Possible cause for autism found - children with autism have extra brain synapses - Polidicks

[QUOTE=Jarokwa;45876723]For as far as I've experienced it, they usually feel vastly superior and take every opportunity they have to slam you down into the ground.[/QUOTE] which is why it wouldn't be a bad idea to "cure" it

[QUOTE=Jarokwa;45876723]For as far as I've experienced it, they usually feel vastly superior and take every opportunity they have to slam you down into the ground.[/QUOTE] I am lucky to have had very little experience with bullies or assholes, and comments rarely get to me. [sp]I'll just offer copies of Minecraft to the neurotypicals and battle them in a spleef arena.[/sp]

Thi[noparse]s[/noparse] sounds like a very [noparse]p[/noparse]erman[noparse]e[/noparse]nt tre[noparse]a[/noparse]tment. I wonder if there's a way to temporarily cause this or at the very least emulate the effects, so that autistics who decide to go through with it aren't permanently loc[noparse]k[/noparse]ed "on the other s[noparse]i[/noparse]de" if they decide they do[noparse]n[/noparse]'t like it. There's no tellin[noparse]g[/noparse] wh[noparse]a[/noparse]t thi[noparse]s[/noparse] w[noparse]o[/noparse]uld do to their sava[noparse]n[/noparse]t abiliti[noparse]e[/noparse]s and they [noparse]m[/noparse]ay prefer them to gelling better with societ[noparse]y[/noparse], and at the very lea[noparse]s[/noparse]t it would b[noparse]e[/noparse] a shame if so many people "wrink[noparse]l[/noparse]ed away" their talents and had no way o[noparse]f[/noparse] gaining them back. Coincidentally enough, one of the autistics handlers at my old high school was also a football coach, and once he told me "there's nothing I hate more than wasted potential" and though it was in relation to some talented but uncaring players on the team, it would apply very well here as well. ... Actually, I'm reminded of The Measure of a Man, where Data is worried Maddox's potential dissection would permanently damage him in some way. In the end, Data tells Maddox that he's still interested but would rather wait until he was sure he could be put back together the way he was, and I think that's what should apply here as well. I'm sure some autistics would like to experience a normal life but worry that this would strip a precious part of them away. Sometimes, I actually wonder if autism is where we're evolving towards in the (relatively) stable environment of modern society. Not in an X-Men sort of way, but something that grows in prominence over time as it turns out to be a good fit for the way the world works nowadays. Many autistics are very savvy with all technology ubiquitous in today's culture.

[QUOTE=Sir Whoopsalot;45862570]I volunteer to test this theory. Let's set up a Kickstarter.[/QUOTE] But you'd need to be autistic for the experiment to have any poin- [img]http://facepunch.com/image.php?u=323098&dateline=1406590639[/img] oh never mind, carry on then [sp]jk maki is my love live waifu too[/sp]

[QUOTE=ZombieDawgs;45869772]Stop treating autism like it's a disease that "needs to be cured".[/QUOTE] You're right, it's not a disease. It's a disorder. Thanks for clarifying. It definitely needs to be cured, just as any other disorder that causes a victim to have complications through out their entire life. Have you actually seen anyone with servere autism, or are you just assuming that anyone with autism is just someone who's socially awkward?

[QUOTE=The First 11'er;45879855]You're right, it's not a disease. It's a disorder. Thanks for clarifying. It definitely needs to be cured, just as any other disorder that causes a victim to have complications through out their entire life. Have you actually seen anyone with servere autism, or are you just assuming that anyone with autism is just someone who's socially awkward?[/QUOTE] I've worked with people on severe ends of the spectrum, what I was saying is was you shouldn't treat people with Autism as though they're somehow needing of a cure. They're not "infected" with Autism. Catching it early is fine, but to go up to somebody who's dealt with it their entire life and change them like that doesn't sit well.

If we can find a cure for one of this, it would be a huge breakthrough on so many fronts for so many people. People who have been living with this can finally find their full potential as a human, those parenting an autistic child will have a peaceful night, there's just so much to benefit from here.

[QUOTE=ZombieDawgs;45880648]I've worked with people on severe ends of the spectrum, what I was saying is was you shouldn't treat people with Autism as though they're somehow needing of a cure. They're not "infected" with Autism. Catching it early is fine, but to go up to somebody who's dealt with it their entire life and change them like that doesn't sit well.[/QUOTE] This right fucking there. I'm a autist myself, and back when I was diagnosed my parents were told there was a large chance that I wouldn't even be able to speak (atleast properly. Don't remember the exact story.) yet when I look at myself now I'm actually living under fairly nice conditions with minimal special needs care and if this keeps up I should be able to live on my own and probably get a nice job. Point is I have lived my entire life as a autist. While ZombieDawgs earlier post could be interpeted as "You shouldn't even try to treat autism" I took it in such a way that said: "Maybe you shouldn't just outright wipe Autism out of the face of the earth.". Ridiculously horrible way of saying things I know, still working on that. Essentially if you have lived with autism your entire life, you may get treatment and such, but outright wiping it out would probably(?) come as quite a shock, if you must cure it it should probably be some sort of gradual process.

The decision of curing someone's autism should ALWAYS be in the hand of the person itself. You cannot change a fundamental part of someone's personality without their consent. Living with autism is possible, depending on how able you are to learn it. If someone decides, curing, is the better path I don't see a problem, but I personally wouldn't do it. It is part of who I am, and I am afraid of the thought of being changed in a fundamental way. It almost seems like dying a little.

