US school for disabled forces students to wear packs that deliver massive electric shocks

[kpete]

Source: Raw Story

Mental Disability Rights International (MDRI) has filed a report http://www.mdri.org/PDFs/USReportandUrgentAppeal.pdf and urgent appeal with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture alleging that the Judge Rotenberg Center for the disabled, located in Massachusetts, violates the UN Convention against Torture.

The rights group submitted their report this week, titled "Torture not Treatment: Electric Shock and Long-Term Restraint in the United States on Children and Adults with Disabilities at the Judge Rotenberg Center," after an in-depth investigation revealed use of restraint boards, isolation, food deprivation and electric shocks in efforts to control the behaviors of its disabled and emotionally troubled students.

Findings in the MDRI report include the center's practice of subjecting children to electric shocks on the legs, arms, soles of feet and torso -- in many cases for years -- as well as some for more than a decade. Electronic shocks are administered by remote-controlled packs attached to a child's back called a Graduated Electronic Decelerators (GEI).

The disabilities group notes that stun guns typically deliver three to four milliamps per shock. GEI packs, meanwhile, shock students with 45 milliamps -- more than ten times the amperage of a typical stun gun.

Read more: http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0504/rights-group-files-urgent-appeal-alleging-torture-school-disabled/

[TwilightGardener]

1. What the hell?

[Divine Discontent]

21. HELL is a good word for it. people just can't wrap their tiny brains around the abuse of others

they justify it.

hopefully many residents of the state of Mass will speak up loud and clear to the gov!

[Dystopian]

137. I will.

This is sick.
Torture all around us...

Too much...
If it wasn't truth...it would be beyond belief.

Doing something, anything...

NOW.


peace~

[ensho]

2. good grief! this must stop immediately

nt

[conservdem]

135. One parent of a student a the place apparently wrote the following

to a Boston Globe story on this:

ProudParent wrote:
My daughter was turned down by as many as 10 other programs recommended by the NYC Committee on the Handicapped and was loaded with psychotropic drugs before entering this drug free program. She now enjoys regular trips to her favorite restaurants and is also rewarded by having her nails done frequently which she enjoys as wel as visits to favorite staff members and the reward store. She recently had a 58 day streak without any shock. That is a record for recent years, however, streaks half as long are not uncomon.
There have always been advocates that are against this program and all I can say is that they do not have a child like this and if they did, they would realize that the results of the severe head banning, bitting of hands and arms, punching and slaping of face and body, pinching of the same until skin is raw and bleeds on contact is profoundly more painful and healing is lenghty compared to a mere reddened skin that disapears in moments. Yes, it hurts, however the alturnatives are far more harmful and shocks have provided good results that I am able to have long telephone convasations and enjoy taking her out and having her home for enjoyable visits.

3/10/2010 10:18 PM EST


http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/03/09/shocking_truths/?comments=all#readerComm

I think 60 Minutes did a story on this place 5-10 years ago.

[Odin2005]

201. That "proud parent" deserves a smack in the face!

:puke:

[alfredo]

3. Grrrr. Had a friend who was attached to such a device. She wasn't disabled,

just a typical kid. She ended up committing suicide.

[earcandle]

47. The aristocracy who funds, builds and authorizes this shit has gone mad.

[alfredo]

82. the father was an evangelist.

[cstanleytech]

90. "aristocracy"? Ugh, its comments like that that make me cringe and wince almost

as bad as I wince every time Glenn Beck or Hannity open there mouths to speak. But anyway sure the shock thing is horrible but at the time it was introduced they probably thought it was the right way to treat them, hopefully though it will end now.

[No Elephants]

111. If they thought this was the "right" way to "treat" disabled people, they had to resist reality with

every fiber of their being.

Some people seem to be able to rationalize almost anything. That doesn't mean they are acting in good faith, though.

[cstanleytech]

185. Hey, you will get no argument from me about this not being the right way to treat these people

because the fact is it wasnt but as for what they believed back then...............*shrug*
You are free of course to cast stones on the people from way back then if you so wish though, just keep in mind what you cast can just as well be cast right back at you just as easy in 40 or 60 years.

[earcandle]

179. Unless you are blind, it is the ARISTOCRACY who funds, and deregulates, and passes laws that allow

America to be what it is at all times.  The rest of us are
pigeons.  Watching, swooping down to grab a bite on occasion. 

Prove me wrong, please.  I would welcome that bit of verified
news.  

[cstanleytech]

186. No, I'm pretty sure its not a "ARISTOCRACY", now a Plutocracy.......maybe.

[earcandle]

197. Hidden government? With C-Span pointing out how much money it takes to buy which of those bastards

in Congress?   

Look these are paid employees of our government treasury.  Why
are they getting lobbying money?  Why are they getting
campaign funds?  What is the point?  To buy laws and rules for
those who have all the cash?  This is mismanagement and fraud.
 Call it what you will.  It doesn't appear too hidden to me. 
It seems fucking obvious and it seems we have no law and order
anymore.  But we lock up and fine and penalize everyone else
that dares to break laws, speak out, or be right about
something they are doing wrong.... in my not so humble
opinion... IMNSHO.  

Everyone but these folks who seem to flaunt their immoral
means to trash our country and our treasure.

How come we are NOT out there rioting like the  Greeks? 
Because we are a bunch of fat, opinionated losers, or too god
damn crazy or just too lazy?  YMight miss something on the
fucking tv? 

I give up.  I have no faith, no hope and am wondering how bad
it will get before my time comes.  Wondering how can I plan
for disaster. 

But I do notice that people who pay all of this no mind at
all, are still having a good time and haven't a clue about how
bad it really is for a lot of people in the world.  They jolly
well know it is good for them and that is all that seems to
matter.  Maybe they are the survivors? 

[Odin2005]

202. Thjey also thought LOBOTOMIES were a good way to treat people.

[barbtries]

57. oh my gawd

was it here or elsewhere? i would think such an outcome might be somewhat predictable. i am shocked by this story. still have to click on the link but what i've read so far...

[alfredo]

84. This is why we are a nation of laws, otherwise we'd descend into barbarism.

[Jefferson23]

4. WTF? There is no reason in the world this should be happening

in our country God damn it.


snip* "A former employee of the center told an investigator, "When you start working there, they show you this video which says the shock is 'like a bee sting' and that it does not really hurt the kids. One kid, you could smell the flesh burning, he had so many shocks. These kids are under constant fear, 24/7. They sleep with them on, eat with them on. It made me sick and I could not sleep. I prayed to God someone would help these kids."

snip* The rights group investigation found that the Rotenberg center is the only known facility in the United States, "Or perhaps the world," that employs the use of electricity, long-term restraints and other punishments to deliberately inflict pain upon its children and then refer to it as "treatment." The electric shocks alone are cited as having possible long-term effects such as muscle stiffness, impotence, damage to teeth, scarring of the skin, hair loss, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), severe depression, chronic anxiety, memory loss and sleep disturbances.

This goes on in Ted Kennedy's state? This is surreal to me.



The JUDGE ROTENBERG CENTER (JRC) is a special needs school in Canton, Massachusetts serving ages 3-adult. For 38 years JRC has provided very effective education and treatment to both emotionally disturbed students with conduct, behavior, emotional, and/or psychiatric problems and developmentally delayed students with autistic-like behaviors.

[Moonwalk]

98. Autistic like behavior!? Excuse me? You get autistic-like behavior...

...from being autistic and believe me, you ain't gonna "cure" that with electric shocks. Autistics don't spin plates because they're being naughty and a "shock" will teach them to behave themselves. They do it because they think and feel differently and need to act differently. This has been known for a while. What's with this medieval torture shit? :mad:

[Jefferson23]

101. I know, the entire approach is fucking insane imo.

I have just begun to research the school, this story has been my first awareness of it. So far I have not read
one word at their website that speaks to whether they employ OT's certified in sensory integration as a means to help
the children with self injurious behavior. It appears medication is a no no too.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

5. Where might one procure such a device?

[Tuvok Obama]

95. The device is manufactured by the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:K2M5mmcRh3MJ:www.zapconnect.com/products/index.cfm%3Ffuseaction%3Dproducts_display_detail%26eregnum%3D1222743%26product_code%3DHCB%26owner_operator_number%3D9003264+Graduated+Electronic+Decelerator&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

GRADUATED ELECTRONIC DECELERATOR

Company Name
THE JUDGE ROTENBERG EDUCATIONAL CENTER, INC.

Address
240 TURNPIKE ST.

City, State, Zip
CANTON, MA 02021

Country
US

FDA Owner/Operator Phone
781-828-2202

FDA Medical Specialty Code
NE - Neurology

FDA Product Code
HCB

FDA Classification Name
DEVICE, AVERSIVE CONDITIONING

FDA Device Classification Code
Standards

FDA Regulation Number
882.5235

FDA Common Generic Name
GRADUATED ELECTRONIC DECELERATOR

FDA Proprietary Device Name
GRADUATED ELECTRONIC DECELERATOR

FDA Owner / Operator Number
9003264

FDA Owner / Operator Name
THE JUDGE ROTENBERG EDUCATIONAL CENTER, INC.

FDA Establishment Registration Number
1222743

FDA Registered Establishment Name
THE JUDGE ROTENBERG EDUCATIONAL CENTER, INC.

FDA Operation Code(s)
MM - Manufacturer

FDA Listing Date
05-04-95

FDA Listing Status Code
Active

[Frank Cannon]

203. On Triskelion

From three brains in a plastic dome.

[drm604]

Oh My God!

This is unbelievable. People should go to prison for this. :cry:

[Jefferson23]

6. Help the children, please call, email or fax MA's Governor Patrick.

Addresses, Phones and Faxes:
Please include your phone number on any written correspondence to facilitate a prompt response from the Governor's Office.


