Would autism even exist in the 24th century?
Where is the autism talk at?
- Thread starter Autistoid
- Start date
Who knows? Maybe on colony worlds where medical treatment isn't as readily available?
Do you think they will cure homosexuality?
Given the number of people who appear to have genius level IQs in relation to their autism I think this is super unlikely.
It's just as plausible that savantism because a learn-able trait.
I would think that it would be rather rare, although I imagine that if a child's ASD was very mild, a parent may wish to leave him or her "unaltered" or "unique" rather than subject them to therapy or surgery or whatever the magical medical procedure would be. Again, such a thought process doesn't make sense to me, but that far into the future others may think differently.
By the by, I think equating homosexuality and autism is rather problematic.
By the by, I think equating homosexuality and autism is rather problematic.
True savantism is rare, but it's quite common for people on the spectrum to have specialized skills.
That's ignoring the issues of eugenics that would be introduced with removing people from the population,.
Well I think equating autism as a disease is exceptionally offensive.
The initial video I posted was as a simplified version of the issues that people on the spectrum face, namely how it is forced into the position of mental illness that homosexuality was.
I didn't say the word "cure" - which would imply that ASD is some loathsome disease, rather I said would it "exist" - which would imply that medical/cultural/societal advances in the 24th century would have provided the proper place for describing and understanding ASD.
As it stands today the NIMH defines ASD as:
Such a definition leaves room for the concept that mild ASD may eventually be considered as a character trait, not a disorder that needs to be treated. Who knows?
As it stands today the NIMH defines ASD as:
Such a definition leaves room for the concept that mild ASD may eventually be considered as a character trait, not a disorder that needs to be treated. Who knows?
I don't think it is a disease.
But until the causes are completely known, it would be silly to not think about ways to help the condition. If it is caused by some type of damage to the brain either in the womb or after birth, it would be prudent to continue studying how to reverse the damage.
If it is a gene that is causing the problem, then it gets trickier. But there are many autistic people who don't function well and it may be worth researching so those who can't function, are able to be offered some relief.
I think it is problematic to compare to homosexuality, because homosexuality doesn't prevent one from being able to function.
I apologize, for the misunderstanding, but yes I would agree.
The way things appear to be headed autism likely won't be even considered a disorder in a few years.
In the last few years there is a move to drift away from the idea that autism is a set of disorders, and a move towards the idea that it is a spectrum.
Although the idea that it's a spectrum leads people way to often to walk down the road thinking this means it's degrees of more and less autism.
Autism isn't a progressive disease, it's as a neurological condition, where different people can have wildly different symptoms.
Women for example are often under diagnosed because the community is fixated on male based traits as a form of diagnoses but all of this is changing fast.
What unites people on the spectrum is a common way of perceiving the world. Two autistic people can have wildly different appearances on the surface. While internally can have very common ways of seeing the world.
It's very likely autism will be seen as a neurological orientation, moreso than a condition in the very near future.
Just as there are left handed people, gender orientations etc, there are perceptual-cognitive ones.
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I imagine that in the next few centuries medical knowledge would increase to the point that we would fully understand the interaction between genes and various medical and biological conditions. Perhaps from the moment a fetus becomes viable certain information about its future would be known.
Well autism is now incredibly based in genetics.
I.e alot of that epidemic number of people being diagnosed are often parents or other relatives in a family.
What is far more likely to happen is that their will be disorders that related to autism, with autism just being an orientation.
As far as being able to function that's a much dicier issue.
On paper a large number of the supposed 1 in 68 people with autism, are able to function relatively normally on paper.
What's far more the problem is the fact they will live in a world that is engineered(socially and industrially) to be geared to people that think neurotypically(normal).
Alot of things that get trip up people that are relatively functionally, are things like job interviews, work environments, work politics, communication skills.
It's like trying to get your average klingon to work in a office building, it's just poorly designed for their strengths and weaknesses.
This is the value in understanding autism as a orientation or a distinctive mindset, and also why it's such a relevant idea with respect to star trek.
We categorically cannot deny that most alien species are personifications of human behaviour.
Smiling, laughing, and other forms of communication are directly human behaviour, the fact that these kinds of traits are common in aliens should really get across the point that with the rarest of occasion these aliens act fundamentally within human behaviour.
There is already highly developed genetic testing to determine risk of an inherited condition via analysis of a single cell from the post-zygote embryo. It is intended for higher risk patients with genetic concerns such as a familial history of cystic fibrosis. In vitro fertilization is required. The purpose is currently not curative, however, but abortive.
It's also something that is directly eugenics based.
Which is again why I don't get why there are so few threads about autism.
Some of these issues are directly transferable to star trek.
Bashirs augment ark directly tying into the issue.
If you start removing autistic genes from the gene pool, your engineering society.
Everything we are learning about resent genetics suggests that human society is compiled of complex gene relationships and balances.
If you start removing genes artificially there will be consequences.
This stuff may sound like science fiction but it will be in use in the near very near future.
Everything we do engineers society.
I'm talking more about medical procedures and how we fight disease. Keeping people alive longer than they would naturally.
This is the general star trek forum, so it might be good to keep our "Imagination" hats on and focus on ASD in the 24th century.
Under what circumstances - do you think - would ASD not be wholly eliminated by time the Enterprise - E is slicing through the stars?
Under what circumstances - do you think - would ASD not be wholly eliminated by time the Enterprise - E is slicing through the stars?
Yes but the federation has strict laws against genetic engineering.
While it's likely some genetic procedures may be done for those that are likely to have significant difficulties, it's hard to imagine the federation, having such an extreme genetic planning to remove autism from humans.
I know some people diagnosed with (mild) Asperger's that absolutely wouldn't want to be 'cured', even if such a thing existed, since they consider autism to be integral to their identity ("I wouldn't be me anymore!") -if I've understood them correctly, that is.
Therefore, assuming that at least some people in the 24th century would have the same attitude, and assuming that no one would be forced to undergo such a procedure in that utopian future, I could imagine that some people would still fall within the spectrum by that time.
Therefore, assuming that at least some people in the 24th century would have the same attitude, and assuming that no one would be forced to undergo such a procedure in that utopian future, I could imagine that some people would still fall within the spectrum by that time.
Genetic enhancement is forbidden in the Federation, not the correction of inherited genetic defects.
A complete, systemic curative program of genetic correction should involve any and every cell which could perform mitosis within its host (the person getting cured). That would include sperm and eggs, thereby propagating the curative DNA sequences into the patient's progeny. So by curing an individual who goes on to reproduce you can also be engineering the species.
