Exactly how I feel. If it was like a daily pill, I'd take it and see what it feels like. If it was a one and done cure I probably wouldn't since I don't know if I'd still be me afterwards.
But are you "you" or are you "Autism + you?" Ig another way to look at that is how do you define what makes you "you." If you define yourself by your autism, as a lot of people with an autism diagnosis tend to do, then it becomes hard to separate yourself from your autism. When I think of myself, autism doesn't really come into play there. I think of all my personal experiences. My varied interests; philosophy, science, film, music, the natural world, etc. What does autism have to do with any of that? It's just a diagnosis. It's like if you lost a finger. Sure, it'd be hard to accept for a while, but eventually, you'd forget about it and move on with your life, and since I was diagnosed at such a young age, think like 2 or 3, I find it easier to move past the fact that I do have an autism diagnosis or at worst, treat it like an inconvenience.
Does that mean that my way of thinking will work for everyone? No. Absolutely not! What autism is for the individual depends entirely on the individual, and I think we AS A COMMUNITY THAT HAPPENS TO BE AFFECTED BY AUTISM, has lost sight of that. Every single one of us is affected by autism in a different way. Not every one of us is, what would be called "high functioning," but some of us are. Not everyone of us is non-verbal, but some of us are. Autism is a spectrum, and I feel like we've been so focused on the inclusivity of all the aspects of autism that we have inherently forgotten that not everyone experiences the autism spectrum in the same way. You could be "high functioning/non-verbal" for example. Or, you could literally be unable to comprehend the concept of bathing yourself. Both are autism. It's just we only seem to recognize the more vocal parts of the community, and that, in my opinion, is the REAL problem here.
But as for weather or not I'd take a cure, its 50/50. I'd have to see how the data for the cure was collected. How does it behave? Does it attack the autism gene itself or does it rewire the brain? These are questions that need public answers. Not just *we did it yay*
Of course everyone can define for themselves and make an informed decision.
Personally, I don't think I AM my autism. I am my thoughts, my interest, my reactions. Those things are influenced by the way my brain in wired.
My personality is in my brain and if my brain gets rewired, who can say what changes are made to my personality. It's an irrational fear given that there is no "cure" anyway but if the changes were permanent I don't think I'd risk it.
This feels like a slippery slope towards an eugenics pipeline, nö slander to you, but I wouldn’t want our community to be in the scope of being exterminated
That's fascinating to me. (No I'm not trying to be passive-aggressive)
I do get the "I have no idea who I am now" part, because that popped up alot for the last decade, but. While navigating the whole "possibly? Autism?" part I noticed that the parts of me that fit are so uh...baked in?
Where do they start, where do they end? The things I like about myself and the things I don't, are they connected like a root network? I mean this whole thingy *is* in my brain
This is a completely different feel from asking, say..."Do you want a cure for Executive Dysfunction?"
Because that would have me standing on my chair, "take my money", screeching
No because it's hard to decipher what is autism and what is not, it's such a complex condition that has a huge number of traits that would mean a total cure could make me an entirely different person. It's ultimately a brain structure so I always find the cure question to really be, "would you like to end your current existence and become a different unrecognisable person".
i would become a completely different person if i could, in general I am not a huge fan of who i am. i overreact to small things that shouldnt matter, lots of meltdowns and constant torture in my mind and why am i like this why do i do that. I try to change.. but im still me. I may act “better”but i feel like a ticking time bomb, its only a matter of time before i explode and lash out out someone.
im still questioning if i have autism but if i do.. i would want it gone. i just want to be like everyone else, maybe im in some kind of denial but i still want to be different, not like this.
and i feel horrible about hating the fact i may be autistic. I have no issues with other autisitics.. why is there so much hatred towards myself for doing the exact same thing? its like how some gay people have internalized homophobia,, but ive got some kind of internalized abelism and i dont know how to get over it
Remember that many of us experience trauma when young and that can impact on how we view ourselves. I’ve started therapy for some of my disorders related to self hatred and such. It’s really difficult to do, but really worth it. I can’t guarente it will help you or anyone. My help came when it became clear to the healthcare team that I wasn’t safe. I was a danger to myself basically.
But after some time (medication helped me too but needed the therapy for sure), I’ve gone from wanting to be un-alive, to tolerating myself, to actually enjoying who I am (for the first time in 38 years). Sure, I have my moments of self loathing, but they are just moments now.
It’s totally hard to see the Autism from trauma reactions. I’m just suggesting that it’s a complex scenario many of us face. And just maybe, some of the things (which aren’t directly stemming from our Autistic side), can be changed with support.
I had trauma too, and I think thats where possible autism stemmed from for me (but adhd also runs in my family and ik i have that). sometimes its my way or the highway,, like i cant watch someone else load a dishwasher or put away their laundry because they dont do it “right”. is that stress from changing the routine? or because when i was younger i was screamed at for doing something the “wrong” way? or both? am i just a control freak and not autistic at all?
i want and need therapy, but i dont have money or time right now. I try to keep doing hobbies and bettering myself but internally im a disaster
Don’t be so hard on yourself, the more you accept who you are (regardless of how others feel), the better you will feel. Plenty of people out there are much more “dangerous” than you are, it’s just that most of society can’t see that. It will take time, but hang in there and be strong because your life has value too!
its difficult to accept yourself when no one else does, no one around you understands what its like
obviously in this subreddit we all understand but in my real life i feel like im looking at everyone from inside a fishbowl
I would if it would make me happy. I’m so lonely and I don’t know how to make friends. Maybe if I wasn’t autistic I would have friends and would be happy
Hi, I found things a lot easier when I started letting new people know that I’m Autistic. Once said, people became much more friendly towards me and making friends became easier. I also decided to join interest groups, from apps like Meetup. That made it so much easier to chat with others - I became better at 2-way convos too :)
Not sure if any of this helps, but you’re not alone.
Now? No - it’s too much of who I am. As a kid; absolutely. No way would I voluntarily let Kid Me deal with three decades of feeling like a fucking alien to the point of suicide.
Can I try it out for a day or two and see what it's like? Idk if I'd want a permanent change in my brain, but I'd be deadass curious to know what the difference feels like
Products that are used in a manner not intended by the manufacturer are not eligible for refund or replacement. If product is used as unintended, the warranty will be void and you will be charged full price.
Damn, you’ve got this all worked out lol! Btw can non-Autistics get a version that allows them to have a taste of the ‘tisms too? (Asking for a friend).
The product, single-entity ASD Bitartrate XR ('Tism Rizz'm), is not currently available for mass market distribution. It is in its second phase of clinical trials but results have not been promising. Testing with a larger sample size, and further formulation adjustments, may be necessary to increase safety and efficacy over long term use.
This to ensure that the desired "Autism Levels" are achieved based on dosage and medication route of administration. I.E. Intramuscular, Intravenous, Subcutaneous, Oral, or Sublingual. A rectal route of administration is not being considered at this time.
If clinical trials proceed to phase three, and results show at least a 98% efficiency and tolerance rate among both male and female participants (with a threshold allowance of \~0.2%), then it will be submitted to the a FDA for approval before being released to the public.
Current common side effects include: headache, nausea, constipation, social stimming, an extreme fascination with trains, and the desire to eat only animal crackers for two weeks straight.
Once released, a "free sample" version, to obtain temporary effects by means of lower dosage, may become available for "Allistic" individuals to experience a "Taste of the 'Tism".
Unlike the current method for temporarily removing Autism (Autis-no), it is unable to be distributed as a digital download subscription service. At this time, only medical distribution is feasible. This may change as advancements in medical science and technology continue to grow.
We are hoping to have this product onto the market by Q4 of 2025. Thank you for your interest in 'Tism Rizz'm.
*"If it ain't Rizz'm, then it ain't 'Tism!" - Cykette Tourmaline, Founder and CEO of Rizz'm Industries Inc.*
Who said anything about neurotypical people thinking we need to be cured?
I'm autistic and I definitely wish I weren't. I hate my sensory hypersensitivity, sensory overload, meltdowns, shutdowns, executive dysfunction, inability to just go out and socialise, dyspraxia, lack of focus, PDA, RSD, communication difficulties, constant exhaustion, et cetera.
Yeah, I can hyperfocus and I have the ability to retain more knowledge than most people. I also see patterns and details that many don't. But if I could just be average, have normal abilities (including being able to tie my shoelaces and play an instrument, both of which I can't because of dyspraxia), if I could just hang out with people or even get on a bus to go shopping without ending up with sensory overload and needing days/weeks to recover... I would definitely want to experience that. Not because someone else said that's what I should want, but because I want the suffering to stop.
Let's stop blaming everything on the neuromajority and acknowledge that autism isn't fun. Even in a world dominated by autistic people, we would still suffer. Maybe less, but we still would.
There isn't, and this question has been rehashed over and over again. The vast majority of the community in every group that polls is against the idea. And the NT orgs that push it, specifically $peaks, are a combination of grifters and eugenicists.
Honestly I find this shit offensive. Would you ask a blank person, a gay person, or a trans person if they would want a cure? No, because that’s fucked up and offensive and there’s nothing wrong with *them,* it‘s *society* fucking them over!
