To be massively unimpressed by the Autism Speaks adverts

[CommunistLegoOoOoBloc]

Come on, MN. Why are you displaying adverts from such a hateful, ignorant organisation? One that advocates a cure, eugenics, is hated by so many people on the autism spectrum and fervently believes in the anti-vax movement?

Urgh.

Well I'm not into the time, attention and heart drain that these threads end up as. A wide variety of posters all ending up posting to the one or two who defend a position that they have 'chosen' to take knowing the effect it has on others. Not interested in adding any more of my voice to these type of thread.

For everyone else though, I will say that I see and hear from mumsnet and other places how difficult life can be to keep on advocating for your child against a barrage of people who are just not interested in being inclusive or promoting equality and kindness for all.

It's very very wrong and I know I'm just one voice, but want to make it clear that I support you. I am aware that sounds rather arrogant (guess what guys you can relax now, this poster says she's on your side! Cringe!).

What I'm trying to say though, is that I see so many people remain silent when they are actually being supportive inside, and by this silence, only the loud and cruel voices remain.

Actually, fuck it.

Can't believe I'm giving credence to the frankly ridiculous posters questioning my motives.

I posted this because loads of people don't know how shit Autism Speaks are, as evidenced by this thread.

I posted it because I wanted to publicly object to the disparity between MN having campaigns such as This Is My Child, and hosting adverts for organisations that contradict this ethos.

I posted it because autism is not a flaw, it's not a shame, it's not a pity. It just is.

So crack on with your bizarre conspiracy theories, and crack on derailing a thread that has helped people understand. FFS.

I think posters missed my use of the word hypothetical. Of course there is no "cure" but yes my dc and I would wish AUTISM away in a heartbeat.

Yeah but is it Trump CommunistLego?

Bigly.

You can say that again!

You were right to raise it Lego, and MN have listened, which is good.

I had no idea Autism Speaks were so bad. The video linked by hazey is very disturbing. Thank you for highlighting this, OP

I have wondered before about being 'cured'. Being autistic has definitely hindered my life but I don't know who I'd be without it. It's my personality.

I'm very confused that an autism charity is actually against people with autism. I have never heard of them before. And I'm even more confused about what Trump has to do with any of it.

Autism Speaks are vile I agree.
A lot of the things in that video are true though. Parents of children with autism often do become isolated, marriages all too often don't survive. Is that due to autism though or due to ignorance, poverty from giving up work, lack of respite., lack of adequate schooling and childcare provision and the stress these things can cause? These are problems that could be easily solved.

Interestingly, the statement that many marriages end as a result of having autistic children appears to be a myth

I can't see where it refers to that on your link but the stats I've seen show higher rates of divorce and since couples with high needs have lower average incomes and other associated stressors it seems likely to me that divorce rates would be higher.
The question is whether we need to concentrate on fixing 'disordered children' or a disordered society.

If the world was perfect for people with autism then there wouldn't be an issue - it's everything about how society is set up and functions that doesn't fit for people who aren't NT. that's the underpinning of the social model of disability and that covers the entire spectrum. That's not to say you won't sometimes wish your child or you could function within that construct better or at all, but it's just different, not wrong. Other co morbid things that are in themselves damaging like epilepsy aside, my point still is that the more we move away from trying to make ND people fit into our NT expectations for what life should be like, how we should function, what success or happiness is, the less of a problem it is.

We have no way of knowing how much someone really understands or can process unless they tell us in a way we understand so fundamentally unless they fulfil our brief of communication it should never be assumed that someone doesn't have the cognitive function to have an understanding of themselves - it just might look totally different to the NT version. Yes it might make us feel bad that we can't all just rub along easily but it's still not because autism is somehow wrong and NT is right.

Interestingly, the statement that many marriages end as a result of having autistic children appears to be a myth

I cant see that the link says that and to be honest even if it did I would query the information.

For years it was said that about 80 per cent of marriages will end in divorce if your child has any kind of special needs but that figure is generally accepted to be wrong and I think the figure is now said to be twice the general population.

A lot of the things in that video are true though

I didn't listen beyond the first half of the video because I found it very creepy, that voice, but what I did listen to was true and exactly the kind of thing said here when posters, those who have children with any level of disability, are struggling or just generally having a chat with each other. It cant all suddenly become untrue because Autism Speaks or any other organisation like it is is saying it.

As in life in general its not what you say but how you say it that matters.

Well done on highlighting this OP. Hopefully this advert will be removed.

Fighting and constantly advocating for your child sure is draining. Nearly broke me, and my marriage. I probably wouldn't chose for ds1 to have ASD, but hey!

is this the same MN that thinks it is fine to bar children with SN e.g from volunteer run football clubs because disabled children are a drain on the volunteers and team?

Coffee there have been at least four different points of view expressed on this thread. Which posters do you think might be the same as the ones who advocate barring disabled kids from the footie?
I only ask because you accidentally made it look as though you think all posters on MN are a unified voice, which if course you didn't mean to do because that would be daft.