Opposing Views: OPINION: The Autism Community Needs to Learn a Lesson

The Autism Community Needs to Learn a Lesson

By Kevin Leitch , Parent and Autism Activist - May 25, 2009

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As is accepted by most rational people, autism is a largely genetic difference, albeit with a likely environmental component. Over the last 10 years or so a seemingly increasingly irrational desire to blame vaccines for causing autism has been coupled with a similarly irrational ‘cure at all cost’ mentality. The subsequent parent driven engine has resulted in autistic kids being exposed to shysters, snake oil salesman and out and out quacks selling their own version on dangerous exploitation.

However, in a revealing picture of what the ‘cure at all cost’ mentality might be doing not only to autistic people but to the human race in general we could do no worse than to look at recent discoveries in another genetic based difference – Down Syndrome:

A gene that’s present in the extra chromosome people with Down syndrome protects this population from getting many types of cancers, according to a study published in the journal Nature Wednesday.

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The answer lies in a gene called Dscr1, which is one of the genes present in Down syndrome causing chromosome 21. Since people with Down syndrome have an extra copy of this chromosome, they also have an extra copy of Dscr1. Researchers studied the gene in mice with human cells and found that it limits the growth of blood vessels that tumors feed on.

All the years that people with Down Syndrome have taken abuse, been put down and – most ironically of all – had pre-natal testing performed that has resulted in a drop of Down’s babies. And now it seems they might hold the key to destroying at least some forms of cancer. Imagine if we only found that out after the last Down’s adult had died?

Imagine what we might find out if we start looking at research that works with autistic people. Imagine what we might lose if we decide to plow ahead with a ‘cure at all cost’ mentality.

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OPINION: The Autism Community Needs to Learn a Lesson

Cure? Why do I need a cure?!

My two children , boys, have been diagnosed with an ASD, one PDD-NOS and the other Autism. My wife has twins on the way. Given that I'm sure there is a genetic link to autism it has not deterred us from having more children. I know that Down Syndrome is serious and I understand parent's desire to test before birth, we have never taken this option. The test can result in miscarriage and the likely result of it being correct is too low for us, and even then we wouldn't abort the pregnancy anyway!

I don't believe that there is a "cure" for Autism out there. I like to belive that my children are special just like other children and that I wouldn't want them any other way!! I do want them to do better in life, but there challenges today will shape who they are in the future, so no cure for me. Just treatment! :)

- olyfred May 26, 2009 6:20AM

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- I was born neurologically different
  
  I agree with you, we do not need a cure, but many need to be cured of discrimination! I was born neurologically different and find it hard at times that many continue to question my existence, believe or allow!
  
  First I would like to say those of us on the autism spectrum can speak for ourselves... and the reason many of us on the autism spectrum dislike the use of the word cured, recovered as to us it implies there is something wrong with us and we need to be fixed, we can not in my eyes anyway recover from self, yes everyone to a point gets to adapt, change, we all have to learn to get along and find a middle ground and as parents we all do whatever we can to help make our children 's lives easier if on the autism spectrum or not. We do all need to start to listen to each other and find a middle ground where every diversity and difference is ok.
  
  I guess Autism has been in my family for generations and not all have had vaccines ... I truly do not feel this is the cause and the answer I feel is acceptance, understanding and allowing our differences... conformity is usually not for the person on the autism spectrum but to make the none autistic person’s life easier, all minorities are forced to conform to a point. What is really needed is understanding - and AWARENESS worldwide, this is a global issue and those of us differently able should be allowed to be who we were born to be....
  
  Vaccines well my point of view: Being on the Autism Spectrum myself I do not and have never suffered, I am just differently minded myself, but from other peoples ignorance, including I guess my own until I found Aspergers and self. So personally I feel there is NO link to autism and vaccines I was born different... I am not a expert in the vaccine field, but feel we all have to make our own minds up and the best way to do that is listen to the real experts, top research centers and up to date infomation helps, but why on earth some people want to listen to none autistic celebrity individuals is beyond me!
  
  My gut feeling even before reading all the best research information would still be NO. I do not take any think lightly, as very rarely even take any form of medication or drugs... but I do believe these vaccines save many lives.. scare mongering kills!
  
  I truly feel time to embrace and give Autistic individuals a chance and stop wasting money and time on trying to change what is! Alyson Bradley - Aspergers Parallel Planet
  
  - AsPlanet May 27, 2009 10:09PM
  
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No signs of autism before

I have a severely autistic brother who got autism after his MMR vaccination . NOBODY in my family has ever had autism. However, it's also interesting that nobody else in my family ever received the MMR vaccine. To say that vaccines don't cause autism is to ignore common sense. How the heck do you explain the fact that nobody else in my family has autism? Some people may have genes that make them more sensitive to dangerous vaccines. But that still doesn't change the fact that vaccines are dangerous.

- etep513 May 30, 2009 1:11PM

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