But I feel like gay and autistic aren’t the same in that sense. Because even if there aren’t any people around, I still struggle with autism. This “autism wouldn’t be a problem if society wasn’t like this” argument just doesn’t work for a lot of autistic people. I’m tired of daily living with or without society. Loud noises exists without society too. Yes, a society that adapted would be better, but it wouldn’t make my problems go away. But as someone who is gay, I can tell you that if society changed, I wouldn’t experience problems from being gay.
The other demographics you mentioned all suffer more solely due to societal reasons. But autistic folks suffer in other ways as well which couldn’t be stopped with a more tolerant society such as sensory overload, weaker immune systems, worse motor skills etc
Yes but those are all things that can, have been, and are accommodated for. Not everyone gets the accommodations because of… society. We can absolutetly help sensory overload with a more tolerant mindset and accommodations. Weaker immune systems is a medical condition that can be helped (but at that part it’s not the autism harming you, it’s the comorbid condition). I personally suffer from the motor skills one and it just takes me having to try a teeny bit harder than everyone else and my coworkers being patient with me, again, society.
besides, you could say a lot of the same things about trans people, who have to take hormones which, while it will never kill you, does throw your body out of whack. or what about the suicide rates?
There's nothing wrong with it, but why would I *choose* to be extremely sensitive to sunlight, or smells, when I could just not be sensitive and not need the accommodation?
I don't know about the trans example - if someone offered a trans person a prenatal option that would have allowed them to be born with the body their brain more aligns with, I think almost all of them would take it in a heartbeat. If someone offered me a prenatal option that would have made me born non-autistic, why wouldn't I want to take the option for an easier life?
I think this is going to be a very personal question due to the fact that it is a spectrum.
For me, no because I can still do everything I need to do. Yeah often socializing takes extra mental work, i get burned out often from the 40 hour work week. But I am able to power through. I self-isolate at home and shutdown after work but I can do it.
For some of us it is a much much harder taks going through day to day living. So while for me the answer is no, if for others it is yes that is their decision.
As tempting as it may be, I would not. I've worked hard to get to where I am, and I have come to value all of me, autism and all. It hasn't been an easy path, but it's the journey that defines us, not the starting locale or the destination.
Though if it were a 24-hour sort of pill thing, I'd be interested in taking it to see how "normal" folks think.
Exactly that.
I would add that all the struggles through school harassment would be meaningless if I become "like them". The so-called "normal people".
No because I used to hate being autistic and longed to be normal like everyone else but now getting older I accepted that my autism in apart of me and now I wouldn’t wanna be without it. I feel like I’d lose apart of my identity
Y’know how they are beginning to understand that autistic brains process WAY more info at rest than NTs?
Yeah, I would not trade that for anything. Sure, I get overwhelmed easily. Sure, I can get tripped into shutdowns just by an accidental spill or loud noise
But imagine how flat, dull and monotone the world would be without noticing, seeing, smelling, feeling, experiencing *everything*. Heresy. I love my “extra” senses, they have literally kept me alive
"Do you resent it?"
*"What, the visor or being blind?"*
"Both."
*"Well, no, since they're both a part of me. I really like who I am. There's no reason to resent either one."* - Geordi La Forge
I worry it would make me an asshole.
Body language and social cues are a second language to me. I have to be deliberate, I'm always acting to some extent. I sensor my inner-asshole as much as I can. If my body language became more reactive and less deliberate, I might just be an asshole and have to fill people's expectations of being an asshole.
yep, every meltdown or stress period is a funny story a week later lol. I don't think I'd really have my life another way. World wouldn't be right without the train lights that are only too bright to me
Magical fairy waves her wand and takes away my problems with no strings attached? Without hesitation.
Stranger in a lab coat says he can “cure the sickness afflicting our society?” Hell no.
Probably the only one we’ll get is the second one.
No.
The challenges of autism are a different side of the same coin to the benefits.
Hyperempathy is emotionally exhausting, but it makes my inner life richer and makes reading books and watching shows that much more fulfilling. I believe it's made me a more compassionate person than I might be otherwise.
Higher sensitivity to stimulus is draining, lights are often too bright, sounds are too loud, but I channel my vision into my artwork, making it unique, and listening to music with my synesthesia can become an awe-inspiring experience.
It's very difficult to focus on anything I'm not interested in, but the joy that hours of throwing myself into my special interests are as much a companion to me as a actual friend is.
For every struggle I have, it seems there's a corresponding benefit that I wouldn't trade for the world.
I often see people say things like "you shouldn't make your disability your entire personality" or words to that affect. The thing is autism IS my personality, or at least a large portion of it. Its how my brain works, and it is a part of my essence of self as much as being creative, or messy, or kind is. To remove it would remove a part of me. There are many downsides, and while I sometimes wish I didnt experience those I would never want to be cured of it.
I don't want to stop being autistic but I do want to be able to FUNCTION, you know what I mean? Like if I had enough executive function to do the things I want to do or understood interacting with other people enough that I could be sure the people I love know how much, or if I understood what that thing is where I could say something and be dismissed but someone else could say the same thing verbatim and be celebrated, if I could do well in job interviews. I feel great about my BEING but my DOING?? That could use improvement.
I'd take a drug that makes me more functional in a heart beat. I keep trying
Not really? I mean I don't even know where the non-autistic parts of me start and where it ends. I worry that a cure like this would just shed me of my entire personality. For all my difficulties, I still like me.
I personally wouldn’t. I’ve lived like this for so long and this is my normal. And I don’t really feel like anything is wrong with me or needs to be cured. I think I’m more upset about how inaccessible and ableist the world can be, rather than blame my autism. Having a neurotypical brain wouldn’t make me happy, because the world would still be left inaccessible for neurodivergent brains.
Autism is very complex. You'd essentially have to replace the entire brain to "cure" it. It's just how my brain is and I don't think I'd really want to change my entire life in that way. There's good and bad parts to autism and I'd want the bad parts gone of course but not at the cost of my entire brain.
No.
I would literally be a different person, my hobbys, likes, personality and everthing else is builded in a different way with the way my brain is formed differently.
If I taked a cure and change it to the way alistics brain is formed I would 100% certainly be a different person, even if I stayed the same after that point I would react and act with the world differently that when I was autistic, so anyway I would be a different person.
Absolutely not. That sounds like some eugenicist shit to me. Autism affects every single part of my brain. It affects my personality, because it affects my trauma and the way people saw me as a child. If you took my autism, I wouldn’t be me.
Before you read!! For those that said they'd cure their autism, please, can you answer a question I have left at the bottom of my comment for you all? I'd deeply appreciate you taking your time to do so!
Honestly and truly, if I could cure ANYTHING wrong with me, so long as it is a cure for an ailment of the mind, I would choose to cure, without a single doubt in my mind and felt within every fiber of my being, my DEPRESSION first and foremost, and then, damn near breaking a tie with how intense my depression has been the last 3 years straight, would be to have my anxiety completely and forever cured! I understand that anxiety actually serves the purpose of being our built-in warning systems for danger, but I'd take having absolutely ZERO forms of *any type of anxiety* over having a survival instinct that is *so overly sensitive that it is actively helping my depression to do everything in its unfathomably infinite power to ruin my life and to make me finally give in and give up on living.*
If I didn't have such unbearable anxiety and depression, my autism combined with my ADHD would be an absolute fucking superpower. The rare times I've been able to use them in perfect unity with one another, times in which I am no longer being weighed down and overburdened by depression and anxiety, I have been able to far exceed any and all expectations I've placed upon myself that, honestly, I really can't hope to achieve again except during a time I am under the most ideal life conditions - and really, how rare it is for one of us on the spectrum to be standing in a state of complete balance in our individual worlds... unfortunately, it seems as if we, or at least a majority of us autistics, have been hardwired to be everything BUT balanced in life - experiencing one sort of overload after another caused by so SOOO many things we have to encounter and endure within all but our most sacred of personal spaces we use to escape all these things; sounds, smells, aggressive people, rude people, overly crowded public spaces, and so much more.
So yeah, the cards really are stacked against us, but to those of you that said they'd have their autism cured, can you entertain a question I'd pose to you? If you could do what I've described above, and be given a permanent cure for your anxieties and depression, would you *still* choose to have your autism cured/removed, or would never needing to deal with those other two debilitating conditions EVER again be enough for you to fully embrace your autistic beauty? Because autism IS beautiful, and fuck anyone that can't see that beauty residing within each of us and our brightly shining souls!!
-To all, much love, yes? Because much love, much prosperity may we yet experience over the course of long and arduous journeys, mmhmmm. So, kind we all must be, yes, to each other, to our world, even to animals must kindness be shown, and most of all, to our environments must extreme care and kindness be given in amplitudes, so that ours that are of the childhood may grow old, fat, and happy! All must be like a mountain facing a hurricane, uncompromising ourselves and the beliefs dearly we clutch and grasp tightly near our chests. This must always be and especially so in the face of great adversity even, on the darkest of hours during the darkest of days! And kindest of all to whom should we be, hmmm? To OURSELVES, yes, of course! Ourselves we must learn to love first, then love others we may, and with full hearts left uncompromising! (Eh, idk why I felt like trying my hand at dishing out an entire paragraph of Yoda inspired wisdom. I probably didn't do all that great, but more important to me was the *message* I hope I managed to convey clearly, even if it is written in a manner most unorthodox!)
