Autism advocates: Eric Garcia on funding research and providing services that improve life for people with autism

For years, a primary focus of autism research has been finding a cure for this neurodivergent condition. Eric Garcia, a writer and autism advocate, asserts that this goal does not reflect the actual, pressing issues that people with autism encounter in their daily lives. In this essay, Garcia draws on his own experiences as an autistic person to call for research and policies that improve health, educational, and employment outcomes for people with autism.

Eric Garcia, "We Don't Need a Cure for Autism. We Need to Make Living with It Easier." TIME, 27 August 2021.

 

1. Garcia addresses widely circulated assumptions about autism and how they have influenced the goals for autism research. In paragraph 3, he points to a central, “pernicious idea” about autism. What is this idea? How does Garcia respond to this belief? Summarize his response to this “they say” argument using a template from Chapter 2.
   
2. According to Garcia, what are three challenges autistic people face that deserve more attention in autism research and policy making? This infographic, published by Drexel University’s A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, summarizes the gaps in employment outcomes among people with autism. What is one key finding in this infographic? How does this data support Garcia’s argument?
3. Garcia relies on a variety of connecting devices to establish clear relations between the sentences in his paragraphs. Select one of his paragraphs and describe all the transitions and connecting devices Garcia uses in that paragraph. Refer to Chapter 8 for an explanation of the ways writers connect the parts of their argument.
4. Garcia maintains that researchers and policy makers need to do a better job of including people with autism in their decisions. What prevents broader participation in these conversations? The perspective of caregivers of children and adults with disabilities is also often missing. David Axelrod discusses this problem in this July 2021 essay. According to Axelrod, what are the consequences for not including more stakeholders in policy making decisions for adults with disabilities? How might Garcia respond to Axelrod’s argument?

Comments

[Joshua C Kotula]

It is important to highlight the importance of making life for people struggling with autism easier, i have never really thought of autism this way, which i think is also important to see how it affects a person a daily basis.

[Joshua C Kotula]

It is important to highlight the importance of making life for people struggling with autism easier, i have never really thought of autism this way, which i think is also important to see how it affects a person a daily basis.

[Praveen Kandasamy]

1. Society views autism as something that should be eradicated and that those who are diagnosed with this decision aren't equals and that they are damaged individuals. However, Garcia views this stereotype as a mere pernicious idea. The reason why is because those that are not very educated about this subject may get a wrong idea when they see this message because they would start to think autism is something "bad" like a disease and that those who are diagnosed with it should be medicated. Because of this, Garcia disagrees with the way society views autism and believes that this should be fixed. Garcia also states that autism isn't like a disease and that there isn't a cure for it. In fact, he compares this to anti-vaxxers. Garcia shows evidence to this buy pointing out that in the 15 years that the Combating Autism Act has been initiated, there has been little to no evidence showing signs of a cure. 

2. The three challenges that Garcia refers to are the employment difficulties, unable to be eligible for the Supplemental Security Income because they aren't disabled enough, and also homelessness and poverty. The infographic supports Garcia's claim by showing evidence and graphs about the low rates of employment among those that are autistic. In addition, the infographic also shows that autism has the lowest employment rate across all disabilities. All these facts mentioned in the infographic support Garcia's idea. 

3. The third paragraph for example has many connecting devices used within it which shows great signs of transition within the paragraph. For example, in this paragraph, Garcia is connecting the fact that society is using their logic towards anti-vaxxers towards autistic people and Garcia uses the connecting device "therefore" throughout this paragraph to emphasize what effect this had on autistic people and how society viewed this entire community in general. In addition, throughout this paragraph, Garcia transitions from general beliefs that society has into more deeper, precise information about the effects these generalizations and stereotypes have on autistic people. 

4. The fact that there isn't much representation throughout government and important offices about autism and the effects they have causes the lack of broader participation in these necessary conversations. In the article given, Axelrold introduces to the audience to this daughter and the hardships she had to go through. Axelrod goes into depth about how her seizures affected herself and those around other and also throughout the article emphasized how hard it was for her to find a job or something to do after completing high school. This connects very similarly to Garcia's argument because he also argues that there is a lack of opportunity and employment for those who are disable throughout the country. 

