Aspies For Freedom

Mr. Rogers,

  I have become aware of your company's sponsorship of NAAR. I want
to say I as most people applaud your generosity in trying to help
other people. What you might not know is NAAR's distortion. We all
want to help low functioning autistics (LFA) who are non verbal. But
there is a group of High functioning autistics (HFA) out there who are
verbal and highly intelligent and capable. I am among them. I have
asperger's syndrome. We do not wish to be cured nor require one unlike
the LFAs. NAAR consistently misrepresents us as sad deplorable human
beings. We are not. We fear for our friends and family who are like
ourselves. With your support, NAAR might one day develop pre-natal
testing that would enable women to abort people like me who are simply
different. It has been widely noted that Albert Einstein and Thomas
Jefferson probably had asperger's syndrome. I am sure you would agree
with me that it would have been a tragedy if pre-natal testing was a
reality in their time.

  We have a website that details our view at http://www.aspiesforfreedom.org

Thank you for your time.

Great, let us know if you get a response.

Good letter.  Sponsors of pro-cure groups need to be made aware that what they're supporting is not some nice pleasant non-controversial charity, as they seem to think.

There's one point I disagree with, however, and that is the description of LFAs as requiring a cure.  Many LFAs are not in fact retarded, but communication-impaired, and when they get speech therapy and other appropriate help, they can progress to being HFAs.  I don't dispute that they need therapies or treatments or assistive devices to help them communicate, but that is not the same thing as a cure for their autism.  We shouldn't be suggesting that any autistics need to be cured.

LFAs do need a cure - but not the kind of cure most people think about. They need a cure for the communication difficulties or for the mental retardation. Not for autism itself.

I have been accused of being pro cure because we let TheAsMan make this post and because we havent edited it.
He is expressing his own views in the letter to the sponsor, Gareth and I do not endorse a cure for people on the autistic spectrum as part of our aims, our posts here and on many other sites will show this.
Members here are free to post their own opinions, this does not mean that everyone feels exactly the same way, we are not an assimilated, homogenous conglomeration.

Greetings,

I think the use of the word 'cure' is bound to be the cause of a few problems here.

Help should be the operative word.  For example I recieve 'help' for social and work related issues but this has nothign to do with a cure and is entirely my own choice.

By the same token, some LFA's might recieve help for fundamental communication problems but that has nothign to do with cure either.

As i said in my previous post: LFAs do need a cure, but not for the autism itself. Autism itself is NOT a disability to cure, but when it comes alongside mental retardation and/or language delay then those conditions should be treated. However, the autism itself should not be.

Amy, I wasn't accusing you of being pro-cure or accusing you of anything at all.  I was just expressing my own views on the subject.

Bonnie I know you werent!
It was someone else who very specifically said it by email.
Everyone is entitled to their own views on the board.

HI All

Bonnie,

I think we are very close in our views. However, The reality is that If you go to the general public that LFAs do not need a cure. You will lose the war not even to mention the battle. Why?
1) We would seem heartless and uncaring.
2) You might be able to explain what a cure means to you. that LFAs need help but not a cure. NTs do NOT in general go for such fine distinctions.
3)We must be smarter than them. Their "theory of mind" is their weakness. Based on our actions and words, They will make assumptions without thinking about us. We need to use that to our  advantage.  Therefore If I write letters or advocate others do so that seem inaccurate, I have my reasons.
  Furthermore,  We will not achieve our goals all at once. but will inch to it ,savoring each small achievement along the way

I will however use the word "HELP" as much as I can in reference to LFAs instead of cure.

i agree thta lfa need help maybe help to have them either speak or commicate  is some kind of way.