Issues
Right here’s the chance: if these new powers are applied broadly, with out disability-specific safeguards, people with extreme autism may very well be swept into punitive methods.
For instance:
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A nonverbal grownup pacing, screaming, or bolting in public may very well be perceived as “harmful”
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An individual exhibiting self-injury is likely to be civilly dedicated beneath a psychiatric commonplace that doesn’t match
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Guardians might lose authorized decision-making energy beneath obscure definitions of “danger”
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Packages that middle on legislation enforcement moderately than care might criminalize behaviors rooted in neurological incapacity
We’ve got to be clear: extreme autism is not against the law. The aggressive or self-injurious behaviors some people exhibit are usually not acts of intent. There isn’t any “mens rea” (no want to hurt). These are signs of ache, misery, and unmet want.
With correct helps — medical care, behavioral remedy, environmental diversifications — many can reside safely and meaningfully in quite a lot of settings that meet their preferences, however they’re presently being left behind.
