[joefourier]

Autism is a spectrum disorder and I don’t think it should be controversial to cure low functioning autism. However, high functioning autists can be argued to be more of a personality variant than a disability, with different strengths and weaknesses compared to neurotypical people. Society benefits greatly from supporting high functioning autistic people in say, technical fields where hyperfocus, narrow obsessions and systemising thinking are an advantage.

Meanwhile, having a genetic condition like haemophilia doesn’t give you any conceivable advantage.

[iteria]

I don't even think there should be a conversation around high functioning autistics. My kid suffers from autistic catatonia. She's also extremely high functioning. I'm sorry, there is no world where I'm going to say no thanks to a cure for my daughter's body suddenly locking into place for an unknown period of time or losing the ability to speak or function randomly or hell just understand human expression without intense intervention. We can argue about their special brain powers or whatever, but all I'm seeing is that high functioning autistic have a much higher rate of self-harm and suicide. It can't be that great.

[squigz]

> Society benefits greatly from supporting high functioning autistic people in say, technical fields where hyperfocus, narrow obsessions and systemising thinking are an advantage.

At the expense of those people having to live with all the unmentioned negative aspects of autism.

(To say nothing of whether those are actually positives or not. Personally, I don't see how hyperfixating on something for a few weeks at a time at the expense of all my other responsibilities is a superpower, but hey)

[guerrilla]

> Meanwhile, having a genetic condition like haemophilia doesn’t give you any conceivable advantage.

Sickle-cell anemia does though. I wonder if some day there could be a survival advantage for haemophilia. What if we erase the genetic code that ends up saving us from some alien virus, you know?

I'm not saying this is a good argument, just something interesting to think about.