Autism is a Gift; It is Neurodiversity in a NeuroBland World
The first step is for the medical establishment to stop looking at these beautiful people as broken or diseased. This only leads the medical industry to undergo this constant search for a "cure," which dehumanizes or stigmatizes certain autistic people.
It is true that "lower functioning" autistic children have trouble with their abdominals, movement, gastrointestinal issues, and socialization problems, but this difference in functioning is not necessarily permanent or sign of disease.It is Nearly Impossible to Locate the Precise Cause of Autism
Current research on whether genetics "causes" autism has shown that there is such a large number of genes and such a multiplicity of environmental factors that it is nearly impossible to locate a single genetic factor that causes a "disability" caused autism.
And even if a single gene were located, does that automatically imply that autism is a disease or malfunction? Are high IQ's or other genetic anomalies de facto diseases or malfunctions?
Sure, people with the behavioral, social, emotional, and cognitive profiles that match the label called "autism" could be helped and assisted, but I do not think they need a cure anymore than someone needs a cure for possessing musical genius or intelligence.
Autistics only need acceptance, aid, and specialized environments that cater to their unique needs, especially in regards to their social requirements.
Natural Variation in Genetic Differences and Neurodiversity
Many people with the gift are pushing for acknowledgement that their specific form of functioning is just based on natural variations in genetics, which is how the concept of "neurodiversity" was born.
They see themselves as unique and different, not as objects to be examine or probed. Steve Silberman elaborated on this phenomenon by pointing out that there has been an increase in autistic children in the Silicon Valley area. He has dubbed this phenomenon the "geek syndrome."
The Geek Syndrome implies that these people are hyper intelligent, different, and demonstrate higher learning in certain cognitive domains. It does not mean that have a problem or disease. It does not even mean that vaccines poisoned them (which I discuss in the video below). It might mean that autistic people are neurodiverse individuals in a neuro-bland world—or simply individuals who don't adjust well to this uninteresting and rule-laden society.
Therefore, maybe it is time to accept them for who they are instead of trying to "fix" them. Maybe "neurotypical" people should consider that they do not comprehend the world in the same beautiful way as autistics.
Silberman provided an example of how they feel about neurotypicals:
“By autistic standards, the “normal” brain is easily distractible, is obsessively social, and suffers from a deficit of attention to detail and routine. Thus people on the spectrum experience the neurotypical world as relentlessly unpredictable and chaotic, perpetually turned up too loud, and full of people who have little respect for personal space.”― Steve Silberman, id="quote_book_link_24895661">NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity
In this Video I tackle the Problem of Autism and Vaccines:
My name is Sterlin. Follow me @ Psychologic-Anarchist. I also run the Psychologic-Anarchist Facebook page and produce many YouTube videos. My interests lie in the intersection of counseling psychology and anarchism. I write about the depredations of psychiatry, and also the new philosophy of compassionate anarchism. We have a large community devoted to discussing psychology and relational voluntaryism.
Love this post. Wish I'd seen it sooner.
I don't really have anything to add, except that clicking the upvote didn't seem like enough to express how much I support this.
I'm kind of speaking out loud about things I might not understand too much. But I've sometimes thought autism is somehow an evolved defense mechanism against uniformity and groupthink, and that this is why it's on the rise.
Learning to see these people as you describe it is like empathy on steroids, and I think it's a really valuable thing that solves so much of what's wrong today.
@sterlinluxan, as the mother of a young adult daughter with high functioning autism, I only wish more people had this same level of empathy. I would no more want to "cure" her as she would want to be cured. She is an amazing and wise young person who has expanded my world view in a way that is difficult to articulate. Even as our society becomes more accepting of neurodiversity, however, it appears that the worlds of science and medicine are intent on finding ways to ensure that future generations of women only give birth to healthy genetically superior babies. Gattica is closer than we think.
The institutions, I think, are lagging indicators. The smart money is starting to understand how beautiful your daughter is :) And that's what counts, the institutions will have to adapt if they want to stay relevant.
Congrats on having that gift in your life and on rising to the occasion, to understand her like that I'm sure you were a great mother for her.
Thank you for your words @full-measure. It wasn't easy when she was young as she was nonverbal for a number of years but she has been a great gift, and in some respects, she has mothered me. She is a woman child without judgment or criticism, but lives in a serene sense of her own worth. It's enlightening to say the least. She has saved me from myself more than once.
Beautiful conversation here. I am glad both of you are contributing to this community and my feed. It means a lot.
<3
I describe it as sympathy as opposed to empathy. Involuntary attunement. I believe that this is in fact the 'problem'. When you can't get other people's minds out of your mind, you don't want to be around people.
