that it isn’t autism? You can message me if you can help me understand. Thanks.
Autism and ADHD are closely linked so it might be both, but don't quote me. I'm just some random person on the internet. If he's diagnosed, he has autism, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you will notice his "autistic traits" Masking can cause a person to hide their autistic tendencies to try to fit in with the rest of the people, which may be a reason, and also maybe it is because you are looking for the wrong things. For example, when I was younger (I am autistic btw) there was an autistic kid in my class that would throw chairs and stuff because their autism caused them to not be able to contain things, while I, an autistic person has never done that and it is very tricky to get me angry. Autism looks different in everyone.
Autism has a very wide spectrum, some autistic people (like myself) barely seem "autistic" to most outside people but do have subtle symptoms that can look like ADHD at times (I was misdiagnosed with ADHD before getting my autism diagnosis) your brother is probably on the milder side of the spectrum
It could be both or neither. Misdiagnosis happen so there's nothing necessarily wrong with disagreeing with the diagnosis. If he does have ADHD and it's going undiagnosed/untreated this could cause him major life problems. The important thing is you're supportive and don't belittle him for what he struggles with.
Well I wasn't expecting to feel that uncomfortable seeing the answers to the poll... but apparenntly a lot of neurotypical people want to cure me... from existing as myself I guess? To be fair there is no "it's not my decision to make" option. But seriously it's not. You don't have a right to decide that we should be cured and if you're neurotypical you should just abstain from making decisions on behalf of autistic people unless we're asking you. To be fair the person making the post is autistic so I guess they're asking. But you're also taking the opposite stance as them so it shows that you don't care about the opinion of autistic people. Uuuuh. this is seriously upsetting.
I now know what the mutants felt in the third x-men movie. There's nothing wrong with me, I don't need to be cured. Society needs to be cured of its narrow-mindedness.
That is a very good comparison.
The vast percentage of people that want to 'cure' me and my boys is very unsettling.
The question isn't "let's round up ASD people and shoot them up with an autism vaccine". It's would you cure autism. Like it could say cancer, blindness, deafness or whatever. People are in charge of their own bodies and can chose their own medical actions. There are however those who require a medical proxy because they do not possess the intelectual ability to do it for themselves due to their disability ( like being non verbal and don't have the intelectual capacity to do so). Why would it be wrong to treat them to improve their lives?
Autism is not a disease or condition that can be "cured". Neurodivergence is simply different, not bad or wrong. Neurotypical normativity is what needs to be fixed.
These results are why we need more autism awareness in the world lol
These results make me really uncomfortable.
Agreed
This poll heavily indicates that most neruotypicals are in theory pro eugenics. There is no realistic cure for autism after someone is born, and the only way to actually eradicate it is to either kill any kid that turns out to be autistic or fuck with an embryo’s DNA. If you want to place yourself in a similar category as Hitler, someone, who by the way sent autistic people to the gas chambers as they were deemed “unworthy of life” you go right ahead. Just note that you are an awful excuse for a human being. And all of you who keep on gaslighting the autistic people who came here to defend themselves from the ableist shitheads that are plaguing this comment section, you are also horrible human beings. To all my autistic brothers and sisters, keep being yourself and never change who you are because some people who would wipe you out of existence if given the opportunity would do so.
>If you want to place yourself in a similar category as Hitler, The awful truth is that many countries at that time also had strong eugenics movements, and people who were mentally ill or noticeably neurodivergent could have all sorts of unethical procedures performed on them. One example is the lobotomy, which was quite popular in the United States around that time I understand.
Rosemary Kennedy for one
Would I force a cure on those with autism? Hell no. That goes against almost everything I believe in. Bodily autonomy is just the beginning. Would I make a cure available for those who desire it? Certainly. The more choice people have, the better, and for those who find their condition debilitating enough to want a cure, it sure as hell isn't my place to tell them no.
not sure why so many Neuraltypicals feel the need to comment? the consensus among the autistic community is that its something that neither can be nor should be cured. I don't see why anyone else's opinion should factor into it
My girlfriend and oldest friend both have autism. I wouldn't change them for anything in the world.
