Parents of children with autism - what does finding a cure mean?

One in 88 children in the US is diagnosed with autism, but as the search for a cure moves forward, some parents remain sensitive about the troubled history of its treatment. What do you think? 




 Photograph: Stephen Voss/Alamy


"Do we really need a cure for autism"? asks Kristina Chew in her recent piece on Comment is Free. Chew's son Charlie is one of the millions of American children who have been diagnosed with the spectrum disorder, for which there is no cure.
The high numbers of children diagnosed with autism (one in 88 in the US) has gained the disorder much media attention. Even as the search for a cure continues to move forward – just this week a study in Norway found that women who took folic acid were 40 percent less likely to have a baby diagnosed with autism – parents like Chew are still very sensitive about the troubled history of its treatment.

• The dramatically higher numbers of children diagnosed with autism have led some to declare that there is an autism epidemic. This ignores the fact that we have developed a better understanding of what autism is and thus diagnose it more often. This sense that autism is drastically on the rise, coupled with the difficulties of caring for an autistic child have fueled recent calls to "cure" autism. It's something I have grappled with watching my son grow up and learning more about this condition.

Source : The Guardian ( 22nd feb 2013 )