Autism Talk TV: Ep. 4: Peter Bell from Autism Speaks

[burningblueyes33]

My older brother has AS. Many a nights I have heard him crying across the hall in his room. It's always the same reasons. He wishes he had friends. He wishes he had a relationship (he's 23 and never so much as even got a date to a school dance). It's heartbreaking. You want nothing more for them to have a normal life. Not because it would be more convenient for you, but because you'd give anything for them to feel good about their lives. Not every one wants a cure yes, but some do.

[Aleahdh]

I think that wanting your child with autism to be cured is not in anyway saying that you dont accept them the way they are. Its just simply giving them a fighting chance to be a better them. I know having a child with autism that i want the best of the best for my daughter and that means i'm not going to let the autism control what she can and cannot do in her life if i have any choice in the matter!

[Shidash]

If he does not know what is "in [his son's] heart and in [his son's] mind" then how does he know that his son wants to be cured as he mentions earlier? He says that he loves who his son is but a cure for autism would change how his son's brain works. Autism is simply another way of thinking.

Some people who cannot live what SOCIETY deems as fulfilling lives find their own lives to be quite fulfilling themselves despite their challenges. AS works under an NT, not autistic, idea of a good life.

[mels8780]

Yeah, thats what people were complaining about. A cure being forced on them. But even when a video is posted about someone respecting people who don't want to be cured, there's still fire. I guess either way , if you're from autism speaks, someone's out to getcha. Guess it was a waste recording this video and a waste to confront him so he could share that him atleast respects people who don't want to be cured....drama....lol

[balamuthia]

There is nothing on this earth that should be cherished more than a concerned, loving, and driven parent. There are so many truly monstrous parents on the earth, I am thrilled to see that this one is doing everything in his power to help his son!

[enlightendbel]

Its nice to see him talk like this. And I hope his view permeates trough to how Autism Speaks speaks to the world. So far, they deliberately only show the most negative of autism and actively refuse to let AUTISTIC PEOPLE SPEAK.

There are so many gradations and differences between all autistic people and I'm certain there are plenty of Autists that would be helped by some sort of cure, but there is many more out there who are happy with who they are, even if the world isn't happy with them.

[ASDspecialist]

thanks for posting this. Many of the people that I know who are on the spectrum do not think of their differences as a disorder or as a problem, and certainly would not want to be "cured." However, as Peter said, there are others who are really struggling and are having problems, and if some of their difficulties could be alleviated at all they would be so happy. I think it is a really an individual question.