oh and re autism and cure- my thoughts-
it isn't an illness right? so there couldn't be a "cure"...?
it is a lifelong neurological disorder which means like others of same type, there is treatment that can help an individual- in this case, to communicate, or to function more in society, etc etc and so on.
i agree too that a child learns these skills-
my child receives "adaptive skills training" and he hopefully learns new ways to do communicate/ or understand things that a NT might just somehow automatically know how to do or take for granted...
but he won't be cured. i don't find ppl who use this term to be hurtful though...i think ppl deal with things differently and for some that means pretending something isn't so/doesn't exist etc....
also, i do admit that i have used the word 'recover'... to me recover is like well a lifelong thing, always working on recovery, focusing on staying recovered. doesn't mean don't have it, but have recovered enough from it to more fully function.
but maybe many find recovered offensive as well?
i'm thinking- like a recovered alcholic is still an alcoholic. not that i am comparing aut& alchy's! yikes!