Boston, MA Massachusetts State House
Office of the Governor
Office of the Lt. Governor
Room 280
Boston, MA 02133

Phone: [phone]
888.870.7770 (in state)
Fax: [phone]
TTY: 617.727.3666


Email Form:
The following form helps us to process your submission in a timely manner while also controlling spam. Unfortunately we are unable to accept e-mail attachments because of the risk of Internet viruses. Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required.


http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3utilities&sid=Agov3&U=Agov3_contact_us

[FedUpWithIt All]

13. Email sent. Shame on them for looking away as vulnerable children suffered like this.

Horrible.

[Jefferson23]

25. Thank you, I'm going to keep bumping this thread. We can at least try

and flood his office.

As I write this, where is the AMA, American Pediatric Association, American Psychological Association on this nightmare?

If I understand correctly, this is an old story, so why the hell is it still going on?

Children as young as 3 years old can be enrolled there, I am sickened beyond words.

[FedUpWithIt All]

26. It is too disturbing to be believed.

They shocked a blind and deaf child because she was moaning from a broken tooth. :wtf: :mad:

Heads should roll.

[KamaAina]

37. Sadly, it's not just children

at one point, NYC was sending a lot of (mostly poor and minority) teenagers and young adults there. :grr:

[xxqqqzme]

46. This needs to go to Rachel Maddow

She is very forward w/ being a resident of Massachusetts. This sounds like it is right up her outrage alley.

I tried sending her a message last week and could not find the link. It appears everything is done on her blog.

[Jefferson23]

49. GREAT idea, thank you! n/t

[PSzymeczek]

136. Try [e-mail]

That is her business e-mail.

Edited to correct address.

[Election_Correction]

7. This isn't their first time in the news

I was searching for more info and I found this

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4022502&page=1

Looks like the Mass. Government knew about it almost three years ago and did nothing about it.

[Jefferson23]

9. Then they need to hear more of us yelling, this is disgusting and should be illegal!

[No Elephants]

114. Yet the story comes out again only now, when Patrick is up for re-election.

This will, I fear, sink him. And Massachusetts will have a Republican Governor as well as a Republican Senator.

It's a horrible story. For allowing this, Patrick deserves to lose, I guess. But Massachusetts does not deserve a Republican Governor. No way, no how.

[CoffeeCat]

8. This is the most disgusting thing...

...that I've read in years.

Why would you EVER have to shock a disabled student? Those students need more
patience, understanding and compassion than most human beings--because they
have physical or emotional challenges that are not their fault.

They require more patience. The LAST thing anyone should be doing is anything
punitive. Let alone torture!

What makes it even more sick--is that kids with emotional problems have probably
lived a lifetime of unhappiness and most likely abuse from their families. Emotional
problems are often coping mechanisms that arise from trauma. Instead of getting
help and understanding--these kids are being abused all over again. No where is safe...
not even school.

This is completely unbelievable. Sick. Absolutely mind blowing.

How in the world can this school get away with this?

And most importantly--what sick and abusive parent would allow their disabled child
to spend one second in this hell hole torture chamber?

[TwilightGardener]

11. I can't imagine how constantly frightened and confused they must have felt--

what a terrible, terrible way to live, not knowing when the next ZAP is going to come.

[gordianot]

10. This sort of thing has happened before, at that time even Republicans found it disgusting.

In the current mood I would say at least 25% of the United States sees no problem with torture even of the innocent and disabled or they simply deny it happens.

I am old enough to remember when the severely disabled were placed in what were called "screamer wards" and warehoused in total filth and neglect. Lets keep the tax cuts coming so we meet "conservative values" and return care to the level of the 1950's. :sarcasm:

A society should be judged by now they treat their most vulnerable. I am surprised we even heard about this, thank you for the article.

[barbtries]

58. i clicked on the pdf file

no time to read through it; i am at work. i noticed that the pictures included were from a connie chung report in 1994.

[web978]

12. Sounds like a teabagger's wet dream.

[Name removed]

75. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[FarLeftFist]

14. Who the hell is running that place, Pinochet?! n/t

[loudsue]

48. Prolly Rumsfeld or Cheney.

I can't believe this is still going on. We had a thread on this a little less than a year ago, and we called & threw a fit back then. What I want to know is WHO IN THE HELL KILLED THE INVESTIGATION INTO THIS?????

I want Michelle Obama on these people's ass right damn now. As a mom and advocate for kids everywhere, she'd surely be pissed.

[No Elephants]

115. Massachusetts Governor Patrick was elected with the help of Obama, who,

among other things, campaigned for Patrick and "lent" Patrick Axelrod. As you may recall, this later bit Obama when Obama, during his Presidential campaign, was accused of "plagiarizing" a campaign speech from Deval Patrick.

Patrick was national co-chair of the Obama Presidential campaign.

[Name removed]

77. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[alp227]

15. I thought electroshock therapy was obsolete already

Is this the real world or One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Sheesh...I thought America was better than this...but high schools are still banning gay couples from prom, a state passed a racial profiling law targeting people who "appear" to be illegal immigrants, and now a school for the mentally disabled practices an obsolete junk science.

[caseymoz]

22. Electroshock therapy is something totally different.

They're not talking about shocks to the brain, they're talking about general shocks to the body, and they're not calling it "therapeutic" because that's not how its intended. It's intended as punishment, restraint, and behavioral modification.

Electroshock therapy is still done, but it's called Electro-convulsive therapy. (ECT). It's purpose isn't to punish. They apply an extremely low voltage to the brain, after administering anesthesia and muscle relaxants. You don't remember a thing-- although it isn't pleasant when you wake up afterward.

[Cronus Protagonist]

41. I'm left wondernig how low is "extremely low"?

When you're talking about passing a current through the brain.

[caseymoz]

68. I don't know. I've had it done. It worked.

It took me out of my mortal depression-- fast. Again, the only thing I experienced afterward was a pretty dreadful emotional feeling for two hours afterward, not depression. I could only call it anxiety about what happened to you. I had a slight headache. Physically, the worst thing was that they missed my vein with the IV once. That was the only effect I continued to feel for more than a week. It's been 8 months now, and I don't think there was any memory loss.

There's not really too much point in saying its for punishment-- you don't remember a damn thing about it. The worst part is all the prep, the IV, the injections, the anesthesia, the muscle relaxants.

All doctors will tell you that the object isn't to put a shock into the brain; the object is to induce a seizure. It's the seizure, not the current, that has any therapeutic value. In history, they also tried things like insulin or CO2 to induce a seizure as well. It's a square wave pulse, so you don't get any extra current below the seizure threshold and its in a fast pulse. They'll generally (if the doctor is ethical) start with the lowest setting possible to induce a seizure, and if it doesn't work, they'll move up from there.

I've been in the hospital four times for bipolar. I'm not the only patient who says ECT is valuable-- a life-saver. I've heard about patients who have had negative things to say about it, but I don't know of any.

They're not going to be doing ECT for punishment, torture or behavior modification, when there are stun guns and these backpacks. It's legitimate and certainly not to be put in the same sentence as the abominations at this facility.

[No Elephants]

121. that is a brave post, casey. Kudos for being so open--and on a message board, too.

[badgerpup]

127. Carrie Fisher talks about having this treatment for her BPD...

...in Wishful Drinking.

She feels it's helped her more than anything else to control and deal with the symptoms of her bi-polar disorder...

Note the underline. It's not a "cure". She's still manic-depressive, only now she's got a handle on it.
"She's got problems, but problems don't have her."

Highly recommend listening to this...in her own voice. Carrie Fisher (aka 'Princess Leia") is absolutely farkin' BRILLIANT. :applause:

[tpsbmam]

134. Indeed, a brave post, Casey. And you're right

I've been on the treating end and had one patient who'd been treated for depression for years. When I first encountered her, she was in the hospital for what was about a 4th suicide attempt. She'd had about every type of treatment for depression you can imagine. In this hospital stay, she received ECT -- it worked in a way that no other treatments had worked. She'll have to be carefully followed throughout her lifetime, but while I was there (I left that hospital about 7 months later), she did well. That was a first for her.

[mwooldri]

31. ECT therapy is still very much in use ...

But it is for the vast majority of people with MI an elective procedure, carried out under controlled conditions in a hospital setting. But having backpacks that zap you in a school setting? Sorry if that was my kid - they're outta there, PERIOD.

[No Elephants]

116. Actually, electroshock therapy is back in use, albeit in an improved form. But, as another poster

noted, this "practice" is different from electroshock therapy.

Geez, if these kids and adults were dogs, the place would have been closed years ago and the perps jailed.

[Kadie]

16. WTF?

:wtf:


What the hell is wrong with people! Why are they doing this kind of stuff?

:wow:

[tblue37]

76. Mainly because they like to. You can't tell me that there are not sadists in that

facility who look for excuses to shock the kids and who get a big thrill out of doing it.

[D23MIURG23]

17. Holy shit. Completely fucking appaling.

Go figure that it would be some useless shit for brains judge behind this. Rehabilitation centers need to be run by people with real qualifications.

[defendandprotect]

18. Hard to tell the difference between Hitler's barbarism and America's these days -- !!!

What the hell is going on!!!

[BanzaiBonnie]

19. I've written to the governor of Massachusetts

and passed this information on to others. THis is one of the sickest things I've ever heard.

[Ozymanithrax]

20. These peple need to go to jail. n/t

[melm00se]

24. that seems to be the problem

and why these folks have appealed to the UN. They claim that federal statutes do not provide sufficient level of protection as the UN Conventions on Torture do.

[Ozymanithrax]

27. I have no problem with them being jailed by the internatioal court...

But the laws must change.

[Christa]

23. Sickening

This has to stop.

[ck4829]

28. Even more sickening, they're shown a VIDEO as to how it works

When you're a prison guard or a police officer, they don't show you a video showing you how a taser or pepper spray works. They hit you with the stuff.

Interesting how the administrators of this school don't ask any of teachers to volunteer to strap on one of these backpacks and get a shock. I guess they know that it goes too far.

Raising one's hand without permission is enough to be shocked, I think shocking would become a lot less common if the teachers had to experience it as well.

