December 20 article at New York Times site (subscription) reports on autistics questioning whether they can be “cured.”

I did some googling and found some of the research and commentaries mentioned in the articles.

Michelle Dawson wrote “The Misbehaviour of Behaviourists: Ethical Challenges to the Autism-ABA Industry.” This is a very interesting critique of historical and current autistism treatments and how we got to where we are today. Dawson is an autistic.

Kit Weintraub responded to Dawson in “Guest Voice: A Mother’s Perspective.” She is a mother of two autistic children that have been successfully treated with behaviourist methods. She does not seem very open to alternative ideas regarding autism.

“Don’t Mourn For Us” by Jim Sinclair (an autistic) argues that autistic children are just different and parents should learn how to communicate with them as they are and not try to change the.