There is definitely some kind of correlation to do with the digestive system as well. I think while this can also be caused by vaccines, it can also be genetic, as both myself and my mother share these two issues, and as well as this, my sister has an autoimmune disease (and all three of us suffer to some extent from arthritis from time to time, my sister the worst).
I love your style! Compassionate anarchist, lovetarian..etc. Keep up the good work Sterlin!
Thanks alien. I am really trying to keep pushing out quality work. I am glad you are enjoying it.
Hello Sterlin,
I have just finished listening to your youtube video and of course read your post. I was just wondering if you have seen the controversial Vaxxed as I'm sure you are familiar with it's launch on April 1st this year.
Here is the link to watch the now Streaming "VAXXED: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe"
One thing I find very convincing about the movie, is how two of the doctors who regularly appeared on "The Doctors" TV show, changed their mind about the MMR Vaccine safety after they reviewed the huge pile of papers from the CDC that were provided by the CDC Whistleblower showing that the study which was is claimed to have once-and-for-all disproven the link between vaccines and autism was a FRAUD. The CDC covered up that the data showed a strong correlation between MMR and Autism.
http://vaxxedthemovie.com/stream/
Thanks a ton for trying to show the vaxxers the facts through your video. Very pleased indeed!
Absolutely. My pleasure.
People with Autism are sadly profiled due to their disability. I agree, accepting them for who they are is what our society as a whole needs to do. I don't believe anyone asks to be born with Autism, and I feel that trying to figure out ways to get them to conform is having a negative effect on their identity.
Well said. I agree. You can't force them into a certain style of relating or dealing with society. This is a good way to exacerbate any problems they already have with sociality.
As I've looked at autism over the years, I've come to the conclusion that it's largely made up. Not that there aren't these neurologically different people, with different behavioral, social, and neurological tendencies, but the way that autism is classified. Obviously, you're familiar with the DSM, and with the way that it 'diagnoses' someone with autism. Essentially, it takes a list of 'symptoms', and if you have a certain number of these symptoms, there you go.
But practically every single one of those 'symptoms' is a neurological characteristic or condition all by itself, documented as appearing by itself, with its own library of medical or psychological literature. And some of the symptoms contradict each other, a good example being sensory sensitivity and sensory insensitivity.
It drives me nuts, sometimes.
Great read! Do you know about the differences between Aspergers, Autism, and how are they related or confused with Down syndrome? Do you feel like they should find a way to cure Down syndrome?
I'm the father of a 9 year old with Down Syndrome. To my knowledge there is no correlation with Autism whatsoever.
It is just one of those areas I have never looked into. Thank you for your response.
NP ;-)
While the FDA would like to continue to prevent people from finding links to autism, my aunts renowned doctor(for my autistic cousin) was raided by the FDA within a week after linking autism to vaccines. One week after that, murdered. I believe people shouldn't stop looking for links ever! While I still believe autistic people have a different outlook on life, which could help others, if they gave them a chance.
This is a strong little story - is there any more information about this you are able to reveal?
Thimerisol is a neurotoxin that was removed from vaccines some time ago, bit it was replaced with another neurotoxin, aluminum. Whether or not this causes autism, the drug manufacturers need to stop poisoning our children. Health wise I can tell you from experience that my unvaccinated child is far healthier than my vaccinated ones. Could be coincidence, but it may not be. Also, there are deaths proven to be caused by vaccines, so, I wont play Russian roulette with my kids.
They also use Squalene. This is a greasy substance that happens to also be a component of nerve sheaths. It is a major part of the brain's insulation system also. I dunno about aluminium but Thimerosal is used partly as a preservative and partly as an 'adjuvant'. This innocuous sounding word actually means that it triggers the immune system. Squalene does this too. Why it would then be a surprise that using these things can trigger long term autoimmune problems, especially squalene, should not be any mystery. The body produces antibodies, some of them end up being against squalene, the immune system starts attacking nerves. This is what causes the more acute symptoms of autism. Inflammation of the brain. When nerves are squished their signals don't propagate properly and most certainly don't function like normal.
Note that vaccines aren't the only trigger. I believe that these modern super-bred types of wheat which have very different proteins than the old heirloom wheat varieties prior to the 60s, have something to do with it as well. There is almost certainly something about milk proteins that has changed in this time as well, but the allergy to milk proteins is more likely genetic. My uncle had a severe allergic reaction that caused his brain to swell and almost killed him. He ended up permanently retarded.
There is nowhere near enough truth to all this and like others are pointing out, there is a common thread to all of this: Government doctors are all shills.