[awoke_in_2003]

55. "They hit you with the stuff"

And down here I believe you have to get yearly refreshers on use, where you will also get hit again.

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. WTF?!?!

[camio]

30. The school's rebuttal is an interesting read.

Something to think about.

[cornermouse]

35. Only if you're the Marquis de Sade.

[boppers]

36. Yeah, I thought so, too.

In short, their argument is:
"This treatment is less horrific and inhuman than the alternatives".

How many options of treatment are available for a child repeatedly attempting to claw out their own eyeballs, or the eyeballs of others, that are not disturbing or bizarre?

[Kelvin Mace]

166. That would be a compelling argument

except that they use the treatment on students who are not that bad off, and they use the shocking to punish things like speaking without raising your hand, which last time I looked, was not "clawing your eyeballs out".

Also, they have not demonstrated SCIENTIFICALLY that this works. Anecdotal is not empirical.

[friendly_iconoclast]

38. I'd like a rebuttal to: "Electric Shocks Can Continue at Mass. School After Hoax"

I'd also like to note that the place erased the surveillance tapes that showed this - after being ordered not to

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4022502&page=1


Electric Shocks Can Continue at Mass. School After Hoax
A Prank Caller Duped School Officials Into Shocking Students as Many as 77 Times

By EMILY FRIEDMAN
Dec. 24, 2007

A special education school where two emotionally disturbed students were wrongly given dozens of shocks after a prank call, will be allowed to use electric shock treatments on students for another year, the Associated Press reports...

...On Aug. 26, someone posing as a supervisor called in shock treatments on two students, aged 16 and 19. The teens were awakened in the middle of the night and given the shock treatments....


....A prankster, believed to be a former student of the Canton, Mass., school, reportedly posed as a member of the administration and phoned in instructions for shock therapy, according to a report by the Department of Early Education and Care, the organization that licenses the residential program at the school and is conducting the investigation.

Unaware that the phone call was a prank, school officials reportedly woke the two students up and delivered 77 shocks to one student and 29 to another -- informing both that it was punishment for misbehavior earlier in the day....

[tblue37]

78. The fact that they accepted and carried out those instructions suggests that the

"punishment" did not even seem unusual to them.

[enlightenment]

102. It certainly proves Milgram's theory, to a degree.

http://alevelpsychology.co.uk/social-psychology/social-influence/milgram-study.html

[mbperrin]

70. The school is a throwback to the discredited meanderings of the minds

of Watson and Skinner, who taught "behavior modification" and dispensed child-rearing advice that included never ever hugging a child or holding their hand, even to cross the street, to allow them to scream and cry unattended for as long as it took to stop, that mothers (nor fathers) should ever tell their children that they love them.

But as twisted as they were, even they admitted that punishment cannot be used in behavior mod - it does not work and undoes any possible good from the rewards being offered. The whole thing is externally oriented, so that subjects never internalize any of the behaviors - they'll have to be watched and punished their entire life to maintain the "behaviors" that the school wants.

Never mind that it's torture and will eventually kill any internal drive whatsoever in the individual so treated. This crap was obsolete by the 50s, for gawd's sake.The military liked it, because it alienated soldiers from their families and enabled them to become unfeeling killing machines, a form of induced sociopathy.

I don't often recommend a public whipping with a cat-o-nine tails, but these assholes deserve that and more - not because it will make them change, just for the satisfaction of hearing them scream. See, is there was a gawd, he could not allow crap like this go on and be a money-maker to boot.

[NoodleyAppendage]

143. Uhhh...no. Watson and Skinner have not been discredited. Their theories are well established.

And, if anything, behaviorism led to the current state of psychological sciences.

J

[mbperrin]

157. Might want to check the Wellesley Center, Bandura, and others

for current work into social enterprise, cooperative environments and such.

Watson, the drunk, and Skinner, the incomplete thinker (ever read Walden II, where he thinks he eliminated money? Just renamed it is all) are beloved by the military and other coercive agents who need to justify external control in place of internalization, but yes, they are obsolete.

Behaviorism is a dead letter. Ask yourself this: What if Pavlov had chosen to work with a cat, instead? Certainly Milgram has been shown the dustbin, although you can see where promoting the belief that it is normal for regular people to be able to inflict horrible pain on others is good once again for the military and other totalitarians, authoritarians, and paternalistic folk. What he proved of course, is that when people know they're in a university lab and that no real harm can come to someone, that it's safe to play along.

These guys and their ideas are antiques. Look into the newer folk I've mentioned here, as well as Zimbardo, all much more interesting and research-proven.

[CAcyclist]

164. Clicker training - google it

This thread is going way off topic, but behavior modification works quite well on a cat. I clicker-trained my aggressive cat very nicely. Behavior modification does not equal negative reinforcement.

[mbperrin]

167. Negative reinforcement is simply punishment by another name, and

punishment has no place in education.

I never said that animals could not be taught a single behavior using those principles. I'm saying people cannot be educated and become integrated members of society using those principles.

Thanks for helping me clarify.

It's not really off-topic, though, because the school is built on it, and if it is no good, the school should cease to exist, very much on topic.

[riderinthestorm]

189. I work with horses on a daily basis so I'm comfortable and familiar with behavior mod training

via the clicker method or round-penning etc. It's the best and most humane method of training right now. And yes, sometimes it's aggressive (for a horse, whoever "bites" hardest is the most dominant. The only way to establish dominance with a biter for example, is to 'bite" back harder - so much so that they never try it again.) Another example is lightly tapping (TAPPING - not whipping) a horse on the croup to step forward. Once they step forward the irritating nuisance is instantly stopped (ie forward motion is "rewarded" with the absence of the irritant). It's the most humane way to teach a horse to load a trainer....

This has also worked well with my own human children (and others I've known). While I praise and reward positive behavior profusely, sometimes negative behavior needs to be punished - visibly, obviously and yes sometimes cruelly ("time out chair", forcibly and aggressivly removing the tantrum-ming child from the grocery store over a scene over a coveted item, no park visits for a week after an especially horrific departure - this is torture, trust me on this etc.)

Parents exert negative reinforcement daily. And it works. It's a necessary part of the arsenal of raising a child.

I'm not a psychologist, I'm a horse trainer but to simply baldly label all negative reinforcement as "punishment" is completely simplistic imho.

Look, I don't know squat about the conditions of the children at this school. None of us do. It sounds pretty bad on the surface. But so does "whipping" a horse into a trailer....

[Jefferson23]

190. None of us know the conditions of the children at this school?

You could read the thread and the numerous attachments, until then, speak for yourself.

[riderinthestorm]

194. I just know from my own experience that there are two sides to every story.

I've had a client leave because we levelled the stall floors to remove the depression caused by removing the urine soaked limestone. She felt that was inhumane to the horse since they "needed" that depression (which is an ankle buster) for the urine to collect. That's wrong and not how stall maintenance works.

I've had boarders leave because we have (some stalls floored with) stall mats (they are "slippery", and cause the urine to collect and make the whole barn smell), and I've had boarders leave because we don't have stall mats (it's "dangerous" to have the horses stand in a stall with a limestone base covered in shavings). I've had boarders leave because I refused to buy blue water buckets (their horse will only drink out of blue buckets, not green. Doesn't matter that horses have a brain the size of a walnut and don't have the capacity to rationalize bucket colors....).

I commented only because I've been at the other end of complaints that I've cruelly treated horses (green buckets, I tells ya). Those people were CONVINCED they were right about what was appropriate for horses.

Those people doing the daily work in the trenches typically understand and know the situation far better than those on the outside.

I truly abhor what I've read in the links and the attachments. I have read them. But I also know that I'm not a psychologist, nor am I working with these kids daily. The parent testimonials are extremely persuasive for me. If the parents believe it's working for their child, and they would be the most motivated to call foul if their child were being abused, I'm not sure how we get in the middle of that. The combination of professionals, and the parents, advocating for this can't be brushed aside. What looks terrible from the outside, and especially how it's "reported" (their stall conditions are terrible....!11!!!) may not be truth at all. Stall mats ARE bad for old horses (who can't get up easily on the slippery surface), limestone can be bad for horses (prone to hock sores from the limestone).

There are people there doling out individual punishments. Monitoring the situation and trying to adjust behavior mod to some pretty damn difficult kids. I'm thinking the parents and admins are working together to get it right for the students. "Our" critique from the outside is helpful to exert necessary oversight but to come in and condemn automatically without the fuller picture of individual issues isn't productive imho.

Yes, yes, spare me the Bush era "pros" who also swore by torture to get results. This isn't that and it's a strawman to go there. These are families who are involved in the process who stand by it.

AS I said, there are two sides to every story and I honestly don't think we have the full picture here, yet.

Peace.

[Jefferson23]

195. The full picture is there, and has been for years, the politics of it is

clear too. If you ever take the time to read the evidence, you could make a determination as to what is going on there should
be illegal.

I have no reason to spare you the Bush era pros who also swore by torture to get results, because I never went there in the
first place. So keep your made up strawman for yourself.

On edit to add: The desperation of parents should never be a replacement for unethical unproven treatments. And there
are parents who took their children out of that hell hole too. More than a few of those children now lay buried in
a cemetery.

[NoodleyAppendage]

184. I think Zimbardo would disagree with your assessment of Milgram. Ever heard of the UC Prison Exper?

N/T

[mbperrin]

188. Yep, unethical, anecdotal, unscientific. 1971, 39 years ago.

Erich Fromm suggests that selection bias played a role, in that those predisposed to these behaviors volunteered for the "study."

Read Zimbardo's new book, The Lucifer Effect, and you'll find the social and cognitive elements that are current thinking. Or should we ignore the evolution of a source you want to use?

[NoodleyAppendage]

192. Will give it a read. Thanks for the rec. n/t

J

[Egnever]

100. agreed

there is no doubt the article brings the shock value, however after reading the schools rebuttal i would need to know much more before condemning them

[Kelvin Mace]

165. The school's rebuttal is horseshit

The science is unproven, the proponents refuse to publish peer-reviewed studies.

