Yes, for those of you reading this title, it is true. There are many people and organizations who believe autistic people have an illness or that autism is a disease and that it is catching! Recently, a question was asked of members on a fb social networking page providing these responses and suggestions.
‘I would say it is a lifelong affliction, not a disease and it’s not an illness as that implies it can be stopped, halted, cured….which it is a myth put out by those who would have us spend thousands on something we can get from a decent herbalist!’
‘Not a disease, nor an illness…in my opinion…different wiring…simple!’
The various opinions and voices around this subject is interesting and sheds light on where we live, our educational and social economic background including our values, beliefs and where our vested interests lie as viewed in the following comments:
‘Neither, it is the maiming of children through harmful vaccines and other toxins, it is a harmful act!’
‘It is neither disease nor an illness, it is innocence… innocence of life.’
‘Don’t feel all that diseased, do you?’
‘I got called prejudice because I strongly believe that autism can NOT be cured. I believe you can learn coping methods but it can NOT be cured.’
‘No, it’s pathetic labels to [social] group peeps.’
‘Yeah, anybody who THINKS that autism can be cured is purchasing snake oil basically.’
‘If Mozart was autistic then autism is not new.’
When asking if the subject autism is boring, the responders made subliminal reference and associated to the title of this article which was the first question asked on the fb social page. Here are a few such comments:
‘In many cases, yes [it is boring] and tiring. Defending our right to exist, over and over, encountering the same old tired arguments for why we shouldn’t exist, over and over… can get boring. The only people who’d seek it out are the sorts of people who can obsess on the same subject until everyone wants to scream.’
‘It’s boring when NT’s [neuro-typicals] who are parents think they know more than adult AS [Autism Spectrums] who grew up with it and in AS families…’
‘I would rather learn how to cope/adapt than be cured, anyhow. Taking away my autism is taking away a large part of what makes me who I am. I don’t want that.’
Social media has been a wonderful tool for autistic people and families to meet, share and exchange their personal experiences and opinions, ofetn developing long term relationships. In the opinion of the reader, do you think autism is an illness or a disease? Comments are welcome on this column page, and on our website http://www.naturallyautistic.com
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