The Strength of the Autism Spectrum Community
I just reached 200 followers on Twitter. I’m humbled by the autistic community celebrating all members of the autism spectrum. I’ve also found that I have learned quite a lot.
I’ve written content about the Asperger’s and autism community for many, many years. When I created my AspergsAutismNews.com website, I thought of it primarily as a way to organize all of that content in one spot. I’d provide information on stimming, meltdowns, sensory issues, and so on. I thought of it as a useful collection of resource articles.
And then came the news about the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center. It’s practically in my own back yard, in Canton Massachusetts. Maybe an hour away at the most. It’s right here.
I HAD NO IDEA THEY WERE ELECTROSHOCKING AUTISTIC PATIENTS.
Even just writing that line flabbergasts me. We are in modern times! We are compassionate and understanding! And even here right in Massachusetts we are strapping electrical backpacks onto the bodies of autistic patients and then triggering them to zap DOZENS OF TIMES A DAY?
And people think this is OK?
They think it’s working? Even though those patients have to be repeatedly zapped every single day?
It’s upset me quite a lot (as you can probably guess). And it’s more upsetting that the FDA vowed to shut it down by the end of 2019 and here it is December 17, 2019, and the electrical zapping is still going on.
So my website has taken an entirely new focus. I am going to do my part to spread the word about this and to get it to end. Massachusetts is the sole remaining place this is done in the US. The one last bastion of torture. I will make sure I spread the word, get the voices raised, so that the senators and representatives feel the pressure. So they actually take action.
Those patients have no voice. They only know the pain. We have to be there for them.
Please, please, please. Write your senators and reps. If you’re in Massachusetts, put pressure on our states. If you’re outside of Massachusetts, write your own reps to get the FDA to make a ruling on this device.
We need to end this.
The image from the patent is part of a United States government patent filing and therefore is usable under fair use.
The image of candles showing the number 200 was purchased by me from DepositPhotos from user efesama.