30 Days of Autism Acceptance: Day 10

Day 10:

Talk about a cure.  What is your opinion about seeking a cure for autism?  Do you want a cure?  Why or why not?  And/Or  Talk about stimming.  Do you stim? How?  What are your favorite stims?  Do you have different stims for when you are happy or agitated?

I briefly touched on the topic of "cure" yesterday because it tied in with A$. I'm still rather tired so I'll come back to this subject another time, and apologies if this isn't the most articulate or well-organised of pieces.

I can in theory and intellectually understand why some people want a cure; I'm not going to deny that some aspects of autism can be very distressing to caregivers and also difficult because even as adults some high-support people are unable to manage their personal care etc. And when all you're told about autism is that it's A Bad Thing, that prospects can be very poor, that incompetences is presumed, especially when things like I Am Autism are the norm, I can see why people despair.

However, a complete "cure" would take away who that person is, their essence, etc. It would make them into a completely different person.

It's also important to not get other, co-morbid conditions mixed up with autism, which is something that happens constantly and does nothing to help matters. By all means, look into things that will enable us to be more comfortable and maximise our potential. But change our neurology, our very being? No thanks.

I don't want a cure. Neither do any of the autistics I know who've understood and accepted their diagnosis. If one were to be created, I would NEVER take it. I have accepted who I am and you know what? I'm glad I'm me and I wouldn't want to be anyone else; I wouldn't want to have different neurology. The same goes for many of my fellow autistics. My problems come from a society that doesn't understand or accept people like me. The solution isn't to eliminate us; it's to make the world accessible.

Despite what a lot of organisations want you to believe, many of us are perfectly happy with who we are - our big barrier is the lack of ACCEPTANCE of us. The understanding isn't there. The accommodations aren't there. The willingness to understand, accommodate and accept is not there. If society was educated and understood us, was willing to accept us and work to do so, we wouldn't have the barriers.

Change society, not us.

Yes, we're different. But we are just as human as non-autistics. Pushing the notion of a "cure" sends the message that we're not wanted, that we're something to be afraid of, vermin, parasites.

A cure is eugenics; it's that simple. An annihiliation of an entire group of people based on their neurology. We've all seen where that's gone in the past, and it's nowhere good.