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[Trekkin]

This is a problem religion and science denial can cause

It's also a problem child abuse can cause, which I think is more at fault here. The "behaviors" some of these people describe are totally normal for neurotypical kids, too, but there's a tendency among certain horrible parents to pathologize anything a kid does that's annoying as some sort of neural disorder. There's no way to cure kids asking lots of questions, getting up early on weekends, liking cake more than vegetables, not wanting to do their homework, crying when they're upset and so forth because that's not a disorder, and part of parenting is helping them learn how to deal with it. But that's not what really awful parents want to hear. They were raised to believe parenting is wonderful and defines their worth as people and all this other be-fruitful-and-multiply rot, so when it's not, they want a drug they can insert into their child to make it so. Thus the plague of kids being "cured of ADHD" until they behaved, and now we have a similar thing with autism.

Of course, if you teach a kid that "behaviors" lead to having a gallon of bleach forced into them, they will do what they can to avoid that, so in that sense the torture treatment appears to work so long as you don't actually pay any attention to the child. The parents know that. Child abuse is just easier than parenting, and they care more about ease than their children.

I suspect that years from now, one of these kids is going to announce that the new miracle cure for dementia (defined by them as "being dependent on your children and old") is hourly bleach enemas, just to complete the cycle.

[Naturegirl1999]

This is a problem religion and science denial can cause

It's also a problem child abuse can cause, which I think is more at fault here. The "behaviors" some of these people describe are totally normal for neurotypical kids, too, but there's a tendency among certain horrible parents to pathologize anything a kid does that's annoying as some sort of neural disorder. There's no way to cure kids asking lots of questions, getting up early on weekends, liking cake more than vegetables, not wanting to do their homework, crying when they're upset and so forth because that's not a disorder, and part of parenting is helping them learn how to deal with it. But that's not what really awful parents want to hear. They were raised to believe parenting is wonderful and defines their worth as people and all this other be-fruitful-and-multiply rot, so when it's not, they want a drug they can insert into their child to make it so. Thus the plague of kids being "cured of ADHD" until they behaved, and now we have a similar thing with autism.

Of course, if you teach a kid that "behaviors" lead to having a gallon of bleach forced into them, they will do what they can to avoid that, so in that sense the torture treatment appears to work so long as you don't actually pay any attention to the child. The parents know that. Child abuse is just easier than parenting, and they care more about ease than their children.

I suspect that years from now, one of these kids is going to announce that the new miracle cure for dementia (defined by them as "being dependent on your children and old") is hourly bleach enemas, just to complete the cycle.

I didn’t know people thought autism was some sort of disease. I must be lucky that I have parents that understand that autism, while not being normal, isn’t necessarily harmful. I thought we got past people thinking certain behaviors are disorders. Here I was thinking humans knew better. I hope we can end the abuses.

[bloop_bleep]

I didn’t know people thought autism was some sort of disease.

...

I thought we got past people thinking certain behaviors are disorders. Here I was thinking humans knew better. I hope we can end the abuses.

Autism... is a well-known, medically defined mental disorder, though. It’s full name is “autism sprectrum disorder.” It is an actual medical condition.

[Naturegirl1999]

I didn’t know people thought autism was some sort of disease.

...

I thought we got past people thinking certain behaviors are disorders. Here I was thinking humans knew better. I hope we can end the abuses.

Autism... is a well-known, medically defined mental disorder, though. It’s full name is “autism sprectrum disorder.” It is an actual medical condition.

Oh. I know that. It’s just that I don’t bleach is the cure for it, there are different types of autism. I have Asperger’s Syndrome. My point is that I’m glad my parents did research and didn’t abuse me like I hear about what others with autism have experienced.

[Karnewarrior]

People trying to cure Autism is like people trying to cure being a redhead or cure a love of writing. Pointless, impossible, and ill-advised.

It's no surprise any "cure" for such a thing results in a hundred different and worse outcomes.

[Enemy post]

People trying to cure Autism is like people trying to... cure a love of writing.

You're saying English class can cure autism?

[Pavellius]

People trying to cure Autism is like people trying to... cure a love of writing.

You're saying English class can cure autism?

Yes and redheadism

[Teneb]

People trying to cure Autism is like people trying to... cure a love of writing.

You're saying English class can cure autism?

Yes and redheadism

Will this cause the cured redheads to develop souls?

