[cogman10]

I read it, it does not at all address my comment and is a non sequitur.

Please quote where I even hinted at the notion that autism is something that can be cured. Kindly consider how offensive your comment is to me, someone that does in fact advocate for the rights and well-being of those with autism. Who, as you couldn't know, has a child with severe autism that is currently in a myriad of therapies, not to cure, but to help cope.

I do not mourn my child. I do work to give my child the best life they can have after I'm gone.

And frankly, I'm frustrated by comments like this because every time I mention severe autism I get a comment just like this that tries to suggest that actually no, it's not that severe and no, it's not that bad. This kind of comments try to deny the existence of severe autism or the impact it has on those that have it. It is akin to trying to say "Actually, people that have vision problems don't need glasses, society needs larger letters".

[greatquux]

Exactly. I also have a 6-year old child with severe autism. He's a really happy and playful child, he actually makes good eye contact, especially when having fun, enjoys hiking and swimming, and loves affection. But he simply cannot communicate effectively, either with words (which is a mixture of jargon and echolalia, though he's definitely starting to read words!) or an AAC device. He has great balance and likes climbing and playing on playgrounds, but he can't tie his shoes or use a pencil/pen or a lot of other fine-motor skills. If there were a "cure", we'd take it - it would absolutely make his life better! But that's highly unlikely, so we are getting him as much therapy as we can, and hope that he can have enough independence after we're gone to continue to have a happy life.