The Cure.

fascinating.

Having been on both sides of this curtain, I know for a fact that I wish
to finish clawing my way back to what I was. I don't particularly like
it on the Aspie side of the curtain.

adn I take exception to the thought that it is akin to
genocide to help people deal with the world around them.

Lahmi said:

fascinating.

Having been on both sides of this curtain, I know for a fact that I wish
to finish clawing my way back to what I was. I don't particularly like
it on the Aspie side of the curtain.

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You're either an Aspie or you're not, it's a lifelong condition you have since birth (Though most are diagnosed significantly later). It's not a lifestyle choice you can decide whether or not you want to pursue at any given time.

The more I'm looking into autism, the less I'm convinced there's a "cure." There are plenty of things that can aggravate an Aspie's or an Autsie's symptoms and by removing the stressors, the symptoms pretty much disappear. Without the symptoms, there's very little of those disabling effects.

You make the case for not curing Asperger's and high-functioning autism. Why stop there? Is there something about low-functioning autism that makes it different and a cure preferable?

Although I'm pretty sure that you mean curing autism by tweaking genes, which I also disagree with, I fail to see how I'm going to be hurting my son by getting those high levels of lead out of his system. Are you suggesting I should forget treating him and let him cope with the lead levels in his body?

(Edit: I'm just asking for some clearing up, I'm not trying to start a heated argument)

Fish and Bread said:

You're either an Aspie or you're not, it's a lifelong condition you have since birth (Though most are diagnosed significantly later). It's not a lifestyle choice you can decide whether or not you want to pursue at any given time.

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wanna bet?

I'm not gonna stop fighting til i regain what I lost.

Gizoux said:

The more I'm looking into autism, the less I'm convinced there's a "cure." There are plenty of things that can aggravate an Aspie's or an Autsie's symptoms and by removing the stressors, the symptoms pretty much disappear. Without the symptoms, there's very little of those disabling effects.

You make the case for not curing Asperger's and high-functioning autism. Why stop there? Is there something about low-functioning autism that makes it different and a cure preferable?

Although I'm pretty sure that you mean curing autism by tweaking genes, which I also disagree with, I fail to see how I'm going to be hurting my son by getting those high levels of lead out of his system. Are you suggesting I should forget treating him and let him cope with the lead levels in his body?

(Edit: I'm just asking for some clearing up, I'm not trying to start a heated argument)

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I think you are on the right track, Gizoux.

Keep fightin for your kid.

Gizoux said:

You make the case for not curing Asperger's and high-functioning autism. Why stop there? Is there something about low-functioning autism that makes it different and a cure preferable?

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I have no real experience with low-functioning non-Asperger's autism, so I am hesitant to render any strong opinions on the matter. It's outside the realm of what I have any sort of practical understanding of.

Although I'm pretty sure that you mean curing autism by tweaking genes, which I also disagree with, I fail to see how I'm going to be hurting my son by getting those high levels of lead out of his system. Are you suggesting I should forget treating him and let him cope with the lead levels in his body?

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I don't necessarily see anything wrong with removing lead per say (with the child's consent -- I think may Aspie children are smart enough to make their own decisions on something like this, which will effect them much more intimately than any other decision that could be made for them would, though of course one has to take into account intelligence and maturity when knowing if they really can make their own decision), because, if there theories on that are correct, that's a foreign element that is stressing the body and worsening the symptoms associated with AS, and thus more like a virus that AS people happen to be more affected by, than anything else.

Having said that, I also think there are underlying genetic and/or factors having to due with brain chemistry there, that people are born with, and I think when we start messing with that, it gets a little more into questionable ethical territory. I think it could be changing the actual substance of who someone is. And that's where things get very dicey and hard for me to understand why they're advocated. A "cure" means to me you actually make someone non-Asperger's, not remove lead that creates extra problems for people who happen to have Asperger's..

It's like if we found out Jews were more prone to getting the flu, we might take extra care to vaccinate folks with that heritage for the flu, but we wouldn't create a vaccine to "cure" their Jewishness itself. There's an ethical difference there, though I'm having a bit of trouble making it as clear in type as it is in my head.

Lahmi said:

wanna bet?

I'm not gonna stop fighting til i regain what I lost.

Click to expand...

