Hmm, if we conceive of some states as ideal for humans, then states which aren’t ideal are those we might want to treat. We don’t have to cure them, nor be cru

Hmm, if we conceive of some states as ideal for humans, then states which aren’t ideal are those we might want to treat. We don’t have to cure them, nor be cruel in our handling of people. But we also don’t have to pretend that autism is the most ideal state to thrive in human society. Language needs to define terms, and at some measure of sensitivity they are going to sound insensitive. Again, we don’t have to be cruel. But we can help, or treat, or alleviate, or accommodate for the symptoms of autism. You pick the word that’s less depersonalising, keeping in mind that any word here is arbitrary. Autism isn’t a brilliant condition and we can all hope to make the lives of others better. If that means using softer language, I’m all for it; yet, some language has to be used. And, perhaps, if we could treat autism itself, we might want to give people that option.