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Cure Autism? Maybe?
I replied that an autistic behaves like an autistic because of his inner experience. But she did not seem to understand what I meant and thought I meant a different belief system. But no, I meant a fundamental different mental operating system. While it is possible to "normalize" the autistic behavior of autistic children (via medication, behavioral therapy and intensive social skills training) most of the time, yet they will operate with an autistic consciousness. [No offense intended; this is just an illustration.] As an analogy, I believe that we can train an ape to behave like a gentleman. But the ape is still an ape. He has ape instincts, ape thoughts and ape emotions. He can pretend to date a female human but in reality would only be interested in female apes. And the way he solves problems would still be that of apes, but hidden under human guises.
Perhaps theatre can show how subtle these differences are. Many believe that theatre helps us understand other people, especially when we are the actors. This sounds perfect for autistic children. However, I would be surprised if acting will have any effect on those who have yet to understand the concept of "self" and "human intentions ". They cannot become the character because they have no idea what is it like to "be a person" themselves. I suspect that they will do what we want to them to perform and yet remain none the wiser. Why? Because to an autistic, theatre is a social dream come true. You are placed in surroundings that can only change according to plan, people who speak according to script. You are told exactly what to do and speak, down to the last gesture. There is no room for error or spontaneity and therefore no room for messing up the plan that you have painstakingly computed.
I understand that many people (especially parents) are less concerned about the subtle differences between autistic and non-autistic experience. After suffering much pain and struggle, if they see results such as autistic children staging a great play, it will be a cause for celebration. "Bravo! We have cured these children!" While this helps to boost morale and give hope, I believe that a deeper understanding is necessary to claim a "true cure". I believe that we should focus on personal experiences and perception to determine if we have treated autistic children successfully. Measuring the success of a therapy using objective behavior is like measuring the success of a charity based on the amount of money it has raised, rather than how much its work has helped improve the lives of the needy. Hence, I remain skeptical of claims of an autism cure. I suggest that a candidate should meet these minimum requirements:
Perhaps some day, some therapies such as RDI and Son-Rise might show me that my skepticism is unfounded.
Autism is about adaptation, not cureThere are many high functioning autistics who detest "cures" for autism. Imagine how you would feel if someone wants to "cure" you of being, say, Jewish or Chinese. Imagine how you would feel if they tell you that all your tradition and cultural practices are "wrong" and you must learn the "right way to behave". I appeal to NeuroTypicals to respect this emotional wound and avoid emotional exchanges with autistics on this topic. Perhaps we can perceive autism not as a disease, but as a cultural difference. This is especially true for high functioning autistics, who can be likened to new immigrants from a different planet. We don't cure them of "culture shock". Instead, we welcome them and help them appreciate and adapt to the new culture around them.
Last modified: Mon, 17 December 2007 Note: This may be only a minor modification (e.g. changing a spelling mistake) |
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