Challenges of Autism

Ari Ne’eman is a college student diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. He is the founder of the Autism Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN), which works to improve the public perception of autism. Ne'eman believes that autism is a different way of being and not a disease that should be cured. He talks with NHPR's Sheryl Rich Kern, and answers the following questions:

If there was a pill to make you not autistic, would you take it?

What does the term “neurodiversity” mean?

If your child attends public school, chances are they have a classmate who has difficulty speaking, behaves a little differently,  or just doesn’t seem to  socialize well.

A generation ago, we might have called these kids quirky, and that would have been the end of it. But today, an alarming number of these kids are being diagnosed with what’s called autism spectrum disorder.

A decade ago, the prevalence was one in 250. Today, it’s closer to one in a hundred. We still don’t know the causes of autism, and so there’s little hope of a cure.