Maddie Ziegler, prone restraint, autism and Sia’s movie: Everything that went wrong

Sia has deleted her Twitter account apologizing for some depictions of autism in her directorial feature film debut Music specifically the depiction of the restraint of an autistic character.

The film has stirred controversy for casting neurotypical actress Maddie Ziegler as a nonverbal autistic woman who constantly listens to music through her headphones.

Social media users and disability criticized one scene in which Ziegler’s character is shown being held in a prone restraint, a highly controversial, traumatic, and sometimes lethal practice that is largely opposed within the autism community.