Research doesn't necessarily mean coming up with a cure. If the research shows that we inherit something from our grandma, then we've learned something, but we can't go back and cure grandma. If we learn that exercise doesn't help heart health, we may change our obsession with exercise.
I agree. I just also believe that I don't get to make choices for others. If there is a single Autistic who would choose to no longer be Autistic in a society that currently punishes us for being so, they should not be shamed for that choice.
I also don't believe that science should be penalized for providing that choice in our current society. We SHOULD be addressing a society that punishes people for existing.
How do you change your brain to be wired like what is in effect the Neanderthal to our human? We are no more like neurotypical Homo sapiens than a Neanderthal is. That is, extremely similar. But noticeably distinct. And the neurotypicals are the earlier kind of human: the early-model Homo sapiens.
So no, we should not let them erase us like they erased the Neanderthal. Whether we let them stay is a question for future autists.
I sense that you-all are equating research with "finding a cure" or bringing about a possible change to people. That may or may not be the end result of research. I believe that research is the study of something, a condition, a tree species, various dogs, etc. The end goal of research is to
It's a lot of things. Research could be conducted on the best educational environments for the Autistic community, most beneficial skill building techniques, support networks, coping mechanisms, or simply to better understand how our brains function.
My issue/point is that if we want autonomy, we can't then also argue that we get to decide what is right or best for ALL neurodivergent people. We can't argue against RFK Jr. making decisions for us, then turn around and make decisions for others that aren't ours to make.
If that's a problem for people, they don't actually care about autonomy for the Autistic community.
Understand something. In re to the topic at hand, it is possible that autism has some aspects that provide advantages in many cases. If you would study me, one thing you would ask is why am I always taller than others? How did that come about? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
If you aren’t thinking human rights are valid you might be like the early 20th century medical researchers who experimented on Black people. Or Dr. Mengele’s scientific experiments. Science without ethics is capable of great, spectacular evils. You cannot separate the two. Not possible. Grow up.
There's a difference between experimenting "on" people and doing data research.
For these people it does. It means “curing” it via eugenics. The same exact reason there are *many* fewer people with Down’s syndrome now, because of genetic testing. It’s eugenics. These people want to erase us. Only trust scientists who think autism is a valid and measurable difference.