Dear Neurotypicals, PLEASE stop trying to cure Autism.

There are so many diseases that we could have cured by now, and yet society is determined to cure something that's not even a disease. Autism is a neurotype that one is born with. It's a part of that person's life, and the only way it can be removed from that person's life is for that life to end. Sadly, several families with autistic children are given incorrect information on how to raise their kids, leading to a demand for an unnecessary cure. Although a cure is normally something to look forward to, it's the exact opposite of what autistic people actually need in order to survive this ableist world. My name is Catherine, and I shall explain why autistic people like myself don't need a cure.

What exactly is autism? According to the Center for Disease Control, this is "a developmental disability that causes significant social, communication and behavioral challenges". Notice how a center with "disease" in its name doesn't even refer to autism as one. After all, a disability like autism cannot kill you like a disease such as cancer. What it does to you, however, is affect how you interact with others and how you function in everyday life. While living this kind of life can be challenging, it's important to know that there's nothing wrong with you; you just have to do things differently from other people. Over the years, functioning labels like "high-functioning" and "low-functioning" have been tossed around when describing members of the autistic community. These labels are actually really harmful and should no longer be used. "Low-functioning" makes it sound like the person in question is useless and has no reason to live. "High-functioning" doesn't mean that the person in question has an easier life; it just means that neurotypicals don't have to do much to support them. I'm technically high-functioning, and people have said things to me like, "Honey, you're on the VIP end of the spectrum. You're fine." and, "I thought your autism was mild. You should be able to do this." What they don't see is the numbness I feel as I struggle to mask my autism and how much of a mess I am after a long day of pretending to be someone I'm not. The history of using labels to determine an autistic person's worth could link back to Hans Asberger, a Nazi doctor who experimented on autistic children. He actually named the Autism Spectrum Disorder condition known as Asperger's after himself, and he gave that label to those he felt were worthy enough to live. This is why several people who had been initially diagnosed with Asperger's now just say that they're autistic. Even the CDC states that Asperger's is no longer diagnosed separately and those who have it are now just simply considered autistic. We really don't need the harmful labels attached to autism anymore.

The only cure for autism is death. If you desperately want your child to no longer be autistic, then you should prepare a funeral for them. The issue today is that neurotypicals expect autistics like us to adapt to their "normal world". The most common treatment for autism known to the public is ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy, which is basically just conversion therapy for autistic people. The majority of the autistic community and their allies are against this "treatment" because of how traumatizing it is. A friend of mine took her autistic son to an ABA therapist, and she questioned the process when the segment started with her boy getting handcuffed. Those who are forced to endure ABA therapy are never "cured"; they just adapt to acting normal so that the neurotypicals will leave them alone. The act of pretending to be neurotypical in order to hide your authentic autistic self is known as "masking", which plenty of neurotypicals mistake as "being cured". We might seem ok, but we actually have a plethora of emotions and trauma hiding underneath the surface. What nobody talks about is that autistic people have a higher chance of taking their own lives or having suicidal thoughts than their non-autistic peers. I, for one, was convinced that I wasn't good enough because I wasn't "normal", and I had consistently thought of ending my own life. Fortunately, I was saved by my loved ones and my special interests. Unfortunately, not all of us autistics can find a reason to live. Back in November last year, a ten-year-old black autistic girl from Utah took her own life because the district and school officials did nothing to protect her from bullies. What's the point in working in education if you don't care about the well-being of the most vulnerable students?

For the last three or so years, I have made countless autistic friends online. We are against the need for a "cure" and wear our autistic pride on our sleeves. Just last month, I got on Instagram and checked my notifications. One of my autistic friends had started a fundraiser for Autism Speaks, and that's when I realized that something was wrong. For those not in the know, Autism Speaks is a hate group disguised as a charity that wishes to "cure" autism. Listing everything wrong with them would take forever, so you mainly need to know that they spread misinformation about autism, and very little of the money that they earn actually goes towards autistic people and their families. I reached out to my friend and asked if this was all just a joke. Unfortunately, he was serious about raising money for the organization so that he could be cured. I gave proof that the organization was no good, but he was determined that being cured was his only chance at getting a girlfriend. It broke my heart to hear all of this because someone who was supposed to love and care for him had undoubtfully convinced that no one would love him because of his autism. Seeing that he had made his decision, I unfollowed him. I later found out that he had canceled the fundraiser and blamed the autistic community for "turning away from him" and "not listening to him". It really broke our hearts because we did everything to help him.

I have said that the hardest part of being autistic isn't the sensory overload or the routines, but the ableism that I have to put up with. We need to stop viewing autism as a harmful obstacle in someone's life. Rather, we must view it as a unique way of living. Someone once described autistic people as "people with the universe inside themselves". This has got to be the most beautiful and accurate description of autism that I've ever heard. We autistics have these worlds inside our heads that we wish for others to explore, and yet we're expected to be simple little batches of particles. It's often said that we fear what we don't know, and society is so afraid of these little autistic universes that they wish to block all access to them. Please don't block out these beautiful worlds. Encourage autistic people to be as independent as possible, but don't force them to change who they are completely. There is a difference between changing for the better and changing for someone else's pleasure.

Sources

Koulouris, Christopher, et al. “Isabella Faith Tichenor Suicide: Family Blame Racism at Utah School.” Scallywag and Vagabond, 12 Nov. 2021, https://scallywagandvagabond.com/2021/11/isabella-faith-tichenor-autistic-black-girl-kills-self-bullying-at-utah-school/.

“What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 31 Mar. 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html.