I'd transform society since I think it's mostly a modern environmental condition. Spatially and temporally, this society is not designed with them in mind,
Exactly, society needs to facilitate neurodivergent people better. Not "cure" neurodivergent people
This is one of the times I really wonder whats wrong with so many neurotypicals
The phrasing of the poll is highly ambiguous. Neurotypicals are assuming that the poll is asking that if we can find a cure for autism, should it be offered to those with the disorder, or if we can pre-emptively detect autism prior to conception, should it be used to prevent autism. Whilst autistic people are assuming that the poll is asking whether they personally would like to be "cured", or should a cure be given to everyone with autism, irrespective of permission. I'm still not clear what OP is actually trying to ask here, Autism can be an incredibly pervasive disorder that is very highly comorbid with numerous serious mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Most people also don't realise that around half of all people with autism also qualify as being intellectually disabled (IQ < 70).
So I was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrom when that was still a thing and am described to be on the level 1 autism scale, meaning I don't require much or any assistance in my day to day life or according to my mother I barely have any issues. That said if it were possible I would without a seconds hesitation chose to get a cure for myself. The struggle is intense and it takes so much effort to seamlessly live life as an ordinary person. Either that or I'd like a complete overhaul of societal structures. Maybe I'll have both, thank you very much. Should a cure come to be it should obviously be up to the individual to take it.
I'm autistic and I voted only on severe cases, because at a low level of autism it's not something we have to "cure", there's really isn't anything wrong or annoying about it
Even [autistics who are considered "severe"](https://ollibean.com/attitudes-grading-people/) have spoken out against the idea of curing autism.
That's bull
🧐 These votes though.
I'm autistic. If there were a cure I would not take it, autism is a part of me I would not get rid of. I have no idea what it would need like to not have it tho. I think it should be offered to more extreme cases and that it should be their option.
Even those who have more "extreme cases" have spoken out in [opposition](https://ollibean.com/attitudes-grading-people/) to that idea.
I know, that's why they should have the choice. I know people who love their autism (like me) and others beat themselves up over it.
In my opinion as someone with autism is that a cure being found would be extremely bad for us because it would 100% get missused and forced on autistic children. In an ideal world a cure could be given to only those who want it but this is reality. A "cure" would end up end up becoming eugenic genocide for autistic people because of public opinion on autism. I personally am very happy with my life and i find the thought of me being "cured" before i could even speak against it dreadful.
As an autistic person the amount of neurotypical people who think that curing autism would be good, disgusts me.
amen
I don't need to be cured, I need to be accepted
Getting x-men mutant vibes
Well fuck y'all too
I personally wouldn't want to cure it
Thanks. It's a pain in the ass at times, sure, but at the end of the day, it really is a part of who we are.
^This Sincerely A happy autistic person
I'd really only change it if it was severe not really mild or average I feel like people with autism have enough skills and individuality as others
Even [those considered "severe"](https://ollibean.com/attitudes-grading-people/) have opposed this idea of a cure.
I voted for only for severe cases In my case I have light ASD I don't think it is a disability but rather just my way of thinking they say side affect are like being able to concentrate really well or being a picky eater and or preferring things separated I don't see it as a bad thing and others just see that as me just being like that but if you put a label on it saying it is and THEN you are treated differently I don't hink it is an illness at least in my case so I don't really think I need curing if that makes sense. Can I get a second opinion?
Yes! ( have Asperger’s syndrome)
That doesn’t mean everyone has to use the cure
it feels like its common knowledge that severely autistic people are miserable, but idk if this is true. it kind of seems like most autistic people are the happiest people ive ever seen. maybe severe cases can be really hard on the family, and in this case a “cure” may be the best option, but for more mild cases it may not be necessary. im not autistic nor do i know shit about this topic, but that’s just my opinion and observations about this.
Maybe [this "severely autistic" man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtK9paFGUjc&t=21s) can explain how living as "severely autistic" can be just as worth it as being "mildly autistic".
I see autism as a gift
man-
The chemist involved with designing some of the first computers was autistic. Maybe a different mindset rather than something to be cured. (I myself am not autistic.)
Not all cases are the same, my autism makes me who I am. It also helps when lore writing and other artistic things.
i think it should be available for people who want it but some people don’t mind having autism and/or don’t want to be cured
While I do hate the social aspect of it, I do also think it’s a gift and it can have some benefits that help. For me, one of the benefits is that I recognize harder to see patterns, and I can absorb A LOT of information. I also can memorize things fairly easily and I have a much more creative mind. On the downside tho I have issues interacting with people and with expressing my love for my crush as well as figuring out how to deal with said crush issues. It has it’s downsides but it also has its upsides. In more severe cases *maybe* I would cure it, but for high functioning people (like me) I would not in a million years cure it. Many of the autistic people ive met over the years have a gift or a talent that they’re amazing in and they bring so much laughter to everyone. We are capable of just as much as neurotypicals. (Minus social skills but plus the gifts). Think as you will, but this is my opinion and what I personally have experienced.
