The Condition or the Person?

I have always admired the Cathedral in Sioux Falls and that entire neighborhood.  Take for instance 6th Street in Sioux Falls... there are numerous historic homes in that area that are incredible and show beautiful architectural detail.  Some are as old as the late 1800s and early 1900s and many still display original windows and detailing which makes each and every one unique and special.

On the other hand, every now and then you get a property that just doesn't fit in.  The building might be too new, or it might not blend in with the other homes in the area. Perhaps it is a small apartment complex rather than a single family home like so many of the others.

In any case, the point of all this is that sometimes you have one thing that just doesn't fit in with everything around it.  Whether we are talking about homes, cars, ideas, or people - often there are things that just don't seem to match.  This concept applies with people as well, because although the vast majority of the population out there is healthy and doesn't suffer from autism, we know there are a number of people who do suffer from autism.

So in the case of a building that doesn't blend in with those around it, do we suggest we tear that building down leaving the people who live there homeless?  No, we accept it for what it is with the hope that in time it will be improved and accepted and become integrated into the community.

So in the case of a person with autism who doesn't fit in and isn't like the rest of us, what should we do?  Do we banish them and belittle them?  No... quite the opposite in fact.  We welcome them with open arms.  We accept them for who they are and we don't claim they need to be "cured" or that their condition should be "reversed".  So when someone like Mr. Hubbs claims he is merely trying to reduce the number of children who are diagnosed with autism or when Mr. Hubbs says he cares about those who have been diagnosed with conditions that fall within the autism spectrum, why is it that he then turns around and lashes out at the very group of people he claims to care about?

We can obviously disagree what causes autism, but when you drill down on the issue this is less about the disorder and more about the person.  It is important to remember that... because no matter what the root cause of autism really and no matter how long it takes science to isolate that root cause, it won't help those who have been dealing with the issue throughout all of their lives.

So the next time someone argues with you about the root cause of autism ask yourself if they care about the condition... or if they actually care about the person who has been dealing with it each and every day of their life.