Sounds like your stand on this is the correct stand on this. I have a feeling my son is going to be a high functioning autistic, so i've been "told" but i still want the entire autistic community to be helped. Sounds like this lady is nothing more than a fool, trying to divert attention from the autism movement that is finally in full force - some people can't stand when good things are happening. She obviously doesn't have an autistic child or knows anyone who's been blessed with autistic angel - screw her and her movement! i wonder what her view is on cancer - i mean there's such a broad spectrum with cancer, some things are pin pointed in it and some not - but does that mean the medical field stops trying to find cures for all it - NOPE! So anyone with a disease that can provide them from being productive, and leading fulfilling and productive lives should just give up and the medical community should too??? What sorta bull marlarkey is she feeding the nation, well whatever it is, i'm not biting. parents just need to be strong and support the autism research - to help our angels and those to come in future - May God help her evil soul!

I think people come up with crap like this just to see how pi**ed off they can make other people. it doesn't even deserve a response from any of us......... even though it is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard in my life!!!!!

Those who wish to celebrate their neurodiversity & not "cure" Autism tend to be fairly high functioning. Anyone who functions well, or well enough by their own standards, in society is welcome to their individuality. I do not begrudge them their uniqueness but I deny them the right to say that anyone not HF should stay that way.

Curing digestive aliments or adjusting diets/supplements to treat food allergies/sensitivities & personal RDAs should be considered as "wrong" as giving insulin to a diabetic. I also interpret therapies/tools to improve my child's functioning level as as necessary as my glasses. I do not celebrate my myopia, I work around it.

They DO have a point when "they claim that by searching for a cure for your child's autism, parents are really saying that they wish their autistic child did not exist, and they had a different (non-autistic) child instead." I'm ..not saying.. that this is what we ..mean.., I'm saying that this can be how a child can ..interpret.. what we are saying.

Speaking from personal experience, my eldest thought I was overly strict & just plain mean when I restricted her diet due to ADHD. She eventually figured it out, but that is how she interpreted my vigilance when she was a child.

I understand. I feel much the same way.

This sounds like something that might have started out as a good idea (i.e. "everyone is valuable just the way he or she is"), but has been taken a little too far. It seems that the neurodiversity perspective fails to take into account that curing autism would help so many people WITH AUTISM who have a very difficult life.

I propose that calling autism 'neurodiversity' is akin to calling AIDS or cancer 'immunodiversity' and of course we're not hearing anyone oppose curing either of those.

I think that part of what is behind the neurodiversity movement is that people confuse a parents rejection of autism with rejection of the child. They don't understand that the two are completely separate things.

I think that because many people with severe autism are withdrawn people mistakenly think of autism as a personality trait. Autism is not a preference (like a favorite color or style of music) and it is not a personality trait, it is a disability. Kind of like arthritis because it affects multiple areas of a person's life, and may change a person's behavior, but doesn't change the essence of the person. For example, if a person affected by autism liked a particular type of food, curing his or her autism would not make him or her no longer like that type of food.

So when people support 'neurodiversity' it is (I admit in my opinion) because they don't truly understand autism.

I'm with you guys - develop treatments and provide services to all but lets try to find the key that opens that door. Quirky people are great but being scared of everything in your environment is not diversity it's torture. I accept my grandson and love his differences, he helps me see the world in a different way, Carebear you are right these children are angels but they also suffer and we need to find out why and if we can fix it. I'll pray for her and her child.

I'm with you all on this - I can't read what the neurodiversity crowd have to say - it makes me too angry. I first heard about this back in Dec. and it got me so angry I felt sick. Most of the people in the ND movement are very high functioning and they have no clue or concept of what it is like as a parent {some of them are not even parents yet!} to watch your child slip further away from you and to loose so much sleep over what you can do to help him/her.

I love my son and will do whatever I can to help him function. And I believe with all my heart that I am doing what is best for him - and his progress shows me every day that I have made the right choices. If he had a physical ailment - diabetes, cancer or something like that I would bust my butt to cure him so why should I not treat his Autism? He was not happy in his own world - and I know this because the more we work with him the happier he becomes - I get 100 megawatt smiles out of him - he almost never smiled before and he still does not smile for strangers or in strange places but he's come so far in such a short time that I know I'm on the right road here. The ND movement can keep themselves to themselves and I will continue to ignore them because they do not know everything - they are seriously misguided and judge what they do not understand - which is the fact that as parents:

We love our children with all our hearts and because of that we will do everything in our power to help them! IMHO it's my job as a parent to help my child become all that he can be and that is exactly what I am doing! Only God can judge me and that will be when I finally get to meet him and I know he is going to look at me and say "good job Mom!"

