I see that by looking at john Elder Robison's blog that he has been picked as part of a panel to review research grants for autism that are paid with federal tax dollars. Robison has written a book "Look me in the Eye" concerning his conclusion well into adulthood that he has Asperger's syndrome. In the book he states that no cure is necessary for autism spectrum disorders. It also shows him pictured with fellow, anti-cure autistic Stephen Shore, the sole member of the IACC on the autistic spectrum. Shore was also part of this panel that reviewed grants for autism research subsidized by federal tax dollars.
It seemed strange to me that the Combating Autism Act was passed by congress, which was lobbied by CAN (the predecessor of Autism Speaks) and other pro-cure groups. The only intent of the act was to find ways to cure and prevent autism. The IACC grew out of the combating autism act which would make decisions on how to best dispense research dollars on projects that would find ways to cure and prevent autism. The law stated that one of the public board member of the IACC had to be on the autistic spectrum. Because of his prolific conference appearances, Shore came recommended to serve on the panel in spite of the fact he has publicly opposed a cure for autism. This seemed strange to me. It also seemed strange to me that neurodiversity proponents like Ari Ne'eman and Katie Miller would be allowed to testify before the IACC on the taxpayer's dime about how terrible a cure for autism would be and how they have some quick solutions. Now, the story gets uglier by the minute. We see Robison, someone who was married, had a kid, worked successfully for many years and did not find out he had Asperger's well into adulthood being chosen to be on a panel with Shore that reviews research grants to be applied to autistics such as myself and others. Probably 99.9% of us are far lower functioning than they are and at least some of us would like a cure.
The Combating autism act and the IACC and the federal government program that reviews how research dollars subsidized by tax dollars taken from us by force that decides who and what get funded, and by anti-cure autistics. Well another fine example of our tax dollars at work. *Sigh*.
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How can I get a grant to experiment on Neuroinsanity? I'd like to shoot them all full of thimerosal slowly until they can no longer talk or type. Then I'll have them answer a survey to see if they want to be cured.
If they can't answer, we'll just stick them all in an asylum and declare the experiment a success.
Can we get grants for all kinds of mental disabilities? Why is autism always blown out of proportion rather than focusing on each individual's brain wiring that affects how they think and process information in social and acedemic situations?
How about finding a cure for someone with a mixed expressive-receptive language disorder? That's even worse than someone with Asperger's or mild autism. Why can't someone with co-morbid conditions like myself be looked into more and receive more attention?
When will an "aspie" realize that the only reason he/she believes his/her brain is working fine, just differently, realize he/she only feels that way because he/she is so used to functioning that ONE way since birth? It's equivalent to someone with obsessive compulsive disorder who knows there's something wrong yet uses reaction formation by claiming to feel it's beneficial having OCD because of the ability to remain as cautious as possible, and NT's are at a disadvantage because they'll be forgetful about locking the front door and likely leave the car and house keys behind, and therefore I wouldn't want to become neurotypical so f*ck them! Haha!!! But if an NT mom tries to prevent her son from flipping the light switch on-and- off four times repeatedly, then the son's logical neurodiversity response would be something along the lines of, "Quit bullying me, Mom!", but I'm sure Neurodiversity proponents would struggle grapsing my analogy.
What I would like to see are therapies that allow us to remediate the debilitating components of autism. You and I share those traits to varying extents; all of us on the spectrum do.
I do not like to get bogged down in the eugenics/cure autism/ etc argument but I certainly favor therapies that reinforce our weaknesses and relieve disability.
Amen!!!
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