Renowned scientist Dr. Temple Grandin: Without autism traits we might still be living in caves
An OPINION by Karen Ash, Angelica NY, pictured is Dr. Grandin
Do you know anyone with autism? Have a family member on the spectrum? I think many of us could answer “yes” to those questions. Because of changes in diagnostic criteria, increased public awareness, and improved screening, autism seems more prevalent in our everyday lives.
At a recent public announcement event, members of the administration used alarmist language, calling autism a “crisis,” “an epidemic,” or describing increases as “horrible.” They framed autism as a negative pathology to be “fixed” or “cured.” The implication was clear: autistic people shouldn’t exist in our society.
The solutions proposed included warning all pregnant women to avoid taking acetaminophen, specifically Tylenol, to avoid vaccines, and in some cases to use prescription leucovorin. None of these ideas have been supported by peer-reviewed scientific research, and they all demonize parents for causing autism.
We can all agree that learning more about autism is a good thing, and new funding was announced for future studies. But why, then, did the administration cancel so much of the funding for studies currently in progress and hopefully about to yield valuable results? What a colossal waste of taxpayer money! We can only hope that, going forward, scientific studies by qualified institutions find real answers – not quick fixes and quack cures.
Temple Grandin (www.templegrandin.com), says, “In an ideal world the scientist should find a method to prevent the most severe forms of autism but allow the milder forms to survive. After all, the really social people did not invent the first stone spear. It was probably invented by an Aspie (Aspergers) who chipped away at rocks while the other people socialized around the campfire. Without autism traits we might still be living in caves.” She also said, “I am different, not less.”