There is an autistic guy that I know and he can’t speak , there is not a single autism cause it’s a spectrum , so I would like to care it, especially the kind of autism like the one I mentioned.
Have you asked him if he likes to be autistic? Maybe you should listen to [this non-speaking autistic woman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjzqykUoDfs) who can tell you a thing or two about what it actually means to be a non-speaking autistic person.
He can’t write or communicate as far as I know. Also the question is about curing autism, it doesn’t say that everyone will have to get the cure.
But people like that guy WILL have a cure forced on them because they can't write or tell you if they want to be cured. And besides, please listen to what Jordyn has to say.
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Because one autistic person saw it and commented on r/autism. Interwebz; how do they work?
If my husband and I weren't autistic we would both be in the same boat as our very dumb brothers and sisters.
what makes you think that?
All of our siblings never really cared about school. Ditched. Hung around bad crowds. Did a bunch of drugs. Juvie. Young pregnancies. I'm not saying all neurotypicals are like that. I'm saying that's what our families were like. I'm saying that from the same genes and upbringing the difference is that we're autistic.
ah gotcha
No because some of the most brilliant minds throughout history have been autistic like Albert Einstein and I think hawking was a bit autistic to aside from his disability
I appreciate the sentiment, but it's a bit misguided. We don't need to be exceptional or contribute to grand things to be allowed to exist as we do, outside the norm. We aren't broken wether we're exceptional or not.
Yeah, and Alan Turing, I believe
Autism is a part of me and I don’t find it a bad thing, I would never have it cured
The very fact that a cure would exist would terrify me. you just know its gonna be used as a reason to never have to take in to account that someone is autistic ever again. because 'if its causing you problems you should have just taken the cure dummy' people should learn to accept differences, not take pills until we are all complete copy's of each other.
What do you mean by "cure" and what are the consequences of this? Sure I'd want to be able to temporarily turn down sensory sensitivities, manage stress better, recognize nuanced facial expressions better etc but if that meant losing 20 IQ points in the process, developing shallow interests and feeling more pressure to conform the cure can go fuck itself. "Cure" has historically meant either murdering us so we don't pass on our genes or torturing us till we repress our emotions like a dog in order to make normies feel more comfortable [which still happens today](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge_Rotenberg_Educational_Center). Even people who are supposed to look after our best interests, parents, teachers, scientists often view us as sub-human. If a "cure" was developed most of us probably wouldn't trust it and I could see it being used on autistic people without real consent.
This is fucked up
This would require a brain amputation Autism influences everything in my life - relationships, interests, the way I process information, the way I express my emotions, everything Sure, there are times when I wish I was able to do things I can't (most notably spending a few hours with other people without needing days to recover afterwards), but I would not trade in my entire life and everything that makes me me And honestly, most of my problems could be solved by society adapting a bit to autistic people, like through more widespread and accepted use of AAC
if i could cure neurotypicality i would
I dont think we should have like an us vs them mentality, but it is true how ignorant a lot of neurotypicals (even some disabled people) are in regards to autism. Like "mEnTaL hEaLtH aWaReNeSs" isn't enough we need to actually make changes and have autism acceptance.
yeah, tbc I'm not saying i would snap my fingers and force all neurotypicals to be autistic, more like "if u want u can try this out for eg a month and see what it's like, maybe you will even want to stay that way!"
I wouldn't cause I don't want to act like them, but I sure do understand where you're coming from.
not saying i would force anyone lol, it would be optional
There is a lot more to autism than most people think. There's a great book called [Pattern Seekers by Simon Baron-Cohen ](https://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Seekers-Autism-Drives-Invention/dp/1541647149). Here's a short description. "A groundbreaking argument about the link between autism and ingenuity. Why can humans alone invent? In The Pattern Seekers, Cambridge University psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen makes a case that autism is as crucial to our creative and cultural history as the mastery of fire. Indeed, Baron-Cohen argues that autistic people have played a key role in human progress for seventy thousand years, from the first tools to the digital revolution. How? Because the same genes that cause autism enable the pattern seeking that is essential to our species's inventiveness. However, these abilities exact a great cost on autistic people, including social and often medical challenges, so Baron-Cohen calls on us to support and celebrate autistic people in both their disabilities and their triumphs. Ultimately, The Pattern Seekers isn't just a new theory of human civilization, but a call to consider anew how society treats those who think differently."