The staff is under constant surveillance, encouraged to rat on each other, and have to sign NDA prohibiting them from discussing anything that happens in the "school"

We used to call this stuff atrocities and prosecute them.

[snagglepuss]

32. .

[deacon_sephiroth]

33. K/R

my son is disabled

this story makes me angrier then I think I've ever been in my life.

[harry_pothead]

34. This is an atrocity.

I'm sending this link to a couple of my profs at the Credential Program. (If they don't already know about it)

[Desertrose]

39. What kind of people do this to children??

Seriously...what kind?

What kind of society shocks children, has millions of people living on the streets, forces you to prove you are a citizen,totally disregards the best interests of the planet in their greed for oil,money & power and then pays trillions to the ones who control their money after they loose it all while screwing over the rest of the population??

Can you really tell me this "democracy" is the best in the world??


SERIOUSLY??

[Danger Mouse]

128. What kind of people do this to children?

Sick, twisted freaks on a power trip.

[Kelvin Mace]

168. Parents who see sadism

as simpler than parenting.

[KamaAina]

40. I once had the dubious privilege of meeting JRC director Matt Israel

I was working at a school in NYC that primarily serves children with autism. For some reason, the director thought it would be a good idea to have Matt come over for a tour. :wtf:

Oh, how I wish I'd gone down to Canal Street beforehand and puicked up a joy buzzer: "Welcome, Matt! (bzzzzzzzzzt) So how do you like it?"

[CoffeeCat]

74. What was this subhuman creature like?

Was he as outwardly as disturbed as his torture school? Or was he typical
of most psychopaths--charming and skilled at hiding his sadistic tendencies?

[KamaAina]

81. He personifies Hannah Arendt's famous phrase "the banality of evil"

:eyes:

[KamaAina]

42. Still one step ahead of the law

JRC was founded in Massachusetts as the Behavioral Research Institute. Last time the heat was on them in Mass., they simply packed up and moved across the border to R.I.

Then a judge in Mass. cleared them, so they moved back. His name? Judge Rotenberg. And yes, I believe it is pronounced "rotten-burg".

[tblue37]

79. I wonder if he is getting some sort of kickback. nt

[femmedem]

118. I remember when they were in RI.

I almost applied for a job there...Behavioral Research Institute...working with children with disabilities...it sounded good. Then I read about the shocks. If I'm remembering correctly, they said the children were so profoundly disabled that they wouldn't react to milder stimulus. I was only in my '20's and not very sure of myself, but that sounded like it couldn't be right. I'm so glad I backed away from the job. And so glad they're finally getting called on their torturous methods. But I'm sick thinking about the pain they've inflicted all these years--and feeling sick I didn't do anything to stop it.

[KamaAina]

43. This clearly demonstrates how low people with disabilities are on our society's totem pole

in this case, right next to Iraqis at Abu Ghraib. :grr: :banghead: :argh: :nuke:

[BrklynLiberal]

44. I cannot properly express my astonishment and disgust!!!!

:mad: :puke: :wow: :grr: :nuke:

[pnwmom]

45. One former student's statement in response to a Boston Globe article.

http://www.judgerc.org/

snip

In the fall of 1999, JRC and my parents had decided that it was time to give the GED a try. I reluctantly agreed to the GED and decided not to fight JRC’s attempt to place me on the device. I figured that although unpleasant, the GED would deter me from displaying behaviors that would result in me being restrained and losing out on the rewards that came with the program.

In December of 1999, I was placed on the GED. For the first month or so that I was on the GED, I displayed few inappropriate behaviors, however, once I became acclimated to the fact that I was on the device and was aware of what the GED felt like, I would start displaying lots of more minor behaviors that were not treated with the GED. Once on the GED, instances of me acting out became fewer and more far in between. Although when my contract was broken, I would display lots of inappropriate behaviors, but I would be selective as to not exhibit GED behaviors, although I would occasionally slip up and receive a GED application. By the spring of 2001, it had been several months since my previous major behavioral incident. JRC then began to rapidly fade me off the GED (although the fading process started nearly a year prior, bouts of behavioral episodes impeded the fading process). In July of 2001, I was completely faded from the GED and was moved into a less restrictive residence (apartment), with a student/staff ratio of 4:1. In the apartment, I enjoyed many privileges, such as grocery shopping, going on weekly field trips to the movies, to the arcade, YMCA, local parks etc. I even attended a few sporting events, including the Providence Bruins, Harlem Globetrotters, and even a Red Sox-Yankees game at Fenway Park. I was also given independence to move about the residence and school unsupervised. All of these were privileges I could not even dream of prior to being placed on the GED. From September 2001-September 2002, I would have a few bouts of behavioral incidents and was placed on and off the GED. However, in October of 2002, I was faded from the GED for good. In the fall of 2002, I attended a culinary class at Blue Hills Technical school, and in November I worked in the computer department as an in school job. Also, I began preparing for the New York Regents exams, and in 2003 I began taking the Regents exams. In the fall of 2003, it became clear to JRC, my parents, and school district that I had accomplished all I could while at JRC and in January 2004 I was transitioned back to public school in New York and mainstreamed. I moved to Florida in August of 2004 and graduated from high school with honors in May 2005. Since then, I took and passed a couple of college courses and had a few jobs, including a seasonal position working for a bank as a data capture specialist, a job that I obtained because of my quick typing skills that I acquired while at JRC. Currently (as of March 2010) I am employed at a call center working as an IT assistant and data entry clerk. I’m very active with my church and currently head up some of the functions within the church. Although I have lived independently since leaving JRC, I currently live with my parents, which I don’t mind all that much because that makes it much easier financially on both them and I.

About the GED, it saved my life. There are lots of opponents to this controversial, yet potentially life-saving treatment, and understandably so. For someone who has never had the kind of problems I had nor has dealt with anyone who has my kind of problems, when hearing about the GED for the first time, it is only natural to cry torture. However, in reality, being on the GED is a much nicer alternative than being warehoused in a hospital, incarcerated, or being doped up on psychotropic drugs to the point of oblivion. A brief 2-second shock to the surface of the skin sure beats out spending my days restrained and drugged up on drugs and not making any academic progress. I did not like being on the GED when I felt like acting up because it prevented me from being able to do so. But in the end, I’m thankful for the GED because of the enormous progress I made with it and have continued to make once I no longer needed it.

SNIP

[Jefferson23]

52. To suggest that he could not have made accomplishments without

this disgusting practice is absurd. That he made accomplishments in his life is no endorsement for what they are selling, he survived
in spite of this hideous practice, not because of it.

[pnwmom]

109. And yet it is his opinion. nt

[Jefferson23]

112. An opinion based on no alternative comprehensive treatment. n/t

[pnwmom]

124. Did you read the full letter? He had years of treatment before this. n/t

[BanzaiBonnie]

63. Hmmmm... wonder if another way would get the same results

and what is the long range outcome. How many will spend their whole lives at JRC?


And no other state has any institution that uses this? That says something to me.

[pnwmom]

110. His letter details the other types of treatment that he had undergone, including

an extensive list of drug therapies and positive and negative reinforcements.

[Jefferson23]

113. And that proves what? Medication and positive and negative reinforcements

are not the only alternatives. That is what is so sad about this story.

[pnwmom]

123. But we don't really know what else would have worked in his particular case.

Only that he feels this helped him.

[Jefferson23]

129. Of course I read his full letter, and it does not change the fact that

he for one, had no choice to be there. He had no access to other alternatives other than those he listed prior to enrollment. That he succeeded
in life does not in any way give justification for stated practices to continue.


Have you read this?

The school has about 220 students from seven states, including Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Ohio, New Hampshire and Florida.

The director of the Judge Rotenberg Center testified at a Massachusetts legislative hearing that one student received 5,300 electric shocks in one day. In his testimony, he stated that over a 24-hour period, this student, a teenager who weighed only 52 pounds, was strapped to a board and subjected to an average of one shock every 16 seconds.

It is of concern to the signers of this letter that the Judge Rotenberg Center spent almost three million dollars of public funds (Medicaid and state education funds) on its lobbying efforts to continue the practices described in government reports.

http://www.educationnews.org/ednews_today/59610...

[cornermouse]

73. Some facts about autism from 2 reputable sources.

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders, characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior. Autistic disorder, sometimes called autism or classical ASD, is the most severe form of ASD, while other conditions along the spectrum include a milder form known as Asperger syndrome, the rare condition called Rett syndrome, and childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (usually referred to as PDD-NOS). Although ASD varies significantly in character and severity, it occurs in all ethnic and socioeconomic groups and affects every age group. Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will have ASD. Males are four times more likely to have ASD than females.

Children with ASD appear to have a higher than normal risk for certain co-occurring conditions, including Fragile X syndrome (which causes mental retardation), tuberous sclerosis (in which tumors grow on the brain), epileptic seizures, Tourette syndrome, learning disabilities, and attention deficit disorder. About 20 to 30 percent of children with ASD develop epilepsy by the time they reach adulthood. While people with schizophrenia may show some autistic-like behavior, their symptoms usually do not appear until the late teens or early adulthood. Most people with schizophrenia also have hallucinations and delusions, which are not found in autism.

http://www.autism.com/autism/overview.htm

Many autistic individuals seem to have an impairment in one or more of their senses. This impairment can involve the auditory, visual, tactile, taste, vestibular, olfactory (smell), and proprioceptive senses. These senses may be hypersensitive, hyposensitive, or may result in the person experiencing interference such as in the case of tinnitus, (a persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears). As a result, it may be difficult for individuals with autism to process incoming sensory information properly.

Sensory impairments may also make it difficult for the individual to withstand normal stimulation. For example, some autistic individuals are tactilely defensive and avoid all forms of body contact. Others, in contrast, have little or no tactile or pain sensitivity. Furthermore, some people with autism seem to 'crave' deep pressure. Another example of sensory abnormalities is hypersensitive hearing. Approximately 40% of autistic individuals experience discomfort when exposed to certain sounds or frequencies. These individuals often cover their ears and/or tantrum after hearing sounds such as a baby's cry or the sound of a motor. In contrast, some parents suspect their children of being deaf because they appear unresponsive to sounds.