Oh yeah. I have heard of it and been the target of it. There was a petition against me because of an article I wrote for the Wisconsin Legislature.
You are right the woman that runs the Neurodiversity site is a woman named Kathleen Seidel. She is a "out there". She wrote a woman that ran a camp I used to attend and mostly the email was anti-Semitic raving (she is a convert to a mystical branch of Islam). I have the email she sent her. It was forwarded to me. She works and runs this whole autistic movement thing with the woman that runs "Oops Wrong Planet Syndrome". The petitiion against me was on that site. After speaking to Dennis Debault and Jerry Newport, they told me she sought the signatures out and in some cases pestered them until they signed (although I am sure in some cases the "Autism Rocks" people signed without her prod) They also had a petition against a man who made the (I think very valid point) that if 1 in 150 kids were getting mad cow disease the government would stand up and listen. He got a petitiion because they said he equated mad cow disease with autism. He did no such thing.
For about a year, when I would go speak, she sent letters before I got there telling the hosts that I wanted autistic people to be killed and accusing me of all sorts of things. She was written off by all as "a loon".
Listen, most of the people in that movement are usually "self diagnosed". I don't know about you but I can't diagnose a stubbed toe, let alone a neurological condition". They are people who have latched onto this and think that gives them the right to be "unique". I don't know why they didn't think they had that right before.
My feeling is if they want to think they are special or that autism is awesome, fine by me but leave those of us alone who feel wanting a better life for our kids with autism is not a bad thing.
Autism is a condition. It is not a culture as Autism Rock and Neurodiversity and Autism Diva and the like want to think it is.
If we are not careful, these people will start speaking louder than us and once that happens, we can kiss funding for ABA and research goodbye. A similar divide split the autism community about 40 years ago (oral vs sign) and the in fighting and the "deaf culture" movement won.
I don't want these people to win. I want help for the kids who are rubbing feces on the wall, banging their heads, etc (and their parents). I don't think wanting to help unlock the brains of our obviously otherwise very intelligent autistic kids, is a bad thing.
Not being proud of autism IS NOT the same as not being proud of your autistic child. I am not proud of autism but I am proud of every autistic child I have ever met. The stories of successes will warm your heart.
I am with you. I celebrate the kids, not the condition.
I don't know about Seidels daughter. She may have been diagnosed by a doctor but neither Bain nor Seidel were to my knowledge.
I agree with Carebear 64. If you push for a cure for cancer, does not mean you wish your child with cancer did not exist? No! That means you wish a better life for you child, that is all. That is what it is with autism as well. We see the potential in our kids. We see how smart they are. In my opinion to say we have no right to get them help is the same as saying we don't want them to live as happily as they can. I doubt a 60 year old man still wearing diapers and wiping feces on the wall would be happy. A 60 year old man who has had ABA, learned some language (in whatever form) and can be productive will himself be happy.
Wanting a kink in the autistic armor is not a bad thing. Those people are either hopelessly ignorant or hopelessly self absorbed (or often both).
By the way, in Seidels mind, I am an evil Nazi. Oh well. I ignore these people and get onto the business at hand, working within the autistic community. If she wants to celebrate how great she is, go for it. Just don't expect me to join.
Sorry for the rant. :)

Sorry I meant a similar divide split the deaf community about 40 years ago. I was ranting and got messed up there. My bad LOL

Thanks to all who are like-minded with me. I agree with most of what was said with one exception. Freeinspirit said, "this can be how a child can..interpret..what we are saying."


My son can't even tell me that he has to go to the bathroom. He can barely tell me his basic needs. I don't understand how anybody can think he's at a level where he can interpret anything I'm trying to do for him right now. And when he gets to that point, mentally (someday, I hope), I am going to talk to him about everything I'm trying to do and why I'm doing it. Communication is so important with everything you're trying to do for your child. And, freeinspirit, if I misinterpreted your comment, please accept my apologies.

Murphy,you absolutely amaze me!! you are truely awesome. what you post is so great to read. the way you put things into words I wish I had a book written by you. you could make millions!!! thanks for speaking out for all that have autism. you're a great person and very blessed that you are here.

No offence taken. A classic case of what Im saying & what youre hearing.

Not all ASD kids have the comprehension to interpret much of what we are saying, let alone misinterpret. My son certainly doesnt. (Please God, let that change for all of them ASAP.)
I just think that they have a point (possibly just the one).
It is vital that our children understand that our hatred of Autism & what it is doing to them is NOT hatred of them.

An example of this is the current salmonella/tomato crisis. My son was in the room, I thought ignoring the TV, when they announced the recall. He had a meltdown because he thought someone was going to take away his tomatoes growing in the garden. They said no such thing but that is what he heard.

my kids know they have autism and I tell them that the way they behave and do things sometimes is because of the autism but I always make sure they know that they are loved no matter what but we as a family try to find the best help for their autism just like we would find the best help for any other disorder they had. no one wants to go through life feeling different from the whole world. and I think that if given a choice most kids that aren't high functioning would choose a cure.

