Autism and Human Variation

Part of Love Arts Leeds Festival 2012

Autism is one of the most discussed medical conditions in contemporary society. It is also one of the most misunderstood. For many, it is a disability that poses serious difficulties in engaging with the world. For others, it is a welcome indication of the wide variation inherent in the human condition. Biomedical research that aims to discover the genetic and neurological basis of autism may lead to new forms of treatment, but is treating autism appropriate? Vast sums of money are being invested to find a ‘cure’ for autism, but some autistic people believe that the results of such research could be tantamount to genocide. In an era of genetic advances and prenatal screening, but also of disability rights and the acceptance of difference, what do we think we know about autism? Do we see it as part of our collective future, or as a condition we would rather be without?

topics:

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date:

Monday 22 October 2012

time:

7pm to 8:30pm

admission:

£5 waged / £3 unwaged

speakers/panellists:

useful reading:

salon partners:

Love Arts Festival is run by Arts & Minds, a project of Leeds & York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust: www.loveartsleeds.co.uk/