Further down in the article, Dr. Temple Grandin who is, herself, autistic. Read the paragraph about the treatment she devised for herself and then think about the cruelty involved in putting a "shock jacket" on someone who has hypersensitive skin.

As mentioned earlier, many autistic individuals have sensory impairments. Sensory integration techniques are often used to treat dysfunctional tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive senses. Some of the techniques involve swinging a child on a swing in various ways to help normalize the vestibular sense and rubbing different textures on the skin to normalize the tactile sense. In addition, an autistic woman, Dr. Temple Grandin, developed a hug machine which provides the individuals with deep pressure which appears to have a calming effect on the person.

[Solly Mack]

50. WTF

I'm speechless

[Angry Dragon]

51. K&R

[Trillo]

53. Schools? Delivering shocks?

Say it ain't so.

[Tailormyst]

54. OMG

[LisaM]

56. This is a charter school, BTW

I looked up a list of Massachusetts charter schools, and there it was. So tax dollars are funding this crap.


http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/profiles/general.aspx?topNavId=8001&orgcode=50480101&orgtypecode=95&

[Dinger]

191. Well, Well, Well

Interesting, and sad.

[Ilsa]

59. As the mother of a disabled child (severe autism), this grotesque

treatment both angers me and saddens me in the extreme. How could "professionals" do this to helpless citizens?

[Blackhatjack]

60. So I guess the numbers are in, must be 'safe' to use on the general population

I tell you the degradation of civil rights and watering down of torture prohibitions leads to just this kind of conduct that should not be tolerated.

[Jefferson23]

61. Just look at the table of contents from the report, and please contact

the Governor of Mass. Perhaps email your local news paper, let's try and help bring this practice to an end.

Urgent Appeal to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture
Presented by:
Mental Disability Rights International
1156 15th Street NW, Suite 1001
Washington, DC 20005
www.mdri.org


Critique of aversive treatment from research and policy ................................................................................... 10
Findings: The Use of Aversives at JRC .................................................................................................................... 12
Electric shock................................................................................................................................................... 12
Restraints ........................................................................................................................................................ 15
Provocation of bad behavior ............................................................................................................................. 18
Food deprivation ............................................................................................................................................. 19
Creating social isolation ................................................................................................................................... 20
Aversives for harmless behavior ....................................................................................................................... 20
Lack of Legal Protection against Torture and Ill-Treatment .................................................................................... 21
Protections under International Law ................................................................................................................. 22
Pain is severe ............................................................................................................................................... 23
Pain is inflicted intentionally ......................................................................................................................... 25
Pain is inflicted for a prohibited purpose ....................................................................................................... 25
Acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity ............................................... 28
Lack of protection under Federal Law ............................................................................................................... 28
Lack of protection under State Law ................................................................................................................... 29
Massachusetts law permits torture or inhumane treatment .......................................................................... 31
Laws on physical restraint violates Convention against Torture ..................................................................... 32
Domestic Remedies Have Failed ........................................................................................................................... 33
Futility of current oversight regime ................................................................................................................... 34
Deaths and subsequent legal challenges ........................................................................................................... 35
New York’s attempts to limit use of aversives ................................................................................................... 37
Recent incidents of abuse ................................................................................................................................ 38
Massachusetts recertification in 2009 ............................................................................................................... 39
Conclusions and Recommendations ...................................................................................................................... 41
Appendix 1 – Media Coverage of the JRC .............................................................................................................. 43
Appendix 2—JRC Employee Confidentiality Agreement ......................................................................................... 45

http://www.mdri.org/PDFs/USReportandUrgentAppeal.pdf

[Trillo]

87. Oh my.... its like a war.

From linked report

Provocation of bad behavior

One component of treatment at JRC is referred to as the behavioral rehearsal lesson (BRL).95 Students are restrained and GED administered as the student is forcibly challenged to do the behavior the punishment seeks to eliminate. JRC students are sometimes induced to exhibit a behavior for which they will receive a shock punishment. Students endure surprise mock attacks and threatened stabbings by staff, which compel them to react with aggression, fear or screaming – deemed unacceptable or inappropriate behavior – for which they are subject to more shock for their reactions.

One cannot help but have thought sequences to concepts of war, one can more easily understand how a culture that has this as a professional standard of accepted behavior can also rationalize the torturing of prisoners of war.

[Jefferson23]

93. Sadistic and the practice needs to end.

[cutlassmama]

99. Wonder how many will grow up with PTSD or become serial killers

[barbtries]

62. website for the place:

http://www.judgerc.org/

they appear pretty much committed to continuing to torture students, and have testimonials on their webpage of success stories.

55% of their students are subjected to this "treatment."

i am so, so thankful that i have four children and even though we went through rocky times, their behavior never went beyond the pale as apparently these children's have.

i need to research more. i can't help thinking that it may be a chicken/egg question. a lazy/absent/overworked parent issue in some cases. lack of love. it is very, very hard for me to believe that a child is born with the behaviors that would even come near justifying such a response.

[Jefferson23]

67. Children are born with disorders that do greatly impact their ability

to learn and cope with every day demands of life. I imagine the parents are desperate, and or in denial as to what is being done to their
children. As well, some of the parents have taken their children out of that hell hole too.

But regardless, this population does not deserve to be tortured under the false assertion of "treatment", and I am suspicious as to
why this institution seems to be so against medication.

This story is new to me too, I'll be reading more about it myself. I don't understand how they get away with this, and where
is the ACLU?

[barbtries]

80. read the comments at raw story

this has been out there at least since 2007. :nuke:

[Drops_not_Dope]

104. JUDGE BACKS DISCIPLINE AT INSTITUTE FOR AUTISTIC - NYT

JUDGE BACKS DISCIPLINE AT INSTITUTE FOR AUTISTIC
By FOX BUTTERFIELD, SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: June 5, 1986

http://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/05/us/judge-backs-discipline-at-institute-for-autistic.html

24 years ago. Before torture was acceptable. :sacasmthingy:

[Jefferson23]

119. Thank you for the link. I'm curious about many statements the judge makes.

But clearly, this was not the last word on the case, Ms. Leonard is recorded as saying she intended to appeal.

I would also like to read who these medical experts were and their testimony that so persuaded the judge.

[Drops_not_Dope]

138. You might find this interesting

http://www.judgerc.org/Settlement%20Agreement.pdf

AND This:

http://www.autcom.org/articles/EffectiveTreatment.html

[Jefferson23]

153. This school and the legal history behind it is amazing, so thanks

again for the info.

From your second link:

In 1991 IARET member Matthew Israel, who founded and directs the Behavior Research Institute's operations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, felt that IARET's advocacy efforts could be enhanced. In a 3-page letter, he suggested that members put a pre-composed letter on file: "We could then individually address the letters to each addressee, personalize each letter for the number of the bill or regulation in question, and then send the letters back to you for your review, signature, and mailing." Israel promised that BRI staff would donate, in their spare time, secretarial and organizational skills.

Coincidentally, Israel's letter also reminded IARET members to write against an anti-aversives bill pending in Massachusetts. The bill did not pass, and Israel's Behavior Research Institute continued to treat students with disabilities with manacles, 4-point restraints, weeks and months of isolation, and up to 200 electroshocks a day via a powerful, unprecedented remote-control device, the Graduated Electronic Decelerator (GED), which is worn 24 hours a day, every day, and which has been reported to cause burns on the skin of about a third of the students against whom it is used.

How anyone can defend this is beyond me.

[bethfully]

86. I totally agree

Behaviors in children can be extremely severe and often not properly understood and difficult to treat. But that is NOT a reason to TORTURE them! And I'm equally suspicious about the vilification of medication (which isn't always perfect but has saved lives for many) and the absolute lack of freaking oversight. There should be some objective account of what they're doing and why. Either they're doing what the report says they're doing, effectively torturing kids, or not. Why is there no credible governing body to provide effective oversight, if these are indeed the worst of the worst cases? Who is responsible for watching them?!? It makes me sick how our society throws difficult kids/people away by ignoring those who care for/torture them--essentially making them (kids and caregivers) invisible. Reminds me of the judge and juvenile correction facility working together to put teens away in a violent and abusive center for financial gain (in PA I think). There are so many true monsters among us, but they aren't recognized or held accountable. But by god if you want to remove a feeding tube or terminate a zygote, you're an easy target to be held up as a moral failure. Ugh.

[Hekate]

64. What? WHAT?! BF Skinner was more humane to his damn rats than these people are to children!

Christ on a trailer hitch. The mind reels.

The perps belong behind bars where they can no longer hurt those in their power.

Hekate

[Kitty Herder]

65. I have no words.

This makes me so angry and so physically sick that I'm sitting here trembling in my chair.

[madrchsod]

66. so the state officials in massachusetts looked the other way....

looks like there`s a lot of people responsible for not monitoring this facility and a lot of people who will have to answer for their silence.

i`m having a hard time trying to understand just exactly what is their conditions.

got to go.....

[BanzaiBonnie]

69. I believe Mr. Israel should be investigated

Someone should do an evaluation of him. His mental health seems flawed. It seems highly likely that he is some sort of sociopath or sadist.

He has perverted BF Skinner's studies for motives of power, profit, or both.

[Danger Mouse]

130. I remember hearing about this sick asshole a couple years back.

:puke:

[jillan]

71. Some of these children may not even understand why this is happening to them.

I know my daughter wouldn't.

Omg - I could just sit here and cry my eyes out for these children.:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[ironrooster]

72. How very "Dickensian"

More soup please..... NO! Zaaaaaaaaaaaap!

[NoodleyAppendage]

83. These kids would beat their heads into a bloody pulp without severe behavioral control.

What's missing from this reactionary news screed is the general level of functioning in the individuals receiving the behavioral correction. We're talking about severely developmentally disabled people here. People who would do more harm to themselves than these shocks could ever produce (temporarily). So, for all those knee jerks around here, please tell me how you would go about stopping a 13 year old severely disabled child from repeatedly banging his head into a wall, so much so that he has bone fractures and brain injury? Because that's what we are talking about here.