You've always been an Aspie, you'll always be an Aspie. That's true of me also. It may be a hard thing to live with sometimes, but it is what it is. We're neurologically diverse. We add something to the world. At least, I like to think so.

Fish and Bread said:

You've always been an Aspie, you'll always be an Aspie. That's true of me also. It may be a hard thing to live with sometimes, but it is what it is. We're neurologically diverse. We add something to the world. At least, I like to think so.

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the problem with your analysis of the situation there, Fish, is that I know when MY neurological functions changed.
The only remaining question for me is was it the illness or the medication that triggered the change.

and I shall regain what I lost.

Lahmi said:

the problem with your analysis of the situation there, Fish, is that I know when MY neurological functions changed.
The only remaining question for me is was it the illness or the medication that triggered the change.

and I shall regain what I lost.

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Alright, but it is not that you "caught" Asperger's Syndrome suddenly. If suddenly your neurological functions changed, it is likely either due to a separate (or different) neurological problem, or due to something that exacerbated certain pre-existing Asperger's Syndrome tendencies. Maybe you can cure that. But that would mean you'd always had some level of Asperger's Syndrome and would continue to have it (Just without the other thing or the thing that brought out more of your AS), or that you never had Asperger's Syndrome in the first place (and instead had something that was similar in some respects). See the difference I'm getting at? AS at it's most basic level is something you are born with, not something you catch.

Fish and Bread said:

Alright, but it is not that you "caught" Asperger's Syndrome suddenly. If suddenly your neurological functions changed, it is likely either due to a separate (or different) neurological problem, or due to something that exacerbated certain pre-existing Asperger's Syndrome tendencies. Maybe you can cure that. But that would mean you'd always had some level of Asperger's Syndrome and would continue to have it (Just without the other thing or the thing that brought out more of your AS), or that you never had Asperger's Syndrome in the first place (and instead had something that was similar in some respects). See the difference I'm getting at? AS at it's most basic level is something you are born with, not something you catch.

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You can have both Aspergers and autism. You can have autism before birth by shots your mother took when pregnant. Autism is not something you 'catch' (a virus or bacteria), but something you are attacked by (genetic or poisoning).

If you wish to give up hope for improvement that's up to you. But don't try to discourage others from seeking recovery except in those areas you have tried and found didn't work. If you can't stand hearing about others getting recovery, then stop reading this thread!

In the meantime, here's a site that offers adult metal chelation help. There are some kooks out there as well, but it has good advice. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/adult-metal-chelation/

I the meantime, I am researching praying against poisons.

Timuchin said:

You can have both Aspergers and autism.

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Asperger's is a form of autism, even though it is different in terms of it's impact in terms of it's impact than the more commonly known forms of autism. Medically, it's on the autistic spectrum.

Fish and Bread said:

Asperger's is a form of autism, even though it is different in terms of it's impact in terms of it's impact than the more commonly known forms of autism. Medically, it's on the autistic spectrum.

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Aspergers is lumped together with Autism because the symptoms are somewhat similar. But they can be distinguished from one another. Aspergers is genetic from what I see of my family line. Autism suddenly shows up when the poisons have built up enough in your system.

Fish and Bread:

Low functioning autism is a more severe case of autism. In a number of studies collected by "Defeat Autism Now," the leading causes are the same: heavier levels of metal toxicity and/or a more severe reaction to insane battery of vaccines, even if mercury free.

I don't think that it's wrong to try to treat a severely autistic person, but if they don't respond to the treatment, Then it would be a crime to think any less of them, but I don't think anyone will disagree here.

Anyway, thanks for the kind reply.

Second, thank you Lahmi for the support. Regardless of the outcome, I'll love him just the same.

My wife and my little guy are both starting chelation for lead this week. She's been suffering from chronic fatigue for years, and thinks that it's because of the lead that's she's built up over the years from living in the city when there was leaded gasoline and she was doing work with jewellry. We think that's how my son got the insane lead levels, it came out of her bones because it can mimic calcium.

She's been looking and praying without much progress, I think it's worth a shot because nothing else had lasting results. I'll be sure to pop back in this forum with the results either way.

And back in CF when there's something that grabs my interest.

Cheers, folks and good travels on your journeys.

Timuchin said:

Trying to make friends with Normals as a Normal wannabee only works for a short time.

