I Will Not Be Cured

Reuben Baron - Prozdor, Grade 8

I will not be cured. For some reason, there are many people who insist people like me need to be removed from this planet. I have Aspergers Syndrome, a mild form of Autism which makes social interaction in some situations difficult. It also give me high intelligence, a strong sense
of focus, and unusual levels of talent in things that interest me. And I'm happy. I'm no worse off than most 'normal people'. It's just that my weaknesses are in areas most people are stronger in, and vice-versa.

People who want to 'cure' Autism aren't making things better. I believe they are trying to eliminate an important part of human diversity. They want to kill the next Einstein, the next Bill Gates (personally, I'm no Microsoft fan, but to even have an opinion on it, you need to be pretty
geeky and as such more likely than most to receive an Aspergers diagnosis). I've been silenced in the past. Even my parents, despite their love for me, are unsure how to react to 'cure' groups. But I WON'T let anyone stop me from being who I am.