J

[Jefferson23]

91. This is not a knee jerk reaction, there are numerous treatments for

self injurious behavior, and they DO NOT involve this despicable device. Keep in mind how non advanced our health care
system is, and when and how children receive appropriate services, not always in a timely manner when said behaviors should be
addressed.

If you are aware of Ivar Lovass, even he learned that harsh aversives have an unintended consequence, which is, the practice
has produced the patient/student tolerating a great deal of pain...the targeted behavior as a result does not become
extinguished for long. Then the amount of pain must be increased to sustain the preferred behavior, Lovass has long abandoned harsh
aversives.

Furthermore, this school has taken a great deal of latitude to who they apply this treatment and how often.

Children as young as 3 years of age are accepted in this school!

[FedUpWithIt All]

103. And the blind and deaf girl who was shocked for whimpering because her broken tooth caused her pain?

Should you actually READ the report before you call others responding to it "reactionary"?

[Iowa]

108. Oh c'mon, this isn't rocket science...

"...please tell me how you would go about stopping a 13 year old severely disabled child from repeatedly banging his head into a wall, so much so that he has bone fractures and brain injury?"

OK...

1) Protective head gear. 2) Hiring enough staff to provide supervision and stimulation.

See? That wasn't so difficult, was it?

Do you really think decent facilities all over the world have been standing by as severely disabled kids beat their brains out? And now these geniuses have finally solved the problem by zapping the shit out of them? Think it through, man. People have been managing these kinds of issues all over the world, 24/7, for many, many years without torturing the people in their care. This is not a new problem.

It's amazing that anyone would so easily buy into these abhorrent practices.

[NoodleyAppendage]

142. The problem rests with the critics. The technique works, so which is better...

...supposedly humane non-effective treatments that do nothing to ultimately correct self-injurious behavior or punishment/operant-related shocks that have been proven over and over to be effective in longterm behavioral control?

J

[Jefferson23]

145. Supposedly humane non-effective treatments? If you can't tell

the difference I don't know what I can say. As far as proven effective, says who, Israel? Aversives were abandoned a long time ago
by Lovass, and I told you why.

The success of how many children vs how many remain unable to function yet the pain is increased over and over again despite the fact that
the alleged treatment is NOT working.


The problem does not rest with the critics, it rests on the children who are subjected to this hideous treatment.

[NoodleyAppendage]

146. So, I guess you'd prefer to medicate/sedate them? That's not treating...only controlling sx. n/t

J

[Jefferson23]

152. Not everything is either or, what goes on at that school should be

illegal.

Other treatments include today, Relationship Development Intervention, Sensory Integration, Behavior Modification, ABA,
and yes, some medication.

[FreedomRain]

159. answer the question or stop apologizing for these jerks

you refused to answer the question
in post 103.

There may be cases that require this sort of thing. That ain't one of them. The bad judgement there (and the other cited cases like the "prank" and the "war") makes the entire program suspect. You know damn well that the worst things done to these kids will never be known.

Answer 103.

[Kelvin Mace]

174. Each child is an individual

and each case requires tailored treatment. One shock fits all is not treatment.

[Iowa]

155. Wrong on all counts...

1) First of all, there is no credible evidence that this "works". This is all based on long discredited thinking.

2) The burden of proof always lies with those who are making extraordinary claims. I think it's reasonably safe to presume that this will go down in history alongside other barbaric practices, such as bloodletting, which was believed by some to "work" at the time.

3) But most importantly, there are some things you just don't do, even if it "works". Lobotomies "work". Torturing prisoners is believed by some to "work". The point is, we don't support atrocities because they "work". This is something that most people understand intuitively.

[Kelvin Mace]

173. There is NO evidence this treatment works

Please point to a scientifically valid paper confirming its effectiveness.

Simple request.

[FreedomRain]

158. ignore this post

*resubmitted in appropriate place*

[knitter4democracy]

139. I teach those kids. This is inhumane, and it's torture.

Read that list of their student body again: kids with mental illnesses of all kinds, kids from difficult backgrounds, kids with all sorts of conditions (in other words, not just the scenario you suggest).

One of my students was so depressed and acting out so much that her parents sent her off to Utah to a camp for teens that gave her a tarp, a water bottle, and a knife and sent her and 6 others out into the wilderness. She maintains that it helped her to rock climb and put herself and her safety at risk every day (she didn't know how to do much of that beforehand), but all I could hear was the sadness in her voice at remembering how difficult it was and how her parents had just shipped her off. It turns out she's a poet--an amazing one, the kind we English teachers only see once a career, if we're lucky. She's never fit in because she's a poet, but everyone sure has tried their darndest.

One of my students had such a rough winter that I spent all evening sobbing about it one night, hurting for him and so angry at what his parents were doing to him. He's turned to music to save himself, though he still fights the cutting and other self-destructive behavior.

I teach those kids. I give them side hugs (considered safe at our school), I knit baby sweaters for the preggers mamas, and I do my best to tell them every day that they are loved and have potential they don't even know yet. The idea of putting those backpacks on their backs to shock and control them makes me physically ill. It wouldn't work--it would break them, break them worse than they already are broken. Oh, sure, they'll learn to change their behavior, but they won't own it, and it'll break their fierce spirits.

The kids I have who damage themselves like that have reasons for it. Deal with the reasons, and they get better. Punish them, and they get worse.

[Jefferson23]

154. +100

[Kelvin Mace]

172. Again, this excuse is meaningless in the face of the evidence

- The "treatment" is mostly administered to children who are NOT as extreme as you describe.

- Shocks are administered for petty reasons, and in some cases excessively (thousands of time a day)

- The is ZERO peer reviewed evidence to back up the claims of effectiveness of this "treatment".

- Anecdotal evidence is not proof of effectiveness.

- The administrator and the school already have a record involving deaths of children in their care.


Let's just look at this one incident:

In 1985, Vincent Milletich, an autistic 22-year-old, suffered a seizure and died after he was put in restraints and forced to wear a white-noise helmet. Five years later, 19-year-old Linda Cornelison, who had the mental capacity of a toddler, refused to eat. On the bus to school, she clutched her stomach; someone had to carry her inside, and she spent the day on a couch in a classroom. Linda could not speak, and the staff treated her actions as misbehaviors. Between 3:52 p.m. and 8 p.m., staffers punished her with 13 spatula spankings, 29 finger pinches, 14 muscle squeezes, and 5 forced inhalings of ammonia. It turned out that Linda had a perforated stomach. She died on the operating table at 1:45 a.m.

http://motherjones.com/politics/2007/08/school-shock?page=3

This guy is a sadist, and anyone who advocates for this treatment is either badly deluded or a sadist.

[Odin2005]

199. Oh look, an apologist for torturing autistic kids!

Your post is so full of ignorance I don't no where to start. :puke:

For one thing, much of those behaviors are the result of morons triggering autistic meltdowns from sensory overload. And haven't you heard of protective headgear?

[Jackpine Radical]

85. I once supervised a shock program.

One person in a facility with about 600 residents got the shocks. The shocks were given as the only effective way we knew to interrupt the person from hitting himself and otherwise causing deliberate injury to himself. In order to get approval for the program, we had to have a carefully constructed behavior treatment plan that specified the precise criteria for giving the shock, the client's reactions to the shock, the frequency of the target behavior, and whether the rate of shocks was increasing or decreasing. Final approval was given by a special state-level Behavioral Treatment Program. The program was also reviewed monthly by a committee of people who included our own staff, staff from other treatment centers, and concerned citizens from the community. The poor guy got a lot of shocks in the beginning, but was getting about 1 every week or 2 during the maintenance phase of the program. He also wasn't doing injury to himself. And by the way, anyone authorized to give the shocks had had to go through a careful training program, part of which included receiving the shocks themselves so that they had a very clear idea of what they were doing to the patient.

I wrote a lot of behavior programs in that place. Almost all relied solely on reward to attain behavioral regulation. In a lot of cases--most, in fact--we were able to replace antipsychotic medication with behavioral treatment. And I'm talking about the old first-generation antipsychotics: Thorazine, Mellaril, Navane and the like. I haven't worked in a place like that in 20 years. But if I were in the same situation again, I guess I would use the aversive shock device again if it were the only way I knew to stop the patient from doing very serious, tissue-damaging self-injury.

On the other hand, there have been some incredibly harsh and brutal punishment-based programs using electric shocks, nauseating smells, cold-water sprays in the face, etc., apparently with little or no outside regulation. Some of them even ended up killing people.

So I guess I would like to know a lot more about this program before I jumped on the bandwagon to criticize it.

[JCMach1]

89. Jackpine is right not to jump the gun here... I saw a documentary on this school

and while I was very skeptical at the beginning, the treatments seemed to work with cases where absolutely nothing else would.

I would hesitate to rush to judgment here until everyone is heard out in this case.

[Jefferson23]

92. To suggest there is no better nor more appropriate way to deal

with self injurious behavior is simply not true. And the school uses the device for behavior that is NOT
self injurious.

[Jackpine Radical]

141. There may very well be better and more appropriate ways to deal with SIB.

However, we did not know what they were, and we had tried everything we could think of, from Naloxone to response prevention, without results. This was 24 years ago, by the way. The available literature offered no other methods that we had not tried. I, however, await your words of wisdom. What are those better ways? And, more to the point of my case, what ways were there in 1986? You apparently have access to some portion of the clinical literature that I shamefully neglected. Please help me by letting me know, in your obviously superior wisdom, judgment and knowledge, what I should have done differently.

[Jefferson23]

150. This treatment exists today, and under what justification? And my

response was not to you, as you made it clear when and who and how many individuals you were treating, and the level of supervision. Another contrast to Mr Israel and the behavior group you worked under should be obvious, yours included medication, his center is against the use of it.


