Aspergers Challenged Support Group

Someone on a raw food forum was telling me there IS a cure for general Autism? What do you guys think? I have read there is NO cure. And I don't think I want a cure, maybe for some of the problems, but in general, no.

How do you guys feel about it?

I used to automatically think no. Now I wonder. But there is a lot of ways I have grown. I have other disabilities so can't say what is all from ASD. Now, would I have them cure that....I honestly don't know.

hmm interesting. cure no, improvements, yes. ive heard people arent always born with autism though. not sure if that was a rumor or something on tv or what but ya..

As of now, there is no cure for autism. Some people go around saying there is by what diet they put their child on and such, but because autism varies so much from person to person, I doubt that there will ever be a cure for a while. However, I do know places like Autism Speaks are putting a ton of effort into helping make autism identifiable in the early stages of pregnancy, so if a marker is found like one was found with Down Syndrome, the rates will go down due to doctors pressuring abortions** because of the overwhelmingly negative stereotype autism has.

But in terms of the current generation? I doubt it. Autism alters the brain so much that there's hardly any quick fix to the unique challenges it brings to people who have it. If we still don't have our flying cars like in the Jetsons, I don't see this coming to fruition either. lol.

**Please don't turn this into an abortion thread. If there's any topic that threatens a friendly forum environment, that's it. lol.**

I have come to (mostly) accept and like my ASD, it helps me see a lot of things that NT's don't see. My mother said when I was a baby I wasn't emotional responsive at all, so I believe I was born with autism, but I missed the diagnosing in the early 90's (as so put by a counselor for autistic). I think being diagnosed earlier would have helped, but then I also would have had a loving family, which I was not blessed with, who would have cared enough to actually CARE for me as a child. My parents were always doing drugs, or selling drugs, and going on drinking binges. BUT if I had not gone through any of these things, who knows what I would be like today.

Zayla, I'm not sure if I was born with it or not. I don't remember my childhood years but think I was ok. I know that from 7th grade on it was buried under depression. So when people say children aren't born with autism, the either mean that it doesn't show up till a child is old enough to compare and they are losing skills they once had or they mean that diagnoses that covered the autism are treated, and then the autism shows. Anyway, that's my opinion.

Yeah, most people are heavily shaped by early life experiences. For me, since I was isolated and didn't have any real friends, it was easier to grow up not having friends. But... if I was in a different situation, I bet things would have been different. Going "what if?" is an interesting, but mostly pointless exercise I think.

Ah, the "cure" question. I just dont understand how something could change who I am. I think that the parts of me that are formed from autism are deep routed. I think many people on the spectrum are extra sensitive to things in their enviorments (chemicals, possibly foods, etc) and eliminating those things may improve things like mental fog, outburts, some stimming, IBS issues , etc. But you will only improve those things with removal if you indeed have a sensitivity to them. Some of the things we do may be somewhat affected by enviroment, foods and such, but not all.

I think the biggest thing that seperates me from someone who is NT is the way I think. I make connections in my head of things other people dont even consider. I can get so interested in a topic that i become an expert in days. I can just as easy drop those things i develope an interest in. I constantly analyze the world and everyone around me. Its because I think so differently that i struggle with things that NT people dont. The sound of socks rubbing on carpet truly hurts my insides. I just cant understand how there could be a "cure" for that. I wouldnt be me if those things didnt exist. If I suddenly took a magic pill or did a diet that "cured" me...who the hell would i be???????? Would I stop over analyzing and suddenly find NT people interesting? Would I easily make friends and not only engage in monotonous small talk , but enjoy it as well? I just dont see how that is even possible.

The idea sounds like genocide

i can relate and TOTALLY agree jen! i used to hate the analysing. but really its one of my favorite things about myself. my SPD might be crippling at times, but boy if i never asked so many questions.. id probably get along with people better but this way i can find truly the best things for myself. and just learn lots the cringe and sick vibrations i get from utensils i could live without htough haha

You said exactly what I wanted to say and WAS thinking in my head, but it didn't come out how I wanted. -__- I know what you mean and I feel the same way. I cannot imagine NOT being autistic. It is who I am and have been since I was a child, since before I even knew there was a word and others just like me.

People say you need to have a lot of friends and that you NEED to socialize, but why? You lose your "friends" over the years, they move on from you, change and what not. But I have found I do not change, especially not in a negative way, my thinking has been the same as has my personality. The only thing that changes/gets better is that I educate myself.

I do the same thing. When I get really interested in something I study it until I know a lot about it, but sometimes can lose interest (that is actually pretty annoying).

I analyze everything as well.. It drives the hubby up the wall sometimes. I analyze people all the time, anywhere from days, weeks, or months (after whatever event has occurred), because it boggles my mind why they do the things they do! And even if it takes me awhile to figure it out, I CAN actually figure it out. While NT people just don't seem to care or notice.