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What are we supposed to do? Not try to make friends at all, and therefore end up without friends and be lonely? I don't know any other people with Aspergers, it is unrealistic to cut ourselves off from the world and say we can only socialise with other Aspies, we have to fit in to some degree to live our lives.

KaiserFranzGirl said:

What are we supposed to do? Not try to make friends at all, and therefore end up without friends and be lonely? I don't know any other people with Aspergers, it is unrealistic to cut ourselves off from the world and say we can only socialise with other Aspies, we have to fit in to some degree to live our lives.

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You need a smallish social group where you can relate with people in a somewhat informal gathering. They get used to you and the way you are. You can make one-on-one friends, but you certainly need more than one! I have seen Aspergers burn out friends, one at a time.

Normals are used to making distant friends and gradually move in to more and more intimate friendship. It is hard to "read" how far to go with them. If you overdo it and can't get 'booked', take a hint. Go see someone else for a while before making distant friendship overtures.
That's what the small group is for.

You may want to go through the Alpha Teen course. That creates a kinship that leads to small groups.

Gradually let them know you have Aspergers. Teach them a little about Aspergers. They will cut you slack and should protect you as "handicapped."

KaiserFranzGirl said:

What are we supposed to do? Not try to make friends at all, and therefore end up without friends and be lonely? I don't know any other people with Aspergers, it is unrealistic to cut ourselves off from the world and say we can only socialise with other Aspies, we have to fit in to some degree to live our lives.

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Don't know if you have friends or not (and hope you do if friendships are important to you...some Aspie's really don't mind being loners and some do) but you're right, if you don't know other Aspies, who on earth are you supposed to hang out with?

Hopefully, most N.T.'s are more than understanding the moment we know WHY an A.S. persons responds the way they do. I'm not nearly as frustrated with my son now that I know he's not ignoring me, or being unsympathetic to something I'm feeling, or whatever because I "get" that he doesn't feel and respond the same way. What a sad world it would be if we all felt, reacted and thought the same way!

He's an awesome, unique person and he is exactly who he is...we're ALL unique and special in God's eyes, no matter what or who we are, or what challenges we face in life, or what great or ordinary things we bring to this world. EVERYONE has their own unique makeup, their own challenges in life, and each and every one of us has God's hand upon us.

I know that my son joined the drama group in school when he was your age and was loved and accepted (and we didn't even know he had A.S.!) Kids in drama at his school were 1) usually very smart (Jason has a high IQ); 2) quirky and fun; and 3) very accepting. Jason wasn't a "great" actor (although he memorizes really, really well) but he was loved and protected. The small group of people who were accepting of eccentricities and uniqueness was a real God-send in his life. (And Shakespeare was right up his formal, pendantic speech alley...he LOVES Shakespeare.) Even if it's doing something like scenes & sets, a drama group could be a great place for you to be proudly and exactly who you are.

They need to do more! It's bad enough they deny any form of harm in the MMR vac. I don't vaccinate my kids now.I don't believe it is safe.If they clean the vaccinations up,then I think it's worth the risk. Can we cure Autism? It's time to start!

Crashedin2U said:

They need to do more! It's bad enough they deny any form of harm in the MMR vac. I don't vaccinate my kids now.I don't believe it is safe.If they clean the vaccinations up,then I think it's worth the risk. Can we cure Autism? It's time to start!

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So you would prefer them to die from Measles, Mumps or Rubella, than to have autism? Not to mention the impact on herd immunity.

Despite the disadvantages that come with Asperger's Syndrome, I don't want to be cured of it. I've learned over time how to put my strengths to good use. I believe it's a gift God gave me and I wouldn't want 'cured' no matter what. So what if I can't exactly socialize like everyone else? So what if I'm a little eccentric and odd in the things I do? So what if I stand out and I'm not like everyone else? Jesus probably seemed a little eccentric and odd to others when he was around, and no doubt he stood out like a sore thumb and he certainly wasn't like everyone else. He had strengths and gifts, too, yet he was persecuted, much like I think people with an Autism Disorder are today.

If people with it want to be cured, then that's their business. I can't stop them, even if I tried. However, the day someone comes to my door, trying to 'cure' me, you can bet it'll be a fight to the death before they have a chance to drag me off in an attempt to 'cure' me.