3 ms·

I'm going to post this as a top-level comment since there's too many people I want to respond to. There's a lot of important discussion when this sort of topic

by squigz 2y ago

I'm going to post this as a top-level comment since there's too many people I want to respond to. There's a lot of important discussion when this sort of topic comes up. I agree that this might be a slippery slope if applied incorrectly, but that isn't a good reason not to conduct the research. I also don't ever see anyone applying that slippery slope argument to, say, blindness research. Anyway, what's more important to me is that there's always suggestions that autism isn't something that needs to be cured, because all we need is for society to be more accepting of us, and we'll be okay. That's really only part of the picture. Autism affects every moment of our lives, not just when we're interacting with society. How will society being more accepting stop my sensory overload issues? Or help my executive disfunction, so I can properly take care of myself? How will it help our difficulties connecting with people, even when those people are already accepting and patient with us? I have to wonder where people who suggest these things fall on the spectrum, to think that the problems living with autism are so limited.

greyface- 2y ago
> I also don't ever see anyone applying that slippery slope argument to, say, blindness research I don't see it in blindness research, but I do see it in deafness research, where it is sometimes claimed that curing deafness will lead to a form of cultural genocide.
- squigz 2y ago
  Quite good point, which really just highlights the 'hypocrisy' here. (That might not be the best word, but it's the only one I can think of.)
ImJamal 2y ago
I think it is because everybody can accept that blindness is a defect. Eyes are supposed to see. If they don't they are broken. When it comes to autism, at least the more mild forms, it is just a range of characteristics that can be found in non-autistic people. Somebody is less social or can't understand sarcasm or whatever, well that doesn't mean the person is autistic and it doesn't mean they have a medical problem. We don't say a guy who is 5 feet or 6 foot 5 inches has a medical problem. We say that is fine and within the "acceptable" range. Somebody who has dwarfism does have a medical condition. I think autism is the same. Those with mild forms of autism may see it as an attack on them or their characteristics. Not sure if that made sense?
- squigz 2y ago
  > I think it is because everybody can accept that blindness is a defect. Eyes are supposed to see. If they don't they are broken. Perhaps I should have said 'visual impairment' research, as that sort of thing is also a spectrum. I'm also quite visually impaired, but I'm far less concerned with that because I can live with it. Still, what about deafness research?

by squigz 2y ago

greyface- 2y ago

> I also don't ever see anyone applying that slippery slope argument to, say, blindness research I don't see it in blindness research, but I do see it in deafness research, where it is sometimes claimed that curing deafness will lead to a form of cultural genocide.

squigz 2y ago
Quite good point, which really just highlights the 'hypocrisy' here. (That might not be the best word, but it's the only one I can think of.)

ImJamal 2y ago

I think it is because everybody can accept that blindness is a defect. Eyes are supposed to see. If they don't they are broken. When it comes to autism, at least the more mild forms, it is just a range of characteristics that can be found in non-autistic people. Somebody is less social or can't understand sarcasm or whatever, well that doesn't mean the person is autistic and it doesn't mean they have a medical problem. We don't say a guy who is 5 feet or 6 foot 5 inches has a medical problem. We say that is fine and within the "acceptable" range. Somebody who has dwarfism does have a medical condition. I think autism is the same. Those with mild forms of autism may see it as an attack on them or their characteristics. Not sure if that made sense?

squigz 2y ago
> I think it is because everybody can accept that blindness is a defect. Eyes are supposed to see. If they don't they are broken. Perhaps I should have said 'visual impairment' research, as that sort of thing is also a spectrum. I'm also quite visually impaired, but I'm far less concerned with that because I can live with it. Still, what about deafness research?