[Naturegirl1999]

I think it's a bit of a misunderstanding of psychology to think that they actually "cure" mental disorders. They can provide strategies to deal with and cope with mental disorders, but there aren't really cures. There's just ways to work around them; strategies to reduce the impairment on the afflicted individual. I suppose you could say that someone is "cured" if the strategies worked to bring them to a level of normal function, but it's not like the disorder went away. It's still there. There are just now methods in place to turn its negative into a neutral or positive. A treatment for depression doesn't "get rid" of the depression. It just results in strategies to cope with the problem- to remain functional in spite of it.

In that regard, if someone is autistic yet not suffering any dysfunction, then there's nothing really to treat there. The goal is to treat the dysfunction; if there's no dysfunction, there's nothing to treat.

As for those who try to "cure" autism, the only way that can end is poorly. The most you can hope for is a mitigation of its downsides.

Thank you. I have autism but I work around the social aspects. It just took me longer to learn nonverbal cues/facial expressions/social cues than normal. It isn’t necessarily a dysfunction. I just happen to think in a different way than average people. 

[bloop_bleep]

People trying to cure Autism is like people trying to cure being a redhead or cure a love of writing. Pointless, impossible, and ill-advised.

It's no surprise any "cure" for such a thing results in a hundred different and worse outcomes.

Actually, it may not be impossible, and I disagree that it is always a bad idea. Yes, some supposed cures can do more harm than good, but wouldn’t you agree that removing an extremely burdensome social and mental handicap would, on its own, be desirable? I wouldn’t consider autism to be part of someone’s innate personality or self, so I don’t think it’s worth preserving. I have heard of research into changes to sufferers’ gut biomes related to autism, which may be a lead to treatment or a cure for the disorder.

[Folly]

Thank you. I have autism but I work around the social aspects. It just took me longer to learn nonverbal cues/facial expressions/social cues than normal. It isn’t necessarily a dysfunction. I just happen to think in a different way than average people.

Not trying to be a dick, but thinking differently in a way that impairs normal activity is pretty much the dictionary definition of dysfunction.

Far be it for me to shame anyone though. I'm genuinely incapable of engaging in what most people consider 'normal conversation'. My brain just refuses to acknowledge the factors motivating such inane drivel and process suitable responses as necessary to provoke further dialogue.
In fact I doubt that many of those lurking these forums would fall solidly within the 'normal' part of the social spectrum.

[sluissa]

It's a common design in places with limited space. Also helps save on plumbing. Only need one feed and one drain rather than a seperate one for each.

I'm not saying it's the best idea, but it's used fairly widely, and been done so for quite a while.

Literally where, though? I've never seen it, or heard of it used outside of what's popped up lately, and would suspect only people without means to protest would stomach it (for a given value of stomaching rooted in a complete inability to fight back).

https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/07/12/201470855/everything-old-is-new-again-the-toilet-sink-edition

Commonplace in Japan since the 1950s.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Thank you. I have autism but I work around the social aspects. It just took me longer to learn nonverbal cues/facial expressions/social cues than normal. It isn’t necessarily a dysfunction. I just happen to think in a different way than average people.

Not trying to be a dick, but thinking differently in a way that impairs normal activity is pretty much the dictionary definition of dysfunction.

This is no longer the scientific understanding of ability. These days, much of the discussion about disability is related to the way society treats people. i.e., a society that provides wheelchairs to people who can't walk under their own power reduces the "impairment" in a way that a society which does not can't, which is how the vast majority of ability actually functions.

As you might have heard, the adult state of those with autism is often centered around their education and socialization early on in life - the failure to do so is what results in true dysfunction, not having autism. Build systems that respond to people's needs and you reduce dysfunction.

[Il Palazzo]

Not trying to be a dick, but thinking differently in a way that impairs normal activity is pretty much the dictionary definition of dysfunction.

Think of it this way: in a heteronormative society being gay impairs normal activity, used to be considered a disorder, and there's a history of 'treating' it. Similar with being left-handed.
One needs to ask whether the problem is with the individual or with the society.


Anyway, did y'all know that one of the leading researchers into autism is Borat's cousin? True story.

[Folly]

I was not attempting to justify the stigma commonly associated with the term 'dysfunction'. I was merely acknowledging the existence of definitions within multiple dictionaries which closely match the conditions described, and pointing out the inaccuracy of disassociating the two.

When we start saying that things are what they aren't and aren't what they are, chaos ensues. And as fun as that may be, I don't think it's necessarily productive within the discussion of American Politics.