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Comment by hosh | Hacker News Reader

Whoa.

Though I often question if society should treat social deficits of autism even if such a treatment is effective without side-effects.

Another solution would be for society to be generally more neuro-inclusive. I can't help but wonder if there are synergistic benefits from being able to have different ways of experiencing the world.

(I don't have ASD; my step-daughter is on the spectrum).

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Treatments should only be administered if the patient suffers themselves, if the patient actually suffers can however be hard to know at times. This can be a tricky balancing act, but one that I think we can figure out.

I would however like to see medications that treats, or are otherwise reversible. Especially for children we should not induce irreversible behavioural changes except possibly if absolutely required, or as a side effect of treating a dire life threatening condition.

Society is very difficult to change, and activist groups aren't pushing in that direction as a whole (Autism Self Advocacy Network is far smaller than Autism Speaks.) Drugs are easy to make acceptable as long as the medical establishment is ok with it.

Hell, not that long ago lobotomies were accepted by the medical community. This is the problem with conditions that place a heavy burden on the parents, there is an incentive to act against the best interests of the children.

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