A Zaney Life

🧩 June 18 is Autistic Pride Day: a day that celebrates neurodiversity, dignity, and the beauty of difference.

Autistic Pride Day reminds us that every mind brings its own brilliance, perspective, and way of experiencing the world. It is not about “fixing” differences, but honoring them.

Dr. Maya Angelou’s words continue to remind us that humanity is strongest when we make room for one another.

Acceptance begins with listening. Respect begins with understanding. Pride begins when people are allowed to exist fully and authentically.

Today, we celebrate individuality, inclusion, and the power of being seen.

How do you create space for others to be fully themselves? ✨

The Supreme Court has already decided that living in the community is a legal right.

More than 25 years ago, the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision affirmed that people with disabilities have the right to live in their communities and not be forced into institutions.

That ruling changed millions of lives. But a right on paper only works when people can get the support they need. That’s what Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) make possible.

Congress made the biggest cuts to Medicaid in history last year. Now, many states are considering options that could reduce access to HCBS.

Help keep the promise of Olmstead alive. Tell Congress to protect Medicaid HCBS and the right of people with disabilities to live in their communities. https://bit.ly/4fAVl54

When a child’s developmental abilities aren’t matched with what the environment expects, they can become dysregulated. When we push beyond what their nervous system can handle, whether it’s sensory overload, motor demands, or social expectations, this mismatch can heighten stress and reduce participation. "Meet kids where they are" is not just a soundbyte, it's necessary for connection, regulation and engagement.

What’s new? Definitely not the dehumanization of children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Sigh
P.S. This is ABA.

🚨 FDA Misses Deadline to Ban Electric Shock Devices Used on Children with Autism and Other Disabilities

As I highlighted in my post a few weeks ago, the use of electric shock devices on vulnerable children and adults with autism and intellectual disabilities continues at a single facility in Massachusetts.

This week, the FDA missed its self-imposed end-of-May deadline to finalize a ban on these devices when used to address self-injurious or aggressive behaviors.

These electrical stimulation devices (ESDs) deliver often-painful shocks via electrodes strapped to the arms, legs, or torso.

At the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center (JRC) in Canton, Massachusetts—which operates approximately 50 residences—some residents wear backpacks containing the devices, with staff using remote controls to administer shocks in response to targeted behaviors.

The center currently has around 347 residents, with roughly 54 receiving shock treatments.

The United Nations has condemned this practice as a form of torture.

The FDA has long determined that these devices present an “unreasonable and substantial risk of illness or injury,” citing potential physical harms such as burns and tissue damage, as well as psychological effects including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The agency has also noted a lack of strong evidence supporting long-term benefits.

This issue has a long history.

The FDA first attempted a ban in 2020, which was overturned in court.

Congress then granted the FDA explicit authority in 2022 to ban devices for specific uses.

A new proposal was issued in 2024, drawing near-unanimous support from public commenters, including disability advocates, psychologists, and medical professionals.

Yet the final decision remains pending, with no explanation from the FDA.

While some families report that the shocks have reduced severe behaviors when other interventions failed, the broader medical, psychiatric, and human rights consensus strongly opposes their continued use.

Mainstream psychiatry has moved away from such aversive methods, favoring positive behavioral supports and compassionate care.

Our most vulnerable children and adults deserve evidence-based, humane treatment—not punishment through electric shocks.

This practice has no place in modern care.

Contact the FDA and your elected representatives to urge immediate finalization of the ban.

For people with developmental and intellectual disabilities too often, “lacks capacity” really means “wasn't given a fair chance.” Capacity is not measured by how quickly someone understands an explanation that was rushed, full of jargon, or delivered only once. People with intellectual disabilities have the right to information presented in ways that make sense to them, with time to ask questions and support to understand. Before deciding that someone cannot make a complex decision, we should first ask whether we have done a good enough job of explaining it.
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ID: Text reads: People with intellectual disabilities are often judged to lack capacity without proper support to understand. Image shows a professional-looking person is talking to a support worker. The speech bubble reads: “Tom lacks capacity to make complex decisions.” Person with intellectual disability with a thought bubble: You explained it once. Badly.

How Corporate ABA Clinics Are Destroying Children's Nervous Systems

The Pediatric Burnout Factory How Corporate ABA Clinics Are Destroying Children's Nervous Systems (And what to do instead) A provider called The Perfect Child billed a New Jersey family more than $900,000 for a few months of in-home autism therapy. The family had been told they would not have to pay anything out of pocket. [wsj....