This is what you are responding to that I wrote to another poster: "To suggest there is no better nor more appropriate way to deal
with self injurious behavior is simply not true. And the school uses the device for behavior that is NOT
self injurious." (end)

The current state of, that was my meaning, "there is no better." Although break throughs were discovered back then but not widely used
as an accepted practice today, not as a lone treatment but in a collaborative treatment.

Ayres Sensory Integration

http://www.siglobalnetwork.org/asi.htm








And save the rest of the snark you wrote for someone who might care.

[GodlessBiker]

97. Sometimes torture does give you the desired results. Do the ends justify it?

[JCMach1]

149. All I can say is in the documentary I saw the damage kids were doing was far far worse

than the therapy we are talking about. Some of them were not just damaging themselves, but those around them too.

On the snarky side-- medicating them into submission is SO MUCH MORE humane!


Hey, but I am feeling more rational than snark... drugs OR this therapy has the POTENTIAL for abuse. I just think we need to hear the full-story before jumping to conclusions.

[Kelvin Mace]

178. Again

WHO made the documentary?

Anyone can make a documentary. I can make one that demonstrates that routine torture of prisoners results in fewer criminals.

As long as I don't have to back up my claims with facts, it's easy.

[Kelvin Mace]

175. A documentary?

By who? Based on what scientific criteria?

I do rush to judgment when children are being tortured.

I can show you a "documentary" where a fine upstanding citizen will tell you he can "cure" gayness. His cure is so effective they caught him coming back from vacation with a prostitute he hired on "rentboy.com"

[NoodleyAppendage]

144. Thank you! The first sensible post on this thread! n/t

J

[MannyGoldstein]

160. Thanks for Pointing This Out - It May Be The Least Horrible of Alternatives

Sometimes there are no alternatives that aren't awful. In this case, I know that the parents are quite supportive of the program, e.g.,:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/nyregion/25shock.html

“I understand people who don’t know about it think it is cruel,” said Susan Handon of Jamaica, Queens, whose 20-year-old daughter, Crystal, has been at Rotenberg for four years. “But she is not permanently scarred and she has really learned that certain behaviors, like running up and hitting people in the face, are not acceptable.”

Indeed, Rotenberg is full of children who will run up and hit strangers in the face, or worse. Many have severe types of dysfunction, including self-mutilation, head banging, eye gouging and biting, that can result from autism or mental retardation. Parents tend to be referred there by desperate education officials, after other institutions have decided they cannot keep the child.

While at Rotenberg, students must wear backpacks containing a device that allows a staff member to deliver a moderate shock to electrodes attached to the limbs, or in some cases palms, feet or torso, when the students engage in a prohibited behavior. Both the children’s parents and a court must consent to the shocks.

This is Massachusetts - the courts wouldn't consent if it were torture.

[Jefferson23]

162. Massachusetts courts wouldn't consent if it were torture?

If you read about the politics behind this case, I think you would reconsider your confidence in the schools actions.


snip* In this battle, Israel has the perfect ally: state Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez, whose nephew Brandon has been in Israel's care since age 12; Brandon, now 27, is one of Israel's most challenging cases, with a long record of extremely self-injurious behavior. This is the same Brandon who Israel once shocked more than 5,000 times, prompting him to make a new device that could deliver much more pain. Nevertheless, Brandon's parents credit Israel with saving their son's life, and his uncle has helped ensure that no bill banning aversives becomes law.

So in a bird-in-hand strategy, state Senator Brian A. Joyce, whose district includes the Rotenberg Center, has introduced two new bills that—while not proposing an outright ban on aversives—would regulate their use much more strictly. "The harsh reality is we're doing this to innocent children in Canton, Massachusetts," he says.

"If this treatment were used on terrorist prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, there would be worldwide outrage."

http://motherjones.com/politics/2007/08/why-cant-massachusetts-shut-matthew-israel-down

[Kelvin Mace]

180. Moderate shocks?

Tens time the power of police stun guns. They are using things THEY MADE THEMSELVES BECAUSE THE MANUFACTURER REFUSED TO ALTER THEN TO THOSE POWER LEVELS!!!!

It would be ILLEGAL to use these on child molesters, rapists, and serial killers. WHY is it legal to use them on CHILDREN.

JEBUS!

How hard is this? I really hate to think I live in a world with people who will shock the shit out of a child just because some assclown had a "documentary" made that says it's good for them.

[Kelvin Mace]

176. So you saw it justified for use on 1 patient in 600

and it was closely monitored by outside agencies who carefully reviewed the treatment frequently.

This place is using it on 55% of the patients with NO outside oversight.

[Odin2005]

200. I hope you like all that bad karma you have built up from torturing people.

You are little better than the torturers at Gitmo. :puke:

[Richard D]

88. FUCK THAT!

I just can't believe this is true. Has it been verified?

[Kelvin Mace]

181. Yes, it has been verified

Here is a 2007 story from Mother Jones

http://motherjones.com/special-reports/2007/09/school-shock

[edwinmathews]

94. I had a feeling there was another side

to this story. http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://www.judgerc.org/Email_Newsletter/mar08.html&usg=__ehHmL9QkLkZuz_K75SJUIGyZp5w=&h=412&w=530&sz=184&hl=en&start=5&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=2nNcGtlRwl6cZM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=132&prev=/images%3Fq%3DThe%2BJUDGE%2BROTENBERG%2BCENTER%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2ADRA_enCA368%26tbs%3Disch:1

[Jefferson23]

96. And this negates the report how? n/t

[knitter4democracy]

140. If you call their propaganda the other side . . .

I've seen enough school propaganda to know that slick look. Staged photos, no eye contact with the camera, not the usual situation in the room, etc., etc., etc.

[MiaCulpa]

151. another side to the story?

from the link where your photos originate:

"If a student begins to urinate in his or her pants, the student is immediately prompted to finish the urination in the toilet."


'Prompted' as in, do you see the gray straps around the child's shoulders? That is the backpack containing the electroshock device.

I tried to include as much information as I could in my report, but I had to focus mainly on 'new' developments that were revealed by this appeal filed with the United Nations.

The Mother Jones article I link to is excellent, from 2007, and gives a fuller history of the school and its founder. There is also explanation of the report on this school from 1994 by CBS's Connie Chung, and knowing what happened to Connie Chung will make it clear why this school is still operating.

Thanks for calling attention to this situation.

-Diane Sweet

[johnroshan]

105. Why didn't the staff report these deplorable practices earlier? Obedience..

towards an authority figure, maybe? I'm seeing a Milgram's Experiment type scenario where the majority of the staff dislodged themselves from the situation and subconsciously relegated the responsibility to the perceived authority figures, aka Doctors and Researchers.

[No Elephants]

120. My guess: politics. Patrick is up for re-election in November and the Brown victory

left the smell of blood in the water. Republicans want Patrick's seat so badly they can taste it. And they think they have a chance. And, sadly, they're probably right. All I'm seeing on TV right now are anti-Patrick, anti-Cahill ads. It's deja vu Martha Coakley's nowhere to be seen campaign.

[Kelvin Mace]

182. The staff memebers are also kept under CLOSE surveillance

To understand how the Rotenberg Center works, it helps to know that it runs not just one behavior-modification program, but two—one for the residents, and one for the staff. Employees have no autonomy. If a staffer believes it's okay to shock a kid who is smashing his head against a wall, but it's not okay to shock someone for getting out of his chair without permission, that could spell trouble. "There's pressure on you to do it," a former teacher told me. "They punish you if you don't."

I met this former teacher at a restaurant, and our meeting stretched on for six hours. At times it felt less like an interview than a confession. "The first time you give someone a ged is the worst one," the teacher said. "You don't want to hurt somebody; you want to help. You're thinking, 'This has got to be okay. This has got to be legal, or they wouldn't be doing this.'" At the Rotenberg Center, it's virtually impossible to discuss such concerns with coworkers because there are cameras everywhere, even in the staff break room. Staff members who want to talk to each other without being overheard may meet up in the parking lot or scribble notes to each other. But it's hard to know whom to trust, since Israel encourages employees to file anonymous reports about their coworkers' lapses.

In addition, staff members are prohibited from having casual conversations with each other. They cannot, for example, say to a coworker, "Hey, did you see the Red Sox game last night?" "We don't want them discussing their social life or the ball games in front of the students or while they're on duty," Israel says. "So we'll sometimes actually have one staffer deliberately start a social conversation with another and we'll see whether the other—as he or she should—will say, 'I don't want to discuss that now.'" Monitors watch these setups on the surveillance cameras and punish staffers who take the bait.

Former employees describe a workplace permeated with fear—fear of being attacked by students and fear of losing their job. There are so many rules—and so many cameras—it's not easy to stay out of trouble. Employees quit or are fired so often that two-thirds of the direct-care employees remain on the job for less than a year.

So, you can see, this is an environment even Milgram didn't envision.


Update: Forgot the link

http://motherjones.com/politics/2007/08/school-shock?page=6

[Jefferson23]

183. I highly doubt this will ever happen, but I so want to see this

motherfucking bastard behind bars.

I wish he could be tried at the Hague.

[johnroshan]

193. What the fuck!

This is insane! I'm glad that someone brought this up in court. Israel needs some testicular electroshock treatment to cure him of his dumbassedness.

[Carter Hayes]

106. What a sick sad pathetic world we live in

Makes me so sick.

[Carter Hayes]

107. Nazism is alive and well :(

prosecute them. shut them down

[fascisthunter]

117. Pretty Sick... I didn't Know this Was Going on In Mass

[No Elephants]

122. This is horrifying.

I'm usually so proud of living in Massachusetts, which I consider the birthplace of the U.S.--America's home town. (Shot heard round the world and all that.) Reading this thread, though, makes me feel so ashamed--and scared, too.

Patrick is up for re-election in a few months. It makes me sick to think we might have a Republican Governor because of this story. Something in my gut tells me the timing of this story is no accident.

