Autism isn't something to be cured. It is a voice, an outlook, and a wellspring of strength that propels the world onward. Neurodiversity isn't weakness; it's a fount of creativity, resourcefulness, and innovation.
So why do some try to eradicate it?
Consider my friend Laura Rockefeller, for instance. She's a graduate student, a full-time professional, a world traveler, and a talented photographer. She is also neurodiverse and proud of it. Recently, she posted an insightful question on her Facebook page:
"Why is the government so fixated on trying to discover the cause of autism rather than worry about actual crises, such as measles outbreaks in the South?"
Her argument is straightforward: Autism does not have to be cured. It must be understood.
The Value of Neurodiversity
A diversity of thoughts, skills, and talents makes society a better place. Individuals on the autism spectrum perceive the world differently and that difference tends to create breakthroughs.
Name it autism, genius, or a special vision but not disease. Autism is not HIV, hunger, or measles. It is a thought process, a prism through which creativity and progress glimmer.
Laura's message resonates the sentiments of most parents of autistic children: worry that policies will result in destructive labeling, coercive institutionalization, or undeserved medication treating autism as a "brokenness" to repair rather than an embracing of difference.
Politics, Power, and Misunderstanding
President Trump, together with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., referred to autism as "one of the most alarming public health developments in history" in September 2025. He likened vaccines to injecting drugs "into a horse" and said he was an expert since he had been "talking about autism" for 20 years.
The reality, however, is evident: fact-checkers, physicians, and advocates resoundingly disagree.
Assertions that autism is uncommon in Amish or Cuban groups, allegedly because of a lack of Tylenol consumption or cultural practices, are unupported by actual science. In reality, specialists point out that numerous Amish children simply don't attend school long enough to receive an official diagnosis.
As Bonnie Januszewski, who heads the Socialization and Self-Esteem Program in New York, says:
"The constant attempts to reduce the intelligence and capacity of those on the spectrum is inhumane. Neurodiverse individuals are not a problem to be solved; they are a gift to society."
Why Neurodiversity Matters
Harvey Blume once wrote in The Atlantic:
"Neurodiversity may be every bit as crucial for the human race as biodiversity is for life itself."
History is our evidence. Temple Grandin revolutionized the cattle industry with kinder practices. Albert Einstein, by many accounts, exhibited signs of autism, revolutionized science. These breakthroughs didn't occur despite neurodiversity, but because of it.
It is to erase creativity, innovation, and spirit to erase neurodiversity. A world without difference isn't healthier, it's emptier.
The Final Word
Autism does not make us weaker. Autism makes us stronger. Autism makes us strive to broaden our horizons, celebrate difference, and treasure individual viewpoints.
Difference is not a sickness, it's human excellence at its finest.