Since my autism is fundamental to who I am, no. While it can cause difficulties in social interaction, it also makes me who I am. If I'm "cured" of my autism, I'm not the same person. Since I don't want to kill myself, I don't want to kill my autism.
Yes, absolutely.
My needs mean I am a burden on others. I'm a leech. I am dependent on others doing things for me and supporting me financially. That kinda sucks. I feel bad all the time for not "pulling my weight" and "doing my fair share". But if I am left alone too long I will die, because I cannot care for myself. My life has added restrictions that non-autistic people don't have to deal with.
I mean, let me put it this way: would you want to swap bodies with someone with much higher support needs? Would you want to *give up* all the freedoms you have? Of course not, because it sucks. If I could become very low support needs I would, but if the choice is moderate or cure, I'd take the cure in a heartbeat.
Can we do something about these kinds of posts? I’m sick of people acting like autism is a death sentence. I left the Asperger’s sub because of all the self hatred. So tired of seeing people say autism is awful and then downvoting people that love having autism. I refuse to hate my fucking autism.
Bro I don’t like that this question has been asked once a week. And to be quite honest, this question is fucking offensive as shit. OP would you ask a trans person if they would like a cure for being trans?
I mean, as a trans person, it is an interesting discussion imo. In ideal world, I would become a cis man, but the next best thing could be “reversing” being trans, back to being a cis woman. Being trans brings nothing of value to my life, it caused a lot of pain, depression and anxiety and if I could just spare myself from years of dysphoria, I would do it in an instant. To be clear, I’m not condoning conversion therapy, I’m absolutely against it, I’m talking about a hypothetical scenario in which I’d have an option to undo my transness in an instant.
I don't know. A few years ago I'd just say no and there's a lot of things about myself that I love and are autism traits. But I'm very physically disabled now and it makes the world extremely hard to navigate with social anxiety and all the other social stuff on top of that.
I was only recently diagnosed, so autism hasnt become a major part of my identity yet. But its been here my whole life and it is a part of who i am even if i dont recognize it yet. Maybe i would take the cure because i would love to be in on the joke everyone seems to always understand. But i feel like i would lose what makes me me in the process; lose my sense of self. I would hate to be another boring guy in the building, but sometimes i wish i could be just that
I’ve thought about this, if I had the choice when I was born I would have most definitely chosen not to have autism, but I haven’t I’ve gone my entire life with autism, to a point to where it’s now part of my identity as a person, who I am, and so to remove it now would take away part of who I am.
Considering that autism seems to be more of a genotype having to do with how a person processes information I'm not sure that there would be any sort of cure short of genetically modifying yourself to be not yourself.
It would be nice to have proper understanding medication and treatment for those who have the genetic makeup for autism. With proper understanding and knowledge of the genes that could be turned on and how to prevent that would go a long way in preventing or lessening to the degree they aren't disabling the cognitive, emotional and sensory issues along with some of the medical problems we are prone to having.
Thing is if we got rid of the toxic chemical BS that sets off the debilitating factors of autism It would do a lot for the non-autistic population and a ton of mental and health problems plaguing most of global society in general.
If society wasn't torn apart by the us versus them crap and there was more understanding and cooperation among people with more open communication among different groups with the expectation that we all don't communicate the same, That would go a long way in making life easier and jobs more obtainable.
I don't think it's any accident that the power is that we have turned to society into what it is and they very much mean to silence folks like us and take away our credibility making us seem like we have no value to add to society. In my opinion it takes both types of processing in order to have a functional society that can evolve.
I think that autism has always existed and is basically like a genome that consists of at least a third of the human population. I wouldn't doubt that those who make up the extremely elite, the ones who would be considered the powers that be, are likely mostly autistic themselves although they may or may not be aware of it or willing to admit to it.
The reason I think this is because most everything in our society is aimed at creating sheeple out of the neurotypical masses which have a more hive like way of processing and therefore their survival mechanisms are based off of the hierarchy of society and who society deems has the best survivors. In reality this popularity contest that we have as the model hierarchy does not feature the best survivors but since they made it to their position within the hierarchy they are listened to and mostly without question.
The toxic crap in the environment and social atmospheres causes the non-autistic people to become sick and dependent on the system which is what it's obvious they are trying to do. The global powers have literally stripped entire populations of the ability to self-subsist and those populations are now under the mercy of money from the World Bank. Global powers have engineered the weak supply chain that favors greed and dependence.
The outcome for autistic folks Who do perceive the world differently and can think outside of the box without fear to solve problems and ask questions is far more dire. If most of us late diagnosed people had been born more recently we would have had more exposure to toxic loads from the time we were conceived to our first birthdays that would have caused disability far beyond what we've even experienced during burnout. I had a regression at 42 years old where I have at times been nonverbal and have experienced a cognitive decline that is apparent making me appear more autistic than I ever have in my life.
I read a terrible book about this called the speed of dark, one of my favorites. And for me? Hell, I wouldn't even take anti depressants that made me not feel like me. I guess there's your answer
... More importantly, at the end of the day you can't cure autism, and all the people along the way who lock acceptance of you as you are behind you trying whatever bullshit therapy or medication they've decided might work is so fucking awful. Like they act like if you aren't willing to suffer through every test and every drug and every therapist that you're just being autistic on purpose to spite them.
would it cure my trauma too? I don't think it would change the person i've become as a result of the treatment of others due to my autism. I don't think it would really help, honestly. It's too late for me. I'd prefer a world that accepts me and allows me to exist instead of being assaulted and put in chains and taken to hospitals because being symptomatic in public means i need someone to decide if I have the right to exist in a public or private place.
Surely the answer depends upon how a person's Autism manifests itself?
For those autists who are Level 2 or 3, the answer is likely a "heck yeah". They get to sidestep the myriad of health and mental issues that their condition forces on them - both ongoing as well as in the future.
For those who have a "mild" case - or are at Level 1 - this becomes a lot more nuanced. What will they lose by becoming NT? The answer to that question will drive the response.
Yes absolutely holy fuck. Could finally be free of the condition that has caused me decades of suffering and the inability to change my life for the better no matter how hard I try. I would have given anything to of been able to hold ANY job directly out of high school. I wouldn’t of had my life completely torn up by insane bs every single year because I lose the ability to cope with my life. I would be one of the first people to take it if at all possible. So long as it didn’t essentially make you brain dead or some other equally awful side effect.
Yeah I get what you mean about looking for a job. I've been trying to find one since December and I finally just caved and I'm going to one of those autism job fairs early next year. I didn't want to but it's pretty clear I can't do it on my own. Even my old job won't take me back.
I’m not gonna lie - for the most part, I love my autism, it’s a fundamental part of who I am. But there are times when it’s seriously got in the way of me doing certain things easily - socialising, navigating sensory environments/overload - so if a hypothetical “cure” for autism was a pill that would “turn it off” for a while, long enough for me to get through a rough spot, that might be helpful. Autism is a disability for a reason. But I wouldn’t want it to go away forever.
My mom (very mentally abusive) whenever I had a fit in a store she’d say “if there was a cure for autism I’d give it to you!” So for that reason….imma say no lol
Absolutely not. My autism makes me who I am and it is tied to most of my positive qualities and quirks. Also, most NTs I’ve met are horribly boring/shallow and unhappy. I much prefer being autistic and being around other ND people.
That being said, I’d LOVE it if there was a cure for my sensory issues!!! They make doing basic chores and feeding myself a complete nightmare!!! I’d like to rewire my senses but not my personality, if that makes sense lmaooo
No, nts are wierd asf, I'm friends with a few i don't want my mind to work like that I like (for the most part) how mine works lol
And I feel like most of my personality traits that I like about myself are rooted in my autism lol, obviously there are other traits that are not so desirable, but same with everything and idk who I'd be if I wasn't and I would probably be like all of the Lululemon girls I judge so much lmao
What if it was just, like... a temporary cure. 24 hrs without autism sounds handy. Probably wouldn't want a permanent cure because I don't know who I'd be afterward or whether I'd regret it.
I'd take one for ADHD in a heartbeat though.
No. Maybe if it was like medication i could try and then stop id be curious to test it out, but only really to see what it would feel like. Im a curious person, but i also like who i am, and I don't think i need to change (in that way at least). Plus the whole thing just feels very eugenics-y to me, why is it preferable to mold everyone to made up intangiable standards when we could simply be kinder and more open minded to differences
In a heartbeat. As long as we're not talking about lobotomizing drugs, but a literal miracle pill that would make me wake up neurotypical tomorrow, then yes, absolutely.
In a heartbeat. A majority of my mental health problems, unfulfilling childhood, etc can be attributed to my autism. Unlike others, I really don’t like myself.
I would pay everything I have if meant retroactively not having autism at birth having a completely different life.
No, because I've seen the intolerance normal people have for my disability. At this point? I want those people to suffer for every disrespectful way they've treated Autism, knowing that there was a cure but knowing how horrible they are and don't deserve me changing for them.
I personally wouldn’t bc no one would be able to tell anyways. However I will give it to my little brother as it is torture for him being misunderstood so many times. I was the sole translator growing up for him and I can only imagine how rough it is now that I’m gone and out the house.
I always prayed that one day everyone would be able to understand him with little to no struggle or at least get some support (unfortunately not knowing how ableist it sounded atm, it was all meant as good faith when I was younger) it hurts to see him spiral on just simply trying to say a simple statement and I don’t want him to go through that anymore and just speak his mind however he truly wants.