[Danger Mouse]

125. This is beyond barbaric.

:puke:

[and-justice-for-all]

126. I think that is TORTURE...nt

[Jefferson23]

131. Interview with the founder of this school.

Jump to page 2 and read how he thought up the concept of abusing children with disabilities.

http://motherjones.com/politics/2007/08/why-cant-massachusetts-shut-matthew-israel-down

I pulled this from the reponses below the OP.

on edit to fix link.

[Danger Mouse]

132. 'I'm a sick pig. I thought it would be good for a laugh.'

...the only responses from him that wouldn't be complete LIES.

[Jefferson23]

133. Shocking how and why this school's practices continue, I had never heard

of this story before today.


snip* Meanwhile, a parallel battle over Israel's use of aversives has been fought in the Massachusetts state Legislature. Since the late 1980s, a bill to ban their use has been introduced in every legislative session—and every time it has failed to become law. Emotional hearings on the pros and cons of aversives have become a regular ritual. Critics (professors, disability activists, mental-health experts) testify against the use of aversive therapy, while parents plead with lawmakers not to pass the bill, insisting that without aversives their children's self-abusive behavior will escalate.

In this battle, Israel has the perfect ally: state Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez, whose nephew Brandon has been in Israel's care since age 12; Brandon, now 27, is one of Israel's most challenging cases, with a long record of extremely self-injurious behavior. This is the same Brandon who Israel once shocked more than 5,000 times, prompting him to make a new device that could deliver much more pain. Nevertheless, Brandon's parents credit Israel with saving their son's life, and his uncle has helped ensure that no bill banning aversives becomes law.

http://motherjones.com/politics/2007/08/why-cant-massachusetts-shut-matthew-israel-down

[troubledamerican]

147. "Common sense solutions for Real Americans"

[Wednesdays]

148. K&R

:kick:

[undergroundpanther]

156. behaviorism is evil

why? Because behaviorism excuses and rationalizes doing anything to control what another person does.
I have been bound by restraints,tied to a table,wrapped in freezing wet sheets,kept in isolation for 18 months, forced injections of nasty drugs all in the name of making me 'behave' as some think I should. Some ends will never justify or be worth the damage caused by the means.

[dogday]

161. Might I suggest that anyone who remotely has anything to do

with this shit, be given a pack of their very own to strap on for the next year. Let them do their own research first hand.

[southern_belle]

163. OMG!!!!

May the people doing this burn in Hell. :mad:

[Jefferson23]

169. Senator Joyce Applauds Justice Department Investigation of Judge Rotenberg Center

March 2, 2010

Senator Brian A. Joyce strongly supports the United States Department of Justice official investigation of the Judge Rotenberg Center that has apparently been initiated in response to a September 30th letter of complaint from disability advocacy groups. The letter, urging the Department to end the use of electric shock and other painful aversive therapies, was signed by 31 disability groups from across the nation.

The Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) in Canton is believed to be the only facility in the country that uses often painful electric shock therapy on disabled children in order to alter behavior. In 2007, the State launched a criminal investigation into an incident where a prank phone call to the school led to the repeated electric shocking of two individuals in the dead of night. One of them, a child, was shocked 29 times, the other was shocked 77 times – sometimes while restrained, causing burns so severe they needed to be treated at a hospital. That investigation is apparently ongoing. In October 2009, the JRC made headlines again when Director Matthew Israel was fined by the Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure for allowing 14 unlicensed employees at the school to use the title “psychologist.”

Senator Joyce has been fighting to ban the use of electric shock treatments at the facility for several years. Joyce has called such treatment of autistic and other children with special needs "barbaric." Along with his colleague Representative John W. Scibak, former Director of Psychology at Belchertown State School, Joyce has also pushed for the passage of a trio of bills that would systematically examine the use of aversive therapy in the Commonwealth, ensure that only qualified clinicians are permitted to utilize controversial treatment techniques, and provide for substantial and effective oversight of any individual or school that utilizes aversive therapy through the use of independent experts. These bills have the support of numerous civil rights groups, behaviorists, and disability advocates including the ACLU and the Disability Law Center.

"We in government have a fundamental obligation to protect the most innocent and vulnerable members of our society, our children with disabilities. I applaud the Justice Department's willingness to investigate the JRC, and I look forward to the state criminal investigation concluding as well as the passage of state legislation to protect these children," said Senator Joyce.

http://www.brianajoyce.com/pressreleases/senator-joyce-applauds-justice-department-investigation-judge-rotenberg-center

[Jefferson23]

170. Joyce applauds documentation of human rights abuses at JRC

April 29, 2010

snip* Senator Joyce, an outspoken critic of the JRC, has filed legislation to curtail the practice of the so-called aversive therapy that is criticized in MDRI’s report. "I support the MDRI’s findings, and unfortunately, I am not surprised by them,” said Senator Joyce. “We owe it to our children and adults with special needs to take action to protect their human rights from abuse.”

“The cruelty perpetrated against children and adults at JRC is psychological and physical abuse, couched in the name of ‘treatment.’ The severe pain and suffering leveled against residents there violates the United Nations Convention Against Torture. And to the best of our knowledge, JRC is the only facility of any kind in the US – and perhaps the world –that uses electricity combined with long-term restraint and other punishments to intentionally cause pain to children with behavioral challenges and calls it treatment,” stated Laurie Ahern, President of MDRI and author of the report.

http://www.brianajoyce.com/pressreleases/joyce-applauds-documentation-human-rights-abuses-jrc

[Jefferson23]

171. Joyce's bills would curb shock treatments at Canton school

snip* Both the state’s attorney general and the U. S. Department of Justice have been investigating the center after complaints about a 2007 incident at the center, as well as complaints from more than 30 disability groups.

“We’ve seen horrible abuses, and family members have been interviewed, and I’m hopeful,” Joyce said.

The senator has been trying to ban the practice, which gives electric shocks and other pain-inducing treatments to students who have severe behavior problems, for about 10 years. He said the JRC is the only school in the country that uses this type of therapy.

The practice that Joyce most strongly objects to is shock therapy using a remotely controlled shock devise that is attached to the student through a fanny or backpack. According to a report of the New York State Educational Department, the students wear the devises for the majority of their sleeping and walking hours, and some are required to wear them during shower/bath time.

Although JRC lawyers argue that aversive shock therapy is already heavily regulated, Joyce said it’s not enough. He said he has heard of children being shocked “hundreds, sometimes thousands for times,” with some children being burned through the shock treatment.

One of the most alarming cases, he said, was in 2007, when a person made a prank call to the school pretending to be a JRC staff member. Joyce said the caller ordered the staff to awaken two students who were shocked repeatedly while their arms and legs were bound. One of the students was burned 77 times over a period of three hours.

The incident led the state attorney’s office to investigative the incident, which is still ongoing. Since then, the JRC has cooperated with law and state officials in every way, and a number of changes have been made to prevent a similar occurrence, said Michael Flammia, a lawyer for the JRC.

Flammia also said students who undergo the process have to have parent permission, and approvals by a judge in a probate court, as well as a peer review committee and doctor before getting the treatment.

“It’s the most regulated form of therapy that exists,” he said.

But Joyce is not satisfied with current regulations, and he is pressing for more. His two bills aim to better control the aversive therapy, rather than ban it, which he thinks is a compromise that could sway house members to vote yes.

One bill would set up unified standards that specify the scope of techniques permissible under laws. The other bill would establish a commission to investigate electric shock therapy, as well as a peer review group, which would work with the states’ Department of Developmental Services to set up new standards. Joyce said even though a peer group is currently involved with the approval process, it consists mostly of people who are affiliated with the JRC and he does not feel they provide adequate oversight.

“I want a true objective look at this - not a review by interested parties,” Joyce said.

http://www.brianajoyce.com/newsclips/joyces-bills-would-curb-shock-treatments-canton-school

[Jefferson23]

177. Hideous torture techniques paid largely with tax payer dollars, at least

the children have some good people fighting back against this insanity.

snip* It’s not surprising that Joe and I (along with many others) were fooled by the JRC. They are a sophisticated, $56 million operation whose gross revenue has increased by almost $36 million in the last seven years, thanks, in large part, to a hefty $220,000 per year student tuition, paid largely with tax dollars. Since 2000, the JRC has spent approximately $4,740,416 on various legal and public relations services to convince visitors, officials and judges that the electric shocking of students is in the patients’ best interest. Never mind that this type of punishment, if inflicted upon people without disabilities, would be considered a violation of our Constitution’s 8th Amendment, which prohibits the use of cruel and unusual punishment on even the worst criminals, including murderers, rapists, and terrorists. Indeed, if we were practicing the sort of “treatment” permitted upon autistic children in Massachusetts, on our prisoners in Guantanamo, there would be world-wide outrage.

Beyond the smoke and mirrors there lies a lengthy trail of disturbing practices and incidents. Since its founding, the JRC has had six children die while in its care. In 2006, the Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure fined the JRC for falsely identifying 14 staff members as “psychologists” when they were unlicensed. A 2007 article in Mother Jones magazine detailed how employees were encouraged to use the element of “surprise” when shocking students so the students couldn’t brace themselves for the pain and that shocks were given for minor behaviors such as swearing, nagging, or failing to keep a neat appearance. Last August, a prank phone call to a JRC facility resulted in the staff shocking three students while acting on false orders. One young man was shocked 77 times in less than an hour, sometimes while restrained, despite his assertions that he was having trouble breathing. Of the eight staff members present the night of the prank phone call, the only person to repeatedly question the validity of the call was the student who would later be tied down and shocked. Three state agencies investigated this incident and all cited evidence of severe abuse and neglect. How many more incidents will need to occur before we provide meaningful protection for our children?

in full: http://www.brianajoyce.com/newsclips/whats-wrong-further-protections-our-children

[Jefferson23]

187. More background on Mr. Torture

In 1977, Israel opened a branch of his program in California's San Fernando Valley, along with Judy Weber, whose son Tobin is severely autistic. Two years later, the Los Angeles Times reported Israel had pinched the feet of Christopher