As an adult living on the spectrum.. let me give my input. For low-funcitoning autistics, yes.. life is VERY difficult. And I can see how parents with low functioning kids would feel as if the neurodiversity movement is a slap in the face. On the whole debate..im on the fence. On the one hand, you do have the families who have a hard time with autism. But on the other hand, there are those who are high functioning who have found their different way of looking at the world to be truly groundbreaking.

But, you are quite correct in saying that those who argue the neurdiversity side need to look it from all angles. You bring up the fact that low functioning individuals are often incontinent. I experience incontience myself, and i can vouch that it is NOT a pleasant expereince. I hope every day for a treatment and a cure..not sure if i will find one. I know what diaper rash feels like..its not pleasant. I also struggle with many challenges as a person with PDD-NOS. I am a college student. but, i got where i am with great difficulty. I am intelligent, but struggle with independence. I think the main goal would be to have low functioning autistics become high functioning. There has to be interventions to do that at some point.

But, PDD-NOS isn't easier than autism, by any means. I still struggle with worries about the future..about dating.. but, there is hope.

It is my hope that those with low fucntioning autism find the interventions they need to become high functioning and develop living skills.


I think really that the "neurodiversity" comes in to play with social niceties and norms. Most high functioning auties only have problem wiht htat. Low functioning.. its a challenge for them to eat a meal and poop in the toilet...so yeah, it would be quite hard for parents with low funcitoning kids to see the merit in neurodiversity.

This is why i said i am on the fence. I am an adult living with PDD-NOS, and im working towards becoming a soical worker, with the goal of working with children on the spectrum, high and low funcitoning, to help them reach their potential. I never thought i would get my driver's liscence. But i did. I am still working on independence...i still have a LONG way to go to be fully interegeated into "normal adult man" and i may never get there.

I currently work with kids who have similar diagnoses.. and that is helpful i think. I can kind of read what is going on with their moods and what not because i have been there myself.

"What I am going to do is to try to fix (or cure) these things, so my son can be the best possible person he can be. Simply put, it's the job of a good and loving parent, which I am proud to be. What's so wrong with that?"

Absolutely nothing. All parents should be proud. And all autisic children deserve to reach their potential, and achieve necessary ADL skills.

I really wish, when I was younger, in school people took the time to teach me how to properly communicate. I recently wrote a post on the Aspergers Syndrome forum about how I feel isolated, intimidated and often unwanted because of my lack of knowledge on how to read faces, body language, and feelings in general. It isnt that I am oblivious, I DO care, and I DO want to be a part and not come off as "weird" or "out there" But... that isnt something I have learned to do yet.

A lot of those people who are those "neurodiverse" people, are mostly moms who like getting with other moms and talk about how their HF autistic or PDDNOS child is just wonderful and so smart. Yes... they are wonderful and smart, but they are also lacking communication and social skills that will get them far in this world!

You dont need to "cure" it, you need to teach how to communicate. I wish I learned.... back then they thought most autistic children were either "gifted but awkward" or "MR" Even now, I see a lot of children who are diagnosed as MR who should probably be on the spectrum (but then again, I am not a Dr)

I love my son, and his PDD-NOS is a part of who he is, and what makes him "him" the fact that he is able to FINALLY (after 3.5 years of no talking) tell me what he is thinking (and now at almost 5 youd never know he was a late talker) And I think that he doesnt need a "cure" as much as therapy and good teaching by someone who can get on his level.

The severe cases, of which I see, of the children/teens/adults who are autistic wish there WAS a cure. It is not right for any person to be in diapers, or not have control of their own body. I once heard a child explain (and this is the way I feel too) "sometimes it feels like ants are crawling all over my body, and I cant stop it, so I have to keep moving (rocking)" How horrible and uncomfortable! I wish there was a cure for that.

And even those teens and adults who are HF on the spectrum after so many years of not knowing how to act in public and social settings, they are often recluses, and too scared and do not wish to associate with the outside world, they become paranoid and depressed.

excuse me... i ramble (sorry) well... i guess my point is in there somewhere. I hope you all understood what I am trying to say.

i forgot to add in that it is neat though, to see the world differently than others. Often I get the "how do you think of things like that" as if something I noticed or thought would not have been thought of as a "regular person" and sometimes I wish others could see the world like I do, sometimes, becuase It would be neat if they could see how I do. It is different, brings light into areas of the "normal" world that would still be in the shade.

So... I dont wish there was a "cure" for how I think/see the world... just better communication.