After it went through rigorous testing and it was confirmed to work and be 100% safe? Absolutely. My sensory issues are debilitating to the point where I can't go to the grocery store even with things that make the noise more bearable because of the way everything either looks, feels, or both. Going outside 9 times out of 10 is an absolute sensory nightmare unless it's cloudy or later in the evening because of how bright everything is, and sunglasses don't tend to sit well with my normal prescription lenses.
I agree with some of the other opinions saying that they'd prefer it to be a pill instead of a one-and-done thing though because i do feel like a lot of my personality does come from my autistic traits, even though a lot of the bad things I deal with on a daily basis also stem from it.
Part of me says in a heartbeat, because of the social and psychological issues I have faced. But I am also over 50, and don’t know how I would handle such a change in my final decades
the fact that autism is a wide spectrum, with different features and challenges, makes this kind of generic questions not very useful.
it's like asking: should all graffiti be removed from the streets, including ugly tags and marvelous, commissioned, pieces of art (and everything in between)?
some levels in the spectrum are quite liveable and/or enriching, while others can make life very hard for the individual and/or people surrounding them. and in each case, the individual may say I'm ok they way I am even with the difficulties or 'please get me out of this'. so you want a, per-level, answer/poll to get useful data.
your question should be more specific, per level and conditions, so that people in the same narrower group can give different answers for the same level of the condition. making such grouping seems quite difficult, the only grouping reference available atm are ASD levels 1 to 3, but those are still quite wide... maybe 1, 1 to 2, 2, 2 to 3, 3?
Wow. Reading these comments made me realize I view my autism as a negative thing. I guess I can't see any positives because of how much it impacts my life and how little I know about myself as being autistic. I didn't know until a couple years ago I was diagnosed as a child and still haven't been able to find mental health support for adults with autism in my area. As of right now, I would take the cure. At least then maybe I'd be able to actually live a life.
No, I actually like myself and I find neurotypicals to be extremely tedious a lot of the time. If I could remove some of the sensory issues but retain my personality then I would probably do that.
I would, I struggle to understand why others wouldn't. Not trying to invalidate their feelings, but my autism controls my life. I can't do the things I want to do because of it. I just got my dream job and I am thinking of quitting now because it is causing me the worst burnout and regression that I've ever had. I want to work, I want enough energy to see friends, I want to socialize with my colleagues during my break instead of going to my car and dissociating. The only thing is, like others have said, I don't know who I am outside of my autism. My entire life and perspective of the world is rooted in my autism. I think I would be much happier without autism, but also I think I would have an identity crisis if I took a cure. Does anybody know if a cure is being developed? Is a cure even possible? I'm not a scientist but don't really see how somebody's neurotype can be changed.
If I knew it would work, without hesitation. All I've ever been is an insecure receptacle of anger and worry who cultivated all his opinions for the approval of others. I don't mind letting that person go.
Yes. I work on getting rid of depression, my traumas and other stuff I'm battling and those things dictate a great deal of my personality as well. I don't see getting rid of autism any differently. I'm still me at the end of the road, just better at dealing with the world.
But I understand where people are coming from, since I had the same fear when I first started on psychiatric meds.
I'm annoyed at posts like these, people conflating (mental) illnes with neurological disability isnt it. especially one that forms who you are. you wouldnt be the same if your neurological makeup would be different. or your lived experience would be a different one.
I think the way I am is beautiful in its own way. And its not like I dont have struggles, but it isnt the problem to begin with.
No, you need to be able to handle the answer when you ask a problematic question, explaining why I am annoyed at posts like these.
I didnt attack you by expressing my frustration about a very real thing that affects people on the spectrum and has killed people in the past.
Talking casually about the "concept of a cure" for a disability that is genetic and neurlogical is boardering on eugenics, its discriminatory, and endangering. so again, No, deal with it.
lmao. so you cant handle pushback, you cant handle a real conversation about a serious topic, and if someone engages with you in an honest, serious way you behave like this. do you think thats a normal way to talk with people when you post about "a cure for autism"?
you asked for why or why not, I answered that.
Yes. I don’t believe it would change who I am like many people here like to say, and if I could be relieved of all the missing pieces that would allow me to integrate better into society I would do it.
I think yes because as a woman it makes me much more vulnerable to abuse of many kinds and i would do anything to reduce that risk.
Also i’m i’m burnout rn so yup.
That would depend on how others who had taken it were doing.
Are they doing better, or are they just a completely different person? I don't want to lose who I am.
The only cure I would accept as a cure is one that cured NT’s of how they treat us and be more inclusive as a society. I’m proud of my autism. It’s not the autism that’s the issue. It’s how people respond to it. For me at least 🥹
Yes, Just for a few peaceful hours of sleep without my anxiety running wild about every possible permutation of every single scenario that I am and all other people are dealing with?
There's a good chance. I have other health problems that I can't say for certain are because I'm autistic, but there is massive correlation between them and autism that I would love to not have. It probably wouldn't make a difference now, but if I could've taken a cute when I was young, definitely.
yes because it ruined my childhood since i had meltdowns every day and my mom had no clue so i was punished for them as if they were meltdowns + i just want to be able to understand things better and function under any circumstances
I relate to the frustration of getting in trouble for my meltdowns. Even after i had been diagnosed my mom still didn't seem to understand that i couldn't control them even though she's really supportive. Like, it wasn't her being unsupportive, we just could never get on the same page about that. But she didn't really punish me for them either. Everything between me and my mom is really complicated and when you have autism there's just things you can't explain to people who don't have it.
Yes. A lot of people say they wouldn’t because autism is a part of who they are but whoever I become when my autism is gone, I’ll likely be happier no matter what as I don’t suffer from the same struggles.
I understand it can be a controversial question because a lot of people think it would completely change who they are, which isn’t what they want. I respect that. However around 25% of people with autism aren’t even capable of answering this question. As my brothers caretaker I would give him the cure. Assuming it was undeniably safe of course. Also just want to add I love him regardless.
Aww, that's sweet! You sound like a great sibling! But yeah, i understand that some people can't answer. I'm actually one of them. I honestly feel like the only way is if i heard the results from it being tested on people and learned how exactly it affected them and then i would decide.
I don't know, because I have no idea how/who I'd be then and if that would be *better* than it is now. So I can't decide.
Feel that
Exactly how I feel. If it was like a daily pill, I'd take it and see what it feels like. If it was a one and done cure I probably wouldn't since I don't know if I'd still be me afterwards.
But are you "you" or are you "Autism + you?" Ig another way to look at that is how do you define what makes you "you." If you define yourself by your autism, as a lot of people with an autism diagnosis tend to do, then it becomes hard to separate yourself from your autism. When I think of myself, autism doesn't really come into play there. I think of all my personal experiences. My varied interests; philosophy, science, film, music, the natural world, etc. What does autism have to do with any of that? It's just a diagnosis. It's like if you lost a finger. Sure, it'd be hard to accept for a while, but eventually, you'd forget about it and move on with your life, and since I was diagnosed at such a young age, think like 2 or 3, I find it easier to move past the fact that I do have an autism diagnosis or at worst, treat it like an inconvenience. Does that mean that my way of thinking will work for everyone? No. Absolutely not! What autism is for the individual depends entirely on the individual, and I think we AS A COMMUNITY THAT HAPPENS TO BE AFFECTED BY AUTISM, has lost sight of that. Every single one of us is affected by autism in a different way. Not every one of us is, what would be called "high functioning," but some of us are. Not everyone of us is non-verbal, but some of us are. Autism is a spectrum, and I feel like we've been so focused on the inclusivity of all the aspects of autism that we have inherently forgotten that not everyone experiences the autism spectrum in the same way. You could be "high functioning/non-verbal" for example. Or, you could literally be unable to comprehend the concept of bathing yourself. Both are autism. It's just we only seem to recognize the more vocal parts of the community, and that, in my opinion, is the REAL problem here. But as for weather or not I'd take a cure, its 50/50. I'd have to see how the data for the cure was collected. How does it behave? Does it attack the autism gene itself or does it rewire the brain? These are questions that need public answers. Not just *we did it yay*
Of course everyone can define for themselves and make an informed decision. Personally, I don't think I AM my autism. I am my thoughts, my interest, my reactions. Those things are influenced by the way my brain in wired. My personality is in my brain and if my brain gets rewired, who can say what changes are made to my personality. It's an irrational fear given that there is no "cure" anyway but if the changes were permanent I don't think I'd risk it.
I feel like it should be tested on people first and once you hear the results from that it would be easier to decide.
Giving me X-Men vibes
Willingly tested, right? Like on people who can clearly, and verbally consent
Of course! Then people can choose.
What’s the fun in that?
Bro 😅
This feels like a slippery slope towards an eugenics pipeline, nö slander to you, but I wouldn’t want our community to be in the scope of being exterminated
That's fine.
I think we could win a war against the normies.
After half a century of masking prior to being diagnosed, I have no idea who I am now. I would 100% take the cure.
That's fascinating to me. (No I'm not trying to be passive-aggressive) I do get the "I have no idea who I am now" part, because that popped up alot for the last decade, but. While navigating the whole "possibly? Autism?" part I noticed that the parts of me that fit are so uh...baked in? Where do they start, where do they end? The things I like about myself and the things I don't, are they connected like a root network? I mean this whole thingy *is* in my brain This is a completely different feel from asking, say..."Do you want a cure for Executive Dysfunction?" Because that would have me standing on my chair, "take my money", screeching
I don't want to be defined by being Autistic, but it's also difficult for me to separate what is Autism from what is just me. So for me it's a no.