[QUOTE=Levithan;45868449]I'm somewhat terrified at the thought of taking something that wouldn't make me autistic anymore. This condition has had such an impact on my development and who I am that I'm afraid of losing some part of me that makes me unique.[/QUOTE] That's one of the main reasons why I don't think autism should be "cured." There's no need, unless somebody is debilitated to the point where they just simply cannot function. What we need is better ways to help people with autism, and to make the world a better place for 'em. That's it.

[QUOTE=NorthernFall;45860477]Just wondering, could you semi-effectively use cannabis to negate some of the effects of autism? I know some of the active ingredients have that synaptic pruning effect, killing off old or damaged brain cells (potentially linked to some emerging evidence of the anti-cancer effects).[/QUOTE] In other words, if i want weed i can just show the clinic the several pages worth of people calling me autistic? Life is starting to work in my favor.

[QUOTE=milkandcooki;45882437]That's one of the main reasons why I don't think autism should be "cured." There's no need, unless somebody is debilitated to the point where they just simply cannot function. What we need is better ways to help people with autism, and to make the world a better place for 'em. That's it.[/QUOTE] Actually, that's the point. There are a lot of organizations and charities that help people with autism or Asperguers throughout their life. Finding a cure for autism would screw up their entire purpose and would throw them down into something useless. Also, trying to cure autism is as unethical as curing homosexuality. Autism is a way of life, whether is more dependant on someone else or not, and some ASDs leave brilliant, BRILLIANT people on the world, like in the case of Asperguer's.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4PTf7LgsIE[/media]

[QUOTE=Elstumpo;45887966][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4PTf7LgsIE[/media][/QUOTE] A couple friends of mine work attending people like that or worse. Some may not be able to manage themselves to go to the toilet, or eat properly, and so sometimes they can puke.

Yeah, this was just a response to people say that if a cure was possible we shouldn't pursue it. Some people have it so bad they're not even aware of it.

[QUOTE=JtRtheRiPPeR;45887900]Actually, that's the point. There are a lot of organizations and charities that help people with autism or Asperguers throughout their life. Finding a cure for autism would screw up their entire purpose and would throw them down into something useless. Also, trying to cure autism is as unethical as curing homosexuality. Autism is a way of life, whether is more dependant on someone else or not, and some ASDs leave brilliant, BRILLIANT people on the world, like in the case of Asperguer's.[/QUOTE] So we shouldn't cure it because it would put people who treat it out of the job, and make the handful of savants normal?

[QUOTE=milkandcooki;45882437]That's one of the main reasons why I don't think autism should be "cured." There's no need, unless somebody is debilitated to the point where they just simply cannot function. What we need is better ways to help people with autism, and to make the world a better place for 'em. That's it.[/QUOTE] no. we've only come to accept autism because there's no real cure for it. it doesn't mean we shouldn't continue accepting it, but it gets a bit dangerous when you treat autism as just another personality type, when in reality it's a harmful disorder. what's next, bipolar pride?

[QUOTE=milkandcooki;45882437]That's one of the main reasons why I don't think people with gender dysphoria should be "cured." There's no need, unless somebody is debilitated to the point where they just simply cannot function. What we need is better ways to help people with gender dysphoria, and to make the world a better place for 'em. That's it.[/QUOTE] Thinking diseases should not be cured because people can still function with them is horrible.

[QUOTE=Impact1986;45895952]Thinking diseases should not be cured because people can still function with them is horrible.[/QUOTE] autism is not a disease, it's a condition, like being transgender is one doesn't "cure" being transgender, you can only learn to live with it and pursue treatments to make it more bearable Autism is like that, but thankfully if this medicine can help the severely disabled they won't have to suffer like the poor boy in that video further up. For me personally, being neurodivergant hasn't been completely tortuous and I've had people comment on how I seem to derive different insights about things than neurotypical folks do. Would this medicine make me lose that quality, or would I truly be happier to be not as sensitive to light and temperature and loud noises? \ Not everyone that is bipolar or depressed takes medication for it; there are many people that have their own coping strategies, and are perfectly happy with themselves. For those with more manageable aspects on the spectrum, they shouldn't be pushed to "cure" themselves just because they're different. They should be given a choice.

How are they sure synaptic explosion causes autism and not just that it is a symptom of autism?

[QUOTE=Zenreon117;45896103]How are they sure synaptic explosion causes autism and not just that it is a symptom of autism?[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.cell.com/neuron/pdfExtended/S0896-6273(14)00651-5[/url] I get that it's in science mumbo jumbo but it is pretty extensive and will answer your Q

[QUOTE=Mingebox;45888999]So we shouldn't cure it because it would put people who treat it out of the job, and make the handful of savants normal?[/QUOTE] Not only that, it's uncurable just because this: [QUOTE=Levithan;45896014]autism is not a disease, it's a condition, like being transgender is[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Zenreon117;45896103]How are they sure synaptic explosion causes autism and not just that it is a symptom of autism?[/QUOTE] That's a good question. All they know is that autistic behaviour is mitigated by having less synapses. But that might not be solving the issue at the source. Perhaps the source of the problem is a malfunctioning gland that produces a synapse regulation hormone. Perhaps the gland is overactive or underactive due to a growth defect. Or maybe it produces the hormone incorrectly. More investigation is undoubtedly a good idea.

What about ADD/ADHD?