Is Autism to Be Treated or Accepted?
As a parent of two children with autism, I encounter all sorts of attitudes toward autism. There are parents who want their children “cured” of autism and by that they mean every last hint of autistic behaviour is to be removed. There are others, often those with autism, who find the idea of a cure or even treatment to be offensive. They see such talk as an act of intolerance and a refusal to accept them as they are.
What do I think? We must remember that autism is a spectrum. No one can make a statement for all people on the spectrum. I can totally see how people with Asperger’s or high functioning autism would want to be accepted as they are and to be respected for the autistic traits that they have. But I do not think that attitude should cover all people with autism.
Our two children are on the severe end of the spectrum. Left on his own, our son would not hesitate to run out in front of speeding cars on a highway. Left on her own, our daughter would be very destructive toward people and objects. I do not think I am being disrespectful toward people with autism by saying I hope that these behaviours disappear. I am not looking to have every trace of autism erased, because that is a part of who they are. But I would love to be able to have conversations with my children and I would love to have the assurance that they could stay safe.
Basically what I want to say is that there is no one size fits all attitude toward autism. The spectrum must be taken seriously.