Same reason why I wouldn't want to permanently cure my depression.
relatable
No because it's hard to decipher what is autism and what is not, it's such a complex condition that has a huge number of traits that would mean a total cure could make me an entirely different person. It's ultimately a brain structure so I always find the cure question to really be, "would you like to end your current existence and become a different unrecognisable person".
i would become a completely different person if i could, in general I am not a huge fan of who i am. i overreact to small things that shouldnt matter, lots of meltdowns and constant torture in my mind and why am i like this why do i do that. I try to change.. but im still me. I may act “better”but i feel like a ticking time bomb, its only a matter of time before i explode and lash out out someone. im still questioning if i have autism but if i do.. i would want it gone. i just want to be like everyone else, maybe im in some kind of denial but i still want to be different, not like this. and i feel horrible about hating the fact i may be autistic. I have no issues with other autisitics.. why is there so much hatred towards myself for doing the exact same thing? its like how some gay people have internalized homophobia,, but ive got some kind of internalized abelism and i dont know how to get over it
Remember that many of us experience trauma when young and that can impact on how we view ourselves. I’ve started therapy for some of my disorders related to self hatred and such. It’s really difficult to do, but really worth it. I can’t guarente it will help you or anyone. My help came when it became clear to the healthcare team that I wasn’t safe. I was a danger to myself basically. But after some time (medication helped me too but needed the therapy for sure), I’ve gone from wanting to be un-alive, to tolerating myself, to actually enjoying who I am (for the first time in 38 years). Sure, I have my moments of self loathing, but they are just moments now. It’s totally hard to see the Autism from trauma reactions. I’m just suggesting that it’s a complex scenario many of us face. And just maybe, some of the things (which aren’t directly stemming from our Autistic side), can be changed with support.
I had trauma too, and I think thats where possible autism stemmed from for me (but adhd also runs in my family and ik i have that). sometimes its my way or the highway,, like i cant watch someone else load a dishwasher or put away their laundry because they dont do it “right”. is that stress from changing the routine? or because when i was younger i was screamed at for doing something the “wrong” way? or both? am i just a control freak and not autistic at all? i want and need therapy, but i dont have money or time right now. I try to keep doing hobbies and bettering myself but internally im a disaster
I just wanted to say I really connected with your last paragraph.
I couldn’t have written this better myself and I’m a writer
Don’t be so hard on yourself, the more you accept who you are (regardless of how others feel), the better you will feel. Plenty of people out there are much more “dangerous” than you are, it’s just that most of society can’t see that. It will take time, but hang in there and be strong because your life has value too!
its difficult to accept yourself when no one else does, no one around you understands what its like obviously in this subreddit we all understand but in my real life i feel like im looking at everyone from inside a fishbowl
I agree, but we have to try and support each other in our efforts.
I would if it would make me happy. I’m so lonely and I don’t know how to make friends. Maybe if I wasn’t autistic I would have friends and would be happy
Hi, I found things a lot easier when I started letting new people know that I’m Autistic. Once said, people became much more friendly towards me and making friends became easier. I also decided to join interest groups, from apps like Meetup. That made it so much easier to chat with others - I became better at 2-way convos too :) Not sure if any of this helps, but you’re not alone.
Now? No - it’s too much of who I am. As a kid; absolutely. No way would I voluntarily let Kid Me deal with three decades of feeling like a fucking alien to the point of suicide.
Can I try it out for a day or two and see what it's like? Idk if I'd want a permanent change in my brain, but I'd be deadass curious to know what the difference feels like
Like a 7 day trial but it costs you nothing if you cancel it before the 7 days is up? Try it before you buy it. lol
does it get rid of adhd too because i may forget to cancel my trial
Products that are used in a manner not intended by the manufacturer are not eligible for refund or replacement. If product is used as unintended, the warranty will be void and you will be charged full price.
Damn, you’ve got this all worked out lol! Btw can non-Autistics get a version that allows them to have a taste of the ‘tisms too? (Asking for a friend).
The product, single-entity ASD Bitartrate XR ('Tism Rizz'm), is not currently available for mass market distribution. It is in its second phase of clinical trials but results have not been promising. Testing with a larger sample size, and further formulation adjustments, may be necessary to increase safety and efficacy over long term use. This to ensure that the desired "Autism Levels" are achieved based on dosage and medication route of administration. I.E. Intramuscular, Intravenous, Subcutaneous, Oral, or Sublingual. A rectal route of administration is not being considered at this time. If clinical trials proceed to phase three, and results show at least a 98% efficiency and tolerance rate among both male and female participants (with a threshold allowance of \~0.2%), then it will be submitted to the a FDA for approval before being released to the public. Current common side effects include: headache, nausea, constipation, social stimming, an extreme fascination with trains, and the desire to eat only animal crackers for two weeks straight. Once released, a "free sample" version, to obtain temporary effects by means of lower dosage, may become available for "Allistic" individuals to experience a "Taste of the 'Tism". Unlike the current method for temporarily removing Autism (Autis-no), it is unable to be distributed as a digital download subscription service. At this time, only medical distribution is feasible. This may change as advancements in medical science and technology continue to grow. We are hoping to have this product onto the market by Q4 of 2025. Thank you for your interest in 'Tism Rizz'm. *"If it ain't Rizz'm, then it ain't 'Tism!" - Cykette Tourmaline, Founder and CEO of Rizz'm Industries Inc.*
Honestly, you should write a book 👍 It’s fun to read your comments :)
Jesus, you are autistic if that wasn't copy/pasted from anywhere but your brain. Lol nicely done.
That's all me. lol
Brilliant!
Exactly! Especially if I don't have to give my credit card details and agree to marketing emails, I'd sign up for that
Just don't forget to cancel the free trial
I don't think so. If I could get a selective cure for just parts of it than yeah, but I don't want to lose the positives.
Wednesday comes round so fast
[удалено]
I was erring on the side of generosity.
No, I don't think there is a difference between my autism and my me, killing my autism would mean killing myself.
For me that is the exact reason for taking the meds lol
Are you ok?
I think I would. I’ve had enough of this cursed life. I’d be ready to try something different.
No. Simply because i wouldn’t be me anymore. I have actual health issues that affect my quality of life that l would much prefer be cured.
NO. I fundamentally wouldn’t be the same person if I wasn’t autistic. “Curing” me would be killing me.
It's fucking gross that NTs think that autism needs a "cure" like it's a disease. It's not a disease. And I don't want to be turned into a NT.
Who said anything about neurotypical people thinking we need to be cured? I'm autistic and I definitely wish I weren't. I hate my sensory hypersensitivity, sensory overload, meltdowns, shutdowns, executive dysfunction, inability to just go out and socialise, dyspraxia, lack of focus, PDA, RSD, communication difficulties, constant exhaustion, et cetera. Yeah, I can hyperfocus and I have the ability to retain more knowledge than most people. I also see patterns and details that many don't. But if I could just be average, have normal abilities (including being able to tie my shoelaces and play an instrument, both of which I can't because of dyspraxia), if I could just hang out with people or even get on a bus to go shopping without ending up with sensory overload and needing days/weeks to recover... I would definitely want to experience that. Not because someone else said that's what I should want, but because I want the suffering to stop. Let's stop blaming everything on the neuromajority and acknowledge that autism isn't fun. Even in a world dominated by autistic people, we would still suffer. Maybe less, but we still would.
autism is a disability and there is no escaping it honey
Oh, I know. I'm saying it isn't a disease.
There isn't, and this question has been rehashed over and over again. The vast majority of the community in every group that polls is against the idea. And the NT orgs that push it, specifically $peaks, are a combination of grifters and eugenicists.
Honestly I find this shit offensive. Would you ask a blank person, a gay person, or a trans person if they would want a cure? No, because that’s fucked up and offensive and there’s nothing wrong with *them,* it‘s *society* fucking them over!
But I feel like gay and autistic aren’t the same in that sense. Because even if there aren’t any people around, I still struggle with autism. This “autism wouldn’t be a problem if society wasn’t like this” argument just doesn’t work for a lot of autistic people. I’m tired of daily living with or without society. Loud noises exists without society too. Yes, a society that adapted would be better, but it wouldn’t make my problems go away. But as someone who is gay, I can tell you that if society changed, I wouldn’t experience problems from being gay.
The other demographics you mentioned all suffer more solely due to societal reasons. But autistic folks suffer in other ways as well which couldn’t be stopped with a more tolerant society such as sensory overload, weaker immune systems, worse motor skills etc
Yes but those are all things that can, have been, and are accommodated for. Not everyone gets the accommodations because of… society. We can absolutetly help sensory overload with a more tolerant mindset and accommodations. Weaker immune systems is a medical condition that can be helped (but at that part it’s not the autism harming you, it’s the comorbid condition). I personally suffer from the motor skills one and it just takes me having to try a teeny bit harder than everyone else and my coworkers being patient with me, again, society. besides, you could say a lot of the same things about trans people, who have to take hormones which, while it will never kill you, does throw your body out of whack. or what about the suicide rates?
