To invoke a frequent saying of my old high school's first deputy principal, society MUST, capitalized, underlined, written in red, MUST do is remove the focus on curative research regarding autism.

I remember reading that when a Japanese woman got married, her family would give her her umbilical cord in a paper envelope as both something that was customary (before a Japanese person is cremated, the family is given a lock of their hair and their fingernail and toenail clippings) and for her to hope that she would be born a male in her next life. So, what we can see there is that to be born a female was considered unfortunate (needless to say, it was the same in many Western cultures).

Autistic people are NOT broken neurotypical folks, we are human beings who are wired differently. The best way to think of it is this.

The first generation of Proton cars imported into Australia from Malaysia looked like the Mitsubishi Lancer and a few other Mitsubishi models generally. The engines and transmissions were identical, and the designs were similar, so they were interchangeable, BUT, the Commodore and the Falcon in Australia were arch rivals, and yes, you could buy tires that would suit a Commodore or Falcon, but the brake pads are not interchangeable. You can use the same brand of brake pads, spark plugs, oil, fuel and air filters, but they have different part numbers.

Just like a woman is not a broken man and a Falcon is not a broken Commodore, an autistic is not a broken neurotypical.

Another thing that MUST be ceased , capitalized, underlined, written in red, MUST be ceased, is ABA. I consider ABA as being the same as if you had bought a 1988 model Falcon GL, which had a two-speaker stereo and you asked for the two extra speakers of the Fairmont and the S-Pack alloy wheels. If you went to trade it in after several years, the dealer would only give you what a Falcon GL was worth, and if you said, "Oh, but, I got extra speakers and alloy wheels, the dealer would say, "Sorry, but it's still a Falcon GL."

Some might say, "Oh, but autistic people might be too much for some," to which I say, if someone doesn't want to be around you, they're probably not worth being around. And, if wanted a four cylinder Toyota Camry and you connected your boat up to it and it wouldn't pull it, you have the wrong car. A V6 will give more power.

My autism diagnosis has given me a greater sense of self and so has finding my autistic community. I have been suicidal, but I am glad I have survived.