Trump on autism

I’m assuming any children you do have don’t have complex needs?

I’d imagine looking at them and wishing they were an entirely different child is quite rare, that’s all.

I would 💯 % change my child if he has any illness that would reduce his likelihood of living a safe and fulfilling life. I would reduce his drowning risk, reduce the risk of illnesses from pica just to mention a few. I would change and remove any condition to make my child safe and well. I would also want to ensure any future children have the ability to live as full a life as they want and deserve. I don't know if anyone is saying any children/people shouldn't exist/be eliminated, or at least I hope no one is talking about mass elimination of any sub group

Autism is a problem for me and for my child. This is why there are lots of opinions about reclassifying autism into separate conditions depending on severity. It's really great it's not a problem from your perspective, it is to many many others though

Our son is 9, and cognitively 2.5 years old. He still isn’t toilet trained, has very limited vocabulary and even less understanding.

He sleeps for around 3-4hrs a night, and has huge emotional difficulties that can regularly lead to meltdowns that involve biting, kicking and hitting out at us.

He’s also hilarious, and very caring, and has the biggest smile that he reserves for his most special people. He tries really hard to play with other kids, even if he can’t speak to them, and finds absolute joy in everyday things like spoons.

He is complex, his needs are high, but he is who he is and we love him for it all. Warts and all.

He has exactly the kind of needs people on this thread would say cost a fortune in funding, and would require a cure because of the level of demand on caregivers and probably society.

I still cannot understand anyone who would change their children, or condone someone trying to make sure people like him don’t exist in whatever form they exist in.

I read reports on Trumps speech though I didn't watch it. Did he say paracetamol/Tylenol is the only cause of autism? Lots of responses on the thread seem to imply that. I had thought he said might be a cause rather then the only cause.

1956

I think that's fair as I responded to another poster. You don't want a cure so even if one came out, you shouldn't be made to get your child to take it. Spare a moment to think about the autistic children who have recently drowned in the US. Some children are more impacted than others. Some parents would like a cure. I think it's fair a cure is found and people can take it if they wish

When was paracetamol available in the UK? My mum was autistic and she was born in 1943.

Well, yes, but they haven't arrived at a conclusion have they? So clearly more needs to be done...

When you say autism, what exactly do you mean?
Do you mean kids like dd, who is sparky and loving and a great athlete but struggles with organisation and a sudden change in routine? She doesn’t need PIP or benefits- she just needs a bit of recognition that if something is going to change she needs time to process that, and a bit of support with sorting herself out (in terms of having the right kit etc.) Hence getting a diagnosis, so she can thrive and be herself because people understand her a bit better.
As I said earlier, mum is almost certainly autistic but has had a great career and has many friends and an active social life.
Are these the people you want to cure? Why???
Or are you assuming everyone is on the more extreme end of the spectrum?

One reason for the rise in diagnosis is that traits that were labelled ‘quirky’ in my mum are autism in dd. It doesn’t mean there’s a problem.

Eh?

So it didn't matter if they put up a dangerous nutter as long as they knew he could win?

@Livelovebehappy

The thing is, I don’t want a cure. We love our son, needs and all, and if he wasn’t autistic he wouldn’t be himself. Autism isn’t all he is, but his many quirks and habits at least partly come from it and I wouldn’t change any of them.

Living with a child with autism is obviously not without its challenges. But I wouldn’t describe our family as living in “misery.”

Call me crazy, but I'd rather have any scientific studies conducted by scientists, rather than some ideologically/financially motivated fuckwit who fired scientists because they wont repeat his lies.

If you like killing women and kids, you've backed the right horse.

Would you be happy for your child to die from measles in the name of medical research!

Perhaps its not about you, perhaps it's about trying to help children and future generations. Should this research not be done just in case some women feel 'shamed'?
You seriously think they've done all that research for the sole purpose of shaming women??

Because the Democrats put up a senile old man and then tried to gaslight the American people that everything was fine.

Absolutely harmful rhetoric that not only perpetuates the thinking that Autism is a problem and can be “cured” but also blaming mothers, which is reminiscent of the “refrigerator mother”
theory back in the 1940s/50s.
It’s not surprising tbh coming from a bigot and a misogynist. Just so backward.

@Jumpingthruhoops but being led by the orange one’s administration?

Do you honestly believe no one's thought to study it in the past several years?

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-real-reason-autism-rates-are-rising/

This! 👏👏 The suggestion often mooted is that it's just 'being diagnosed more'.

That might be the case in those with mild symptoms/characteristics - but what about those presenting with significant symptoms/characteristics?
I find it hard to believe those people wouldn't have received an accurate diagnosis whether it was 2025... or 1995.

There evidently IS a marked increase in individuals who are on the autism spectrum - so there must be something causing that increase.

Rather than waste time focusing on the ramblings of the orange one, someone, somewhere, should be trying to find out what that 'something' is.

Obviously not good or responsible for trump to come out withbthis rubbish theory, but bi think we would all welcome an investigation into exactly what's causing Autism to be so rampant. I have my own theories. The upside would be that we could stop this happening to so many families causing so much misery. But also the welfare system having to accommodate a huge increase in claims - it could save billions if we found out why Autism is on the up. Then we could do something about it.