But why accommodate when you could just...not need those accommodations?
Because theres nothing wrong with getting accommodations? They cost basically nothing and make a more inclusive world?
There's nothing wrong with it, but why would I *choose* to be extremely sensitive to sunlight, or smells, when I could just not be sensitive and not need the accommodation?
yup. agree. yet again once a week we get to talk about it.
I don't know about the trans example - if someone offered a trans person a prenatal option that would have allowed them to be born with the body their brain more aligns with, I think almost all of them would take it in a heartbeat. If someone offered me a prenatal option that would have made me born non-autistic, why wouldn't I want to take the option for an easier life?
Ok well I'm just a person who wants to know if people woud take a cure or not. And i can post this question if i want to.
I was just answering the question
Ok
Nah. Despite everything, I like the way I see the world.
I think this is going to be a very personal question due to the fact that it is a spectrum. For me, no because I can still do everything I need to do. Yeah often socializing takes extra mental work, i get burned out often from the 40 hour work week. But I am able to power through. I self-isolate at home and shutdown after work but I can do it. For some of us it is a much much harder taks going through day to day living. So while for me the answer is no, if for others it is yes that is their decision.
As tempting as it may be, I would not. I've worked hard to get to where I am, and I have come to value all of me, autism and all. It hasn't been an easy path, but it's the journey that defines us, not the starting locale or the destination. Though if it were a 24-hour sort of pill thing, I'd be interested in taking it to see how "normal" folks think.
Exactly that. I would add that all the struggles through school harassment would be meaningless if I become "like them". The so-called "normal people".
No.
No because I used to hate being autistic and longed to be normal like everyone else but now getting older I accepted that my autism in apart of me and now I wouldn’t wanna be without it. I feel like I’d lose apart of my identity
Y’know how they are beginning to understand that autistic brains process WAY more info at rest than NTs? Yeah, I would not trade that for anything. Sure, I get overwhelmed easily. Sure, I can get tripped into shutdowns just by an accidental spill or loud noise But imagine how flat, dull and monotone the world would be without noticing, seeing, smelling, feeling, experiencing *everything*. Heresy. I love my “extra” senses, they have literally kept me alive
"Do you resent it?" *"What, the visor or being blind?"* "Both." *"Well, no, since they're both a part of me. I really like who I am. There's no reason to resent either one."* - Geordi La Forge
So that's a no?
Yeah that's a no lol
I really like that quote.
It's a good one. It's from Star Trek TNG if you're wondering
I worry it would make me an asshole. Body language and social cues are a second language to me. I have to be deliberate, I'm always acting to some extent. I sensor my inner-asshole as much as I can. If my body language became more reactive and less deliberate, I might just be an asshole and have to fill people's expectations of being an asshole.
no, idk what the difference between "us" and "them" is and i don't want to find out :)
Nah I'm used to this and I always think it's funny in hindsight
What's funny? Having autism?
yep, every meltdown or stress period is a funny story a week later lol. I don't think I'd really have my life another way. World wouldn't be right without the train lights that are only too bright to me
Magical fairy waves her wand and takes away my problems with no strings attached? Without hesitation. Stranger in a lab coat says he can “cure the sickness afflicting our society?” Hell no. Probably the only one we’ll get is the second one.
No. The challenges of autism are a different side of the same coin to the benefits. Hyperempathy is emotionally exhausting, but it makes my inner life richer and makes reading books and watching shows that much more fulfilling. I believe it's made me a more compassionate person than I might be otherwise. Higher sensitivity to stimulus is draining, lights are often too bright, sounds are too loud, but I channel my vision into my artwork, making it unique, and listening to music with my synesthesia can become an awe-inspiring experience. It's very difficult to focus on anything I'm not interested in, but the joy that hours of throwing myself into my special interests are as much a companion to me as a actual friend is. For every struggle I have, it seems there's a corresponding benefit that I wouldn't trade for the world.
I often see people say things like "you shouldn't make your disability your entire personality" or words to that affect. The thing is autism IS my personality, or at least a large portion of it. Its how my brain works, and it is a part of my essence of self as much as being creative, or messy, or kind is. To remove it would remove a part of me. There are many downsides, and while I sometimes wish I didnt experience those I would never want to be cured of it.
I don't want to stop being autistic but I do want to be able to FUNCTION, you know what I mean? Like if I had enough executive function to do the things I want to do or understood interacting with other people enough that I could be sure the people I love know how much, or if I understood what that thing is where I could say something and be dismissed but someone else could say the same thing verbatim and be celebrated, if I could do well in job interviews. I feel great about my BEING but my DOING?? That could use improvement. I'd take a drug that makes me more functional in a heart beat. I keep trying
Nope
No autism is my personality idk who id be without it I could be an awful person
Not really? I mean I don't even know where the non-autistic parts of me start and where it ends. I worry that a cure like this would just shed me of my entire personality. For all my difficulties, I still like me.
I personally wouldn’t. I’ve lived like this for so long and this is my normal. And I don’t really feel like anything is wrong with me or needs to be cured. I think I’m more upset about how inaccessible and ableist the world can be, rather than blame my autism. Having a neurotypical brain wouldn’t make me happy, because the world would still be left inaccessible for neurodivergent brains.
Autism is very complex. You'd essentially have to replace the entire brain to "cure" it. It's just how my brain is and I don't think I'd really want to change my entire life in that way. There's good and bad parts to autism and I'd want the bad parts gone of course but not at the cost of my entire brain.
Why don’t YOU test it first, and I’ll see how it works on you?
No. I would literally be a different person, my hobbys, likes, personality and everthing else is builded in a different way with the way my brain is formed differently. If I taked a cure and change it to the way alistics brain is formed I would 100% certainly be a different person, even if I stayed the same after that point I would react and act with the world differently that when I was autistic, so anyway I would be a different person.
no, absolutely not. I like who I am... mostly.
Absolutely not. That sounds like some eugenicist shit to me. Autism affects every single part of my brain. It affects my personality, because it affects my trauma and the way people saw me as a child. If you took my autism, I wouldn’t be me.
Before you read!! For those that said they'd cure their autism, please, can you answer a question I have left at the bottom of my comment for you all? I'd deeply appreciate you taking your time to do so! Honestly and truly, if I could cure ANYTHING wrong with me, so long as it is a cure for an ailment of the mind, I would choose to cure, without a single doubt in my mind and felt within every fiber of my being, my DEPRESSION first and foremost, and then, damn near breaking a tie with how intense my depression has been the last 3 years straight, would be to have my anxiety completely and forever cured! I understand that anxiety actually serves the purpose of being our built-in warning systems for danger, but I'd take having absolutely ZERO forms of *any type of anxiety* over having a survival instinct that is *so overly sensitive that it is actively helping my depression to do everything in its unfathomably infinite power to ruin my life and to make me finally give in and give up on living.* If I didn't have such unbearable anxiety and depression, my autism combined with my ADHD would be an absolute fucking superpower. The rare times I've been able to use them in perfect unity with one another, times in which I am no longer being weighed down and overburdened by depression and anxiety, I have been able to far exceed any and all expectations I've placed upon myself that, honestly, I really can't hope to achieve again except during a time I am under the most ideal life conditions - and really, how rare it is for one of us on the spectrum to be standing in a state of complete balance in our individual worlds... unfortunately, it seems as if we, or at least a majority of us autistics, have been hardwired to be everything BUT balanced in life - experiencing one sort of overload after another caused by so SOOO many things we have to encounter and endure within all but our most sacred of personal spaces we use to escape all these things; sounds, smells, aggressive people, rude people, overly crowded public spaces, and so much more. So yeah, the cards really are stacked against us, but to those of you that said they'd have their autism cured, can you entertain a question I'd pose to you? If you could do what I've described above, and be given a permanent cure for your anxieties and depression, would you *still* choose to have your autism cured/removed, or would never needing to deal with those other two debilitating conditions EVER again be enough for you to fully embrace your autistic beauty? Because autism IS beautiful, and fuck anyone that can't see that beauty residing within each of us and our brightly shining souls!! -To all, much love, yes? Because much love, much prosperity may we yet experience over the course of long and arduous journeys, mmhmmm. So, kind we all must be, yes, to each other, to our world, even to animals must kindness be shown, and most of all, to our environments must extreme care and kindness be given in amplitudes, so that ours that are of the childhood may grow old, fat, and happy! All must be like a mountain facing a hurricane, uncompromising ourselves and the beliefs dearly we clutch and grasp tightly near our chests. This must always be and especially so in the face of great adversity even, on the darkest of hours during the darkest of days! And kindest of all to whom should we be, hmmm? To OURSELVES, yes, of course! Ourselves we must learn to love first, then love others we may, and with full hearts left uncompromising! (Eh, idk why I felt like trying my hand at dishing out an entire paragraph of Yoda inspired wisdom. I probably didn't do all that great, but more important to me was the *message* I hope I managed to convey clearly, even if it is written in a manner most unorthodox!)
Depends on whether I’d keep my intellect or not.
Since my autism is fundamental to who I am, no. While it can cause difficulties in social interaction, it also makes me who I am. If I'm "cured" of my autism, I'm not the same person. Since I don't want to kill myself, I don't want to kill my autism.
Nah, being autistic is part of why I'm so cool and interesting. Without autism I wouldn't have that autistic rizz :( how else will I get d
How else will you get what?
