It's fine for you, but...

Because extreme, stereotyped images of autism as a devastating tragedy are so widespread in our society, autistic activists who oppose the idea of curing autism often are assumed to represent a tiny elite consisting of only the most capable autistics. As a result, these activists are accused of being oblivious or callously indifferent to the needs of the less fortunate. The accusation usually looks a lot like this (the following is not an actual quote, but a composite):

"It's fine for you to want acceptance, but what about all those low-functioning autistics who can't even understand the meaning of the word, much less blog about it? They lack any ability to communicate. Their lives are full of fear, anxiety, and frustration. They must wear helmets and other protective devices because of self-injury. They are not even aware of their condition. How can you be so hard-hearted as to deny that those tragic sufferers desperately need a cure?"

I'm going to take a close look at each of these assertions about "low-functioning autistics," beginning with the misconception that large numbers of autistics fit this stereotype.

"all those low-functioning autistics... lack any ability to communicate"

Although speech delays and other differences in language development are characteristic of autism, research has shown that approximately 90 percent of children on the autistic spectrum develop speech by age nine. (C. Lord et al, "Trajectory of language development in autistic spectrum disorders," in Developmental Language Disorders: From Phenotypes to Etiologies, 2004.) Of the remaining 10 percent, some learn to speak at an older age, while many others rely on alternatives to speech, such as sign language and augmentative communication devices. Some autistics who have no speech, or minimal speech, or who find speech difficult or uncomfortable, can communicate very well through typing; at least two augmentative communication users are now blogging on Autism Hub. (If anyone has valid statistics on what percentage of autistics communicate through alternative means, I'd be grateful if you would post them in the comments.)

"Their lives are full of fear, anxiety, and frustration."

Even among the small population of autistics who lack a reliable means of communication, strong negative emotions don't necessarily follow from the simple fact of inability to communicate. Emotions vary greatly from one person to another, depending on whether someone has a natural tendency toward calmness or anxiety, as well as whether he or she lives in a safe and predictable environment. Although failed attempts to communicate can indeed result in frustration and anxiety, this would not happen if non-speaking autistics had better access to alternative methods of communication. Often they are denied the necessary tools because of an ignorant and inefficient bureaucratic system (see this comment from a behavior analyst, describing what a struggle it is to get augmentative communication devices for his autistic clients who need them).

"They must wear helmets and other protective devices because of self-injury."

I recently wrote a post about self-injury, and I'll just sum it up briefly here. Many people who struggle with self-injury feel that they lack control over their lives. This problem (which is not unique to autistics) is best dealt with by giving them more opportunities to make meaningful choices and to practice self-control, not by strapping them into helmets and restraints at the first sign of agitation.

"They are not even aware of their condition."

All the evidence is to the contrary. Autistic people who learned to speak or type at an older age can describe events from their childhood with accuracy, although they had no means of communicating at that time. On this point, I recommend a post on the Ballastexistenz site, "Who thinks what about being autistic," which has many excellent quotes from autistic people who use augmentative communication. The idea that autistic people who lack a reliable means of communication are unaware of their condition is a groundless prejudice, similar to the historical prejudice against deaf-mutes, who often were not taught to sign or write because they were assumed to be "feeble-minded" and incapable of learning.

Yes, there is a tragedy here, but it is not the absence of a cure for autism. It is the failure of our society to treat non-speaking autistic people with respect for their human rights, to provide the tools that they need to communicate, and to ensure equal opportunity for them to participate in society.