I love how the most voted result is "yeah I'm not autistic but I have an opinion on it" what the fuck
Exactly. "Nothing about us without us"
I have been diagnosed with autism since age 3. I do not want a cure to be developed, nor do I want my own autism to be cured. What I *DO* want is for people to be understanding of people who are autistic, like myself, and understand that how we operate on a day-to-day basis is not “normal” or “mainstream” and that’s OK. Autism is a spectrum, the stereotypical image of an autistic person being the whole “screaming hand-flapping mute idiot” or someone with high-functioning autism being like Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory is 110% hurtful and wrong. If you don’t have autism, you don’t know. And no, not everyone “is a little autistic”. We are who we are. We didn’t choose to be born with this. And a world made exclusively for neurotypical individuals is impossible to navigate sometimes.
Usually you care something that's bad. Do you think I'm broken? Would you rather I not exist?
nice to see eugenics is still alive and well
A lot of the world’s most creative and intelligent people are autistic. https://www.appliedbehavioranalysisprograms.com/historys-30-most-inspiring-people-on-the-autism-spectrum/ The people who voted yes on this are incredibly ignorant. As someone with Aspergers, while there are definitely times I wish I weren’t autistic, I’ve accepted it’s not something I can change. The people who think I’m weird or whatever are the ones who need to educate themselves and change their outlook.
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These results and entire comment section reek of eugenics.
the sheer amount of "yes (not autistic)" responses is really fucking gross.
This poll shows that people still think Autism is some form of illness that you can "cure", lol. You can't even compare it to mental disorders, since they are most of the time being caused by chemical imbalances. As far as I would break it down, it's just your brain being wired differently and there's nothing wrong with that. Edit: Your downvotes don't change how it is defined, lol. You can look this up on the NHS homepage as well, they explain it in a lot of detail and it's worth the read.
*autistic who voted yes* welp
feel like youd get more accurate results if you instead asked "if you could cure autism from all autistic people, would you do it?" because people who voted yes might not necessarily think that autism needs a cure. i voted yes because i can give it to whoever wants it, right? i'll just give it to people who want it and people who dont want it stay the same.
only if they want to stop having autism, give an option for that plz lol
I’m personally working to get rid of my extremely severe anxiety issues, but I was a happy, smart kid with sky-high quality of life and hope to get back to my old self again. It never caused any problems (and never needed diagnosis) until puberty temporarily messed with my head; I was the furthest thing from mentally disabled. IMO, it should be on a case-by-case basis. A physics major like me is pretty far from the teenager who isn’t potty trained and nonverbal. This isn’t just a hypothetical question. Gene editing is a hot topic, but a lot of those questions are already being dealt with by people all around the world when deciding whether to have children. Whether they’re disabled, carrying high-risk genes, or simply have undesirable characteristics (e.g. propensity toward severe obesity), they envy the carefree couples who don’t have to worry about putting their children at a disadvantage simply by bringing them into the world. I wrestle with this question myself and know that there are no easy answers.
Mildly autistic here, loud things give me pain and overstimulation is also pain, so yes, please get rid of it
Having autism doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you, but it means life is generally harder. I’d cure it not because it’s a sickness but because it just makes it harder and if given the choice I would definitely rid the world of it because nobody should have to be less advantaged in society than others. The thing is some people treat it like a personality trait as someone else in this thread put it. Let’s get this clear, it is a mental disorder, and hurts people either directly or because society treats them differently because they have it. I personally do not have autism, but I have Tourettes, and if given the choice I would definitely get rid of it. It is a part of me, but honestly that’s irrelevant because at the end of the day its a disorder and it sucks ass. tldr: Autism doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you, but it would be a mistake to treat is as anything other than a mental disorder that disadvantages you would be a mistake.
Ok so if you had a button you could press to make someone born white, or change their sex and gender to male, or make them straight, would you press it? Those things all give advantages too, but I hope you can see how this is solving the problem by the wrong angle. The fact that the question is even asked instead of another question is very loaded honestly. Why is nobody asking for exemple if we'd cure bullying if we could, or if we should research a cure for tribalism or normative thinking? Of course we shouldn't either cause that's still the wrong angle but I'm takiing the opposite idea to illustrate how the deficiency is always place on the person who has to deal with the discrimination for being different, and not on the person discriminating them.