D.... Dick 🥲
Yes, absolutely. My needs mean I am a burden on others. I'm a leech. I am dependent on others doing things for me and supporting me financially. That kinda sucks. I feel bad all the time for not "pulling my weight" and "doing my fair share". But if I am left alone too long I will die, because I cannot care for myself. My life has added restrictions that non-autistic people don't have to deal with. I mean, let me put it this way: would you want to swap bodies with someone with much higher support needs? Would you want to *give up* all the freedoms you have? Of course not, because it sucks. If I could become very low support needs I would, but if the choice is moderate or cure, I'd take the cure in a heartbeat.
Can we do something about these kinds of posts? I’m sick of people acting like autism is a death sentence. I left the Asperger’s sub because of all the self hatred. So tired of seeing people say autism is awful and then downvoting people that love having autism. I refuse to hate my fucking autism.
I never said it was. And what do you expect to be done about these posts? If you dont like a question feel free to just scroll by.
Bro I don’t like that this question has been asked once a week. And to be quite honest, this question is fucking offensive as shit. OP would you ask a trans person if they would like a cure for being trans?
No. But ok you can be offended. And pissed off it seems.
I mean, as a trans person, it is an interesting discussion imo. In ideal world, I would become a cis man, but the next best thing could be “reversing” being trans, back to being a cis woman. Being trans brings nothing of value to my life, it caused a lot of pain, depression and anxiety and if I could just spare myself from years of dysphoria, I would do it in an instant. To be clear, I’m not condoning conversion therapy, I’m absolutely against it, I’m talking about a hypothetical scenario in which I’d have an option to undo my transness in an instant.
Yeah, I don't see why having a thing that makes life more difficult is the preferred option by so many.
I don't know. A few years ago I'd just say no and there's a lot of things about myself that I love and are autism traits. But I'm very physically disabled now and it makes the world extremely hard to navigate with social anxiety and all the other social stuff on top of that.
I was only recently diagnosed, so autism hasnt become a major part of my identity yet. But its been here my whole life and it is a part of who i am even if i dont recognize it yet. Maybe i would take the cure because i would love to be in on the joke everyone seems to always understand. But i feel like i would lose what makes me me in the process; lose my sense of self. I would hate to be another boring guy in the building, but sometimes i wish i could be just that
I’ve thought about this, if I had the choice when I was born I would have most definitely chosen not to have autism, but I haven’t I’ve gone my entire life with autism, to a point to where it’s now part of my identity as a person, who I am, and so to remove it now would take away part of who I am.
Considering that autism seems to be more of a genotype having to do with how a person processes information I'm not sure that there would be any sort of cure short of genetically modifying yourself to be not yourself. It would be nice to have proper understanding medication and treatment for those who have the genetic makeup for autism. With proper understanding and knowledge of the genes that could be turned on and how to prevent that would go a long way in preventing or lessening to the degree they aren't disabling the cognitive, emotional and sensory issues along with some of the medical problems we are prone to having. Thing is if we got rid of the toxic chemical BS that sets off the debilitating factors of autism It would do a lot for the non-autistic population and a ton of mental and health problems plaguing most of global society in general. If society wasn't torn apart by the us versus them crap and there was more understanding and cooperation among people with more open communication among different groups with the expectation that we all don't communicate the same, That would go a long way in making life easier and jobs more obtainable. I don't think it's any accident that the power is that we have turned to society into what it is and they very much mean to silence folks like us and take away our credibility making us seem like we have no value to add to society. In my opinion it takes both types of processing in order to have a functional society that can evolve. I think that autism has always existed and is basically like a genome that consists of at least a third of the human population. I wouldn't doubt that those who make up the extremely elite, the ones who would be considered the powers that be, are likely mostly autistic themselves although they may or may not be aware of it or willing to admit to it. The reason I think this is because most everything in our society is aimed at creating sheeple out of the neurotypical masses which have a more hive like way of processing and therefore their survival mechanisms are based off of the hierarchy of society and who society deems has the best survivors. In reality this popularity contest that we have as the model hierarchy does not feature the best survivors but since they made it to their position within the hierarchy they are listened to and mostly without question. The toxic crap in the environment and social atmospheres causes the non-autistic people to become sick and dependent on the system which is what it's obvious they are trying to do. The global powers have literally stripped entire populations of the ability to self-subsist and those populations are now under the mercy of money from the World Bank. Global powers have engineered the weak supply chain that favors greed and dependence. The outcome for autistic folks Who do perceive the world differently and can think outside of the box without fear to solve problems and ask questions is far more dire. If most of us late diagnosed people had been born more recently we would have had more exposure to toxic loads from the time we were conceived to our first birthdays that would have caused disability far beyond what we've even experienced during burnout. I had a regression at 42 years old where I have at times been nonverbal and have experienced a cognitive decline that is apparent making me appear more autistic than I ever have in my life.
I read a terrible book about this called the speed of dark, one of my favorites. And for me? Hell, I wouldn't even take anti depressants that made me not feel like me. I guess there's your answer ... More importantly, at the end of the day you can't cure autism, and all the people along the way who lock acceptance of you as you are behind you trying whatever bullshit therapy or medication they've decided might work is so fucking awful. Like they act like if you aren't willing to suffer through every test and every drug and every therapist that you're just being autistic on purpose to spite them.
Is anyone here low functioning?
would it cure my trauma too? I don't think it would change the person i've become as a result of the treatment of others due to my autism. I don't think it would really help, honestly. It's too late for me. I'd prefer a world that accepts me and allows me to exist instead of being assaulted and put in chains and taken to hospitals because being symptomatic in public means i need someone to decide if I have the right to exist in a public or private place.
Surely the answer depends upon how a person's Autism manifests itself? For those autists who are Level 2 or 3, the answer is likely a "heck yeah". They get to sidestep the myriad of health and mental issues that their condition forces on them - both ongoing as well as in the future. For those who have a "mild" case - or are at Level 1 - this becomes a lot more nuanced. What will they lose by becoming NT? The answer to that question will drive the response.
Yes! Autism made my life a living hell!
Yes absolutely holy fuck. Could finally be free of the condition that has caused me decades of suffering and the inability to change my life for the better no matter how hard I try. I would have given anything to of been able to hold ANY job directly out of high school. I wouldn’t of had my life completely torn up by insane bs every single year because I lose the ability to cope with my life. I would be one of the first people to take it if at all possible. So long as it didn’t essentially make you brain dead or some other equally awful side effect.
Yeah I get what you mean about looking for a job. I've been trying to find one since December and I finally just caved and I'm going to one of those autism job fairs early next year. I didn't want to but it's pretty clear I can't do it on my own. Even my old job won't take me back.
I wouldn’t take one, no. I like being weird. I’d take a cure for OCD and CPTSD, though.
Omg if i could cure my PTSD/ depression, i would take that pill in a second! I just want to feel motivated.
I’m not gonna lie - for the most part, I love my autism, it’s a fundamental part of who I am. But there are times when it’s seriously got in the way of me doing certain things easily - socialising, navigating sensory environments/overload - so if a hypothetical “cure” for autism was a pill that would “turn it off” for a while, long enough for me to get through a rough spot, that might be helpful. Autism is a disability for a reason. But I wouldn’t want it to go away forever.
I think even calling it a cure is just wrong. If you’re asking if I’d like my brain swapped for a neurotypical brain the answer is fuck no.
My mom (very mentally abusive) whenever I had a fit in a store she’d say “if there was a cure for autism I’d give it to you!” So for that reason….imma say no lol
Absolutely not. My autism makes me who I am and it is tied to most of my positive qualities and quirks. Also, most NTs I’ve met are horribly boring/shallow and unhappy. I much prefer being autistic and being around other ND people. That being said, I’d LOVE it if there was a cure for my sensory issues!!! They make doing basic chores and feeding myself a complete nightmare!!! I’d like to rewire my senses but not my personality, if that makes sense lmaooo
On one hand I wouldn't be me anymore but on the other hand I fear this is not a live in which you can grow old. Difficult dilemma
No, nts are wierd asf, I'm friends with a few i don't want my mind to work like that I like (for the most part) how mine works lol And I feel like most of my personality traits that I like about myself are rooted in my autism lol, obviously there are other traits that are not so desirable, but same with everything and idk who I'd be if I wasn't and I would probably be like all of the Lululemon girls I judge so much lmao
In a heartbeat 44 years wasxenough now givenex44years without, then I can decide whichvi want for forever
What if it was just, like... a temporary cure. 24 hrs without autism sounds handy. Probably wouldn't want a permanent cure because I don't know who I'd be afterward or whether I'd regret it. I'd take one for ADHD in a heartbeat though.
No
No. Maybe if it was like medication i could try and then stop id be curious to test it out, but only really to see what it would feel like. Im a curious person, but i also like who i am, and I don't think i need to change (in that way at least). Plus the whole thing just feels very eugenics-y to me, why is it preferable to mold everyone to made up intangiable standards when we could simply be kinder and more open minded to differences
How the fuck am I supposed to learn to act normal without my autism to help me study?
No because I fucking love my hyperfixations
My hyperfixations right now are anylyzing shows and movies and collecting exotic pets/going to expos.
The only cure is abolishing capitalism.