[Lucas Shelley]

This article covers a lot about the subject which is good. A couple different things that you can get out of this.
1. People judge a book by it's cover, and they think that autism is bad and that if you have it then you are not capable anything. That is not the case in every situation. They should not be treated differently because they have Autism. In a sense they need to but not to the point where it is a big deal.
2. Another big issue is employment. Just because they have it does not mean they can not do the same jobs. It might take them longer or will need more help.
I think it is important to not let let their "disability" let that interfere with your view or how you treat them.

[Bryanna Cooper]

I think this article sheds light on the fact that more research should done when it comes to understanding autism. It is frowned upon because people don't really know about it. This disability shouldn't have a hold on the ones that suffer through it.

[Graclen Bass]

This topic really explained a lot about autism and how it effects one person and before I read this article I had never thought about autism like this. I think we need to do more research so maybe one day there will be a cure.

[Zach M]

I agree with Pravven first statement, “ Society views autism as something that should be eradicated and that those who are diagnosed with this decision aren't equals and that they are damaged individuals”. While I agree with this statement that society often highlights the indivuals are less than equal. I also believe that the individuals deserve help and the resources that give the the tools thrive in society.

[Bueno]

I agree with the author when he says, “Of course, autism is not a deadly disease like any of those other diseases, and the spike in diagnoses were caused by improvements in both diagnostic criteria and public policy”. Even though I agree with this statement, I also have more to say about the topic. I believe that in the autistic community there is a spectrum with how much help specific individuals need on a daily base and I believe there should be resources at their disposal.

[Isabella F]

This article was very eye-opening to me. I have worked with kids with autism in school and I saw first-hand how they struggled. I agree with the blog post before mine when they talk about how autistic people deserve help and all the resources that help them thrive in today’s society. I believe that if you give people the tools they need to succeed in the world, they will be able to. Autistic people sometimes need extra help for others in order to thrive in today’s society. In schools’ students with autism have personal teacher aids with them, that help them at school. These teacher aids are able to be there for the students and give them the tools to help them. These students were able to have the support and help they need. I believe that society shouldn’t treat autistic people differently just because they have a disability, they are still human and deserve to be treated equally. I have seen many autistic people thrive in life after high school because they had the help and the tools they need. If autistic people were provided the tools and help, they need to thrive, they would be able to just like everyone else.

[Samira]

As someone who has an autistic brother, I find this to be very important and glad to see its shined on. I agree with what the author says and hope that it's more eye opening to people.

[Danny]

When people hear the word “Autistic” they immediately think of someone who cannot make their own decisions and would require assistance at all times, which is not the case. As the author stated, it is not a fatal condition or any other type of disease, but society shouldn't classify them solely on their abilities. The government signed a law order to treat persons with autism and conduct studies into the condition's causes; however, there is no cure. I agree with the author because he discusses how they spend so much time researching how to treat autism instead of improving their lives. He means that ”Autistic” people have difficulties finding jobs; they are homeless and living in poverty. I'd never considered autistic individuals in this aspect before, and this article has made me realize how autistic people are trying to integrate into society. Still, the world is not hearing their voices. Even I am prone to assuming the worst. I thought that persons with autism were severely disabled and would constantly require support in their daily lives, but this was not the case. I'm pleased I came across this post because it made me reconsider how I regard individuals with autism and how I should start thinking of them as humans like me who can accomplish a lot in life. Based on my viewpoint and what I read in the article, the world should allow them to find their way in the future.

[lamia]

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[Netanya]

When someone hears the word “autism,” they visualize someone who has limited abilities. But, as Garcia had stated, “autism is not a deadly disease like any of those other diseases,” however many have this idea that “autism is something to be eradicated.” Although the rates of autism are rising, there have been limited findings on a cure or ways to help improve their lives.
It’s eye opening to see how people with autism are lacking the resources they need to succeed. Garcia explains how autistic people in their early 20’s have lower employment rates in comparison to their disabled peers or not having access to Supplemental Security Income because they appear not “disabled enough.” Something many people forget is that autism is a spectrum disorder, therefore each individual’s needs vary. It’s important to not let the “disability” influence our view on the individual because I believe that if you give the resources and tools people with autism need, they have the possibility to be as successful as everyone else.