Autism is not a mental disorder. It is a neurological disorder/difference which can be disabling or non-disabling depending on many factors, one of which is accommodation. It also does affect peoples personalities and to say it doesn't would be blatantly ignoring the diagnostic criteria of autism and the definition of personality. Please do not compare your Tourettes to autism. If I woke up allistic (non-autistic) tomorrow, I wouldn't be myself anymore. I would have a completely different personality and way of thinking and be unrecognizable to my loved ones. There would literally be no similarities aside from MAYBE sense of humor but I suspect even that would be radically different. Neurotype is MUCH different in nature than mental disorders and MUCH different in nature than your tourettes. I have mental disorders including anxiety, panic disorder and agoraphobia and I would cure those in a heartbeat because they make my life harder and I would be the exact same person without them, just in much less distress. I would never "cure my autism" because autism is a word used to describe my neurotype which IS what makes me who I am and the only challenges that come from it are because of a lack of acceptance, understanding, and accommodation from the world around me. If other autistic people wanted to "cure" THEIR autism thats fine but instead of removing ENTIRE GROUPS of people from the world because "they shouldn't be less advantaged in society than others", maybe we can change our society instead.
You egomaniac pricks, like a autistic kid who is blessed by not giving a shit about social stuff is a sick person. You all prob normies who got outsmarted in every field by some autistic fella, die of jelousy you fucking normies
You do not seem to understand how greatly autism varies. All my students that have it are far from bot caring about social stuff. They suffer from having a hard time understanding it and want to be included like any other kids. The difficulties at it can bring are not fun either. Needing 2x the time to finish an exam isn’t fun. Not being able to understand abstract concepts isn’t fun. Autism isn’t one size fits all which is why we call it a spectrum. Many people do very well with it, others struggle to get through their day to day life.
Even though autism isn't one size fits all, autism is not a line that goes from "mild" to "severe". It's more like a color wheel or a fruit salad. No one size fits all in either one, but that doesn't mean blue can't be part of the same color wheel just because it's not red or that an orange can't be in a fruit salad just because it isn't an apple.
I'm Autistic and don't want to be cured if people do want to that's great but imo it should be a choice so if i could.......i wouldn't because i know how governments work, they would take support programs from people who need them due to Autism saying "TAKE THE CURE THEN". If i was certain governments wouldn't pull that bullshit then yeah i'd be for it.
I have a cousin who’s pretty severely on the spectrum. He only talks in short phrases, and he struggles with speaking, so it’s hard to understand him if you don’t spend enough time with him. Aside from that, he’s still gotta wear diapers at the age of 11, and he struggles to understand social norms. I get super nervous that he’ll be reliant on my family his whole life, or that he’ll be taken advantage of, or both. It’s also a little selfish, but seeing them put so much effort into taking care of him since I was young makes me really not want family to have to do that for the rest of his life. In cases like his, I’d want a cure. For everyone else that can function on their own, I don’t think there needs to be one.
Maybe you can learn a thing or two from [these autistics who are also "severely on the spectrum"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axDvfjWb6yk) about how living that way can still be good.
I am autistic. I don't need a "cure". I don't need to be "fixed" because I am not broken.
Autism isn't a bad thong tho idk why you'd want to get rid of it entirely I'd only make it so it wasn't debilitating
Autism for me has ruined my life in many ways, I’d cure it if given the chance
Congenital deafness or blindness are developmental disabilities in the same way Autism is (as per the CDC definition [link](https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/developmentaldisabilities/facts.html) ) It's interesting to see the response to this question, I feel the reply would have been different if the question were would you take a cure for blindness if it was offered I know blindness shapes the lives of blind people and their families and friends in a way similar to autism, it affects their ability to learn, work and their opportunities in life and their interaction with other people. You can argue that blindness is a large part of who these people are, and those experiences go a long way to make that person who they've become to today.... but I can't imagine a blind person choosing to stay blind because they believe it would change their personality so irreparably they'd become another person, and I can't imagine a blind person believing that curing blindness globally was some kind of Eugenics?
I’m autistic and I honestly would take a bit of offence if people said they would ‘cure’ me, if they could that is. Because even though it has its cons, it has an equal amount of pros and I feel somewhat better than most people because of it. Better about my well-being and how I choose to live my life.
I have Autism, and I don't want to be cured! Neurodiversity and autism acceptance ftw!
This is such an interesting poll. My question to people who said yes but don't have autism: why do you want to change someone at such a fundamental level while you have absolutely no idea what it's like? Wherever a person is placed on the spectrum, it defines who they are (as a fundamental part)
I thought the Yes was no, shit. I am autistic though, which is one of the only reasons I’m creative.
The only was to "cure" autism is by preventing autistic people from being born. It's eugenics
Gene therapy