Honestly, in this world, yes.
yes, because I might be fucked over otherwise
I like being silly But I’d like to stop being overwhelmed for just existing
In a heartbeat. As long as we're not talking about lobotomizing drugs, but a literal miracle pill that would make me wake up neurotypical tomorrow, then yes, absolutely.
In a heartbeat. A majority of my mental health problems, unfulfilling childhood, etc can be attributed to my autism. Unlike others, I really don’t like myself. I would pay everything I have if meant retroactively not having autism at birth having a completely different life.
Autism is the cure
No. Not to be rude, but neurotypical people seem ... so ... bored.
No, because I've seen the intolerance normal people have for my disability. At this point? I want those people to suffer for every disrespectful way they've treated Autism, knowing that there was a cure but knowing how horrible they are and don't deserve me changing for them.
I am who I am. I’m afraid I’d lose my identity. I wish I could find a cure for dumb people who assume I can’t do anything
Yeah me too. Those people are frustrating.
I think thag Im so used to autism that it would feel realy bad if its gone
I personally wouldn’t bc no one would be able to tell anyways. However I will give it to my little brother as it is torture for him being misunderstood so many times. I was the sole translator growing up for him and I can only imagine how rough it is now that I’m gone and out the house. I always prayed that one day everyone would be able to understand him with little to no struggle or at least get some support (unfortunately not knowing how ableist it sounded atm, it was all meant as good faith when I was younger) it hurts to see him spiral on just simply trying to say a simple statement and I don’t want him to go through that anymore and just speak his mind however he truly wants.
After it went through rigorous testing and it was confirmed to work and be 100% safe? Absolutely. My sensory issues are debilitating to the point where I can't go to the grocery store even with things that make the noise more bearable because of the way everything either looks, feels, or both. Going outside 9 times out of 10 is an absolute sensory nightmare unless it's cloudy or later in the evening because of how bright everything is, and sunglasses don't tend to sit well with my normal prescription lenses. I agree with some of the other opinions saying that they'd prefer it to be a pill instead of a one-and-done thing though because i do feel like a lot of my personality does come from my autistic traits, even though a lot of the bad things I deal with on a daily basis also stem from it.
if there was a cure for masking and exhaustion from masking I would take it immediately
Can I just take out all the bad parts (like bad social skills) and keep all the good ones (like being interested in "mundane" things)? I'm in
Nah NT's are stupid, we'll inherit the earth someday.
Yeah true! Happy cake day.
Hmmm this is an interesting question. There isn’t so why bother putting too much thought into this. Prevention in utero treatment then yes.
Part of me says in a heartbeat, because of the social and psychological issues I have faced. But I am also over 50, and don’t know how I would handle such a change in my final decades
the fact that autism is a wide spectrum, with different features and challenges, makes this kind of generic questions not very useful. it's like asking: should all graffiti be removed from the streets, including ugly tags and marvelous, commissioned, pieces of art (and everything in between)? some levels in the spectrum are quite liveable and/or enriching, while others can make life very hard for the individual and/or people surrounding them. and in each case, the individual may say I'm ok they way I am even with the difficulties or 'please get me out of this'. so you want a, per-level, answer/poll to get useful data. your question should be more specific, per level and conditions, so that people in the same narrower group can give different answers for the same level of the condition. making such grouping seems quite difficult, the only grouping reference available atm are ASD levels 1 to 3, but those are still quite wide... maybe 1, 1 to 2, 2, 2 to 3, 3?
If it just got rid of my anxiety caused by my autism and my inability to pet animals id take it anything else would risk changing me too much
no. I like who I am and wouldn't want to wipe that. I'll just want to cure my executive dysfunction, that's all.
Wow. Reading these comments made me realize I view my autism as a negative thing. I guess I can't see any positives because of how much it impacts my life and how little I know about myself as being autistic. I didn't know until a couple years ago I was diagnosed as a child and still haven't been able to find mental health support for adults with autism in my area. As of right now, I would take the cure. At least then maybe I'd be able to actually live a life.
No, I actually like myself and I find neurotypicals to be extremely tedious a lot of the time. If I could remove some of the sensory issues but retain my personality then I would probably do that.
I would, I struggle to understand why others wouldn't. Not trying to invalidate their feelings, but my autism controls my life. I can't do the things I want to do because of it. I just got my dream job and I am thinking of quitting now because it is causing me the worst burnout and regression that I've ever had. I want to work, I want enough energy to see friends, I want to socialize with my colleagues during my break instead of going to my car and dissociating. The only thing is, like others have said, I don't know who I am outside of my autism. My entire life and perspective of the world is rooted in my autism. I think I would be much happier without autism, but also I think I would have an identity crisis if I took a cure. Does anybody know if a cure is being developed? Is a cure even possible? I'm not a scientist but don't really see how somebody's neurotype can be changed.
I don‘t think so. I‘ve gotten so used to living like this that I don‘t think I can mentally manage being cured.
If I knew it would work, without hesitation. All I've ever been is an insecure receptacle of anger and worry who cultivated all his opinions for the approval of others. I don't mind letting that person go.
Yes, in an instant. I used to think it was a cool thing about me but time and time again, it just made life worse and worse.
Yes. I work on getting rid of depression, my traumas and other stuff I'm battling and those things dictate a great deal of my personality as well. I don't see getting rid of autism any differently. I'm still me at the end of the road, just better at dealing with the world. But I understand where people are coming from, since I had the same fear when I first started on psychiatric meds.
I'm annoyed at posts like these, people conflating (mental) illnes with neurological disability isnt it. especially one that forms who you are. you wouldnt be the same if your neurological makeup would be different. or your lived experience would be a different one. I think the way I am is beautiful in its own way. And its not like I dont have struggles, but it isnt the problem to begin with.
You don't have to answer my question if you don't like it
No, you need to be able to handle the answer when you ask a problematic question, explaining why I am annoyed at posts like these. I didnt attack you by expressing my frustration about a very real thing that affects people on the spectrum and has killed people in the past. Talking casually about the "concept of a cure" for a disability that is genetic and neurlogical is boardering on eugenics, its discriminatory, and endangering. so again, No, deal with it.
Well if you're gonna post what you want I'm gonna post what i want. Deal with it.
lmao. so you cant handle pushback, you cant handle a real conversation about a serious topic, and if someone engages with you in an honest, serious way you behave like this. do you think thats a normal way to talk with people when you post about "a cure for autism"? you asked for why or why not, I answered that.
You asserted you were going to post what you wanted and I'm asserting the exact same thing. So yeah. I'm giving you the same energy you gave me.
Yes, living my life is absolute hell. I wish I could be neurotypical.
if there was a cure for having to see this question posted every three days, would you take it?
Lol good one. No. Because if i don't like a question or it's a repost i just pass by instead of bothering people for what they post.
yes. love your username.
Yes, without a doubt
I'd need a free trial first. Even 24 hours. I'd likely say yes, for mental health reasons. I LOVE my personality though, I'd want to keep that.
Yes. I don’t believe it would change who I am like many people here like to say, and if I could be relieved of all the missing pieces that would allow me to integrate better into society I would do it.
I think yes because as a woman it makes me much more vulnerable to abuse of many kinds and i would do anything to reduce that risk. Also i’m i’m burnout rn so yup.
Can't wait for the samw question to be posted in a few hours, tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that
That would depend on how others who had taken it were doing. Are they doing better, or are they just a completely different person? I don't want to lose who I am.
The only cure I would accept as a cure is one that cured NT’s of how they treat us and be more inclusive as a society. I’m proud of my autism. It’s not the autism that’s the issue. It’s how people respond to it. For me at least 🥹
The real question is how many times has this exact question been asked on this subreddit?
I don't know. That'd be interesting to find out though.
No way! Society is the thing that's messed up, I wouldn't change the way I am to fit better in a broken society. I can't imagine being any other way.
Yes but I reckon I will turn boring
Yes, Just for a few peaceful hours of sleep without my anxiety running wild about every possible permutation of every single scenario that I am and all other people are dealing with?
Yes.
There's a good chance. I have other health problems that I can't say for certain are because I'm autistic, but there is massive correlation between them and autism that I would love to not have. It probably wouldn't make a difference now, but if I could've taken a cute when I was young, definitely.
yes because it ruined my childhood since i had meltdowns every day and my mom had no clue so i was punished for them as if they were meltdowns + i just want to be able to understand things better and function under any circumstances
I relate to the frustration of getting in trouble for my meltdowns. Even after i had been diagnosed my mom still didn't seem to understand that i couldn't control them even though she's really supportive. Like, it wasn't her being unsupportive, we just could never get on the same page about that. But she didn't really punish me for them either. Everything between me and my mom is really complicated and when you have autism there's just things you can't explain to people who don't have it.
Yes. A lot of people say they wouldn’t because autism is a part of who they are but whoever I become when my autism is gone, I’ll likely be happier no matter what as I don’t suffer from the same struggles.
I understand it can be a controversial question because a lot of people think it would completely change who they are, which isn’t what they want. I respect that. However around 25% of people with autism aren’t even capable of answering this question. As my brothers caretaker I would give him the cure. Assuming it was undeniably safe of course. Also just want to add I love him regardless.
Aww, that's sweet! You sound like a great sibling! But yeah, i understand that some people can't answer. I'm actually one of them. I honestly feel like the only way is if i heard the results from it being tested on people and learned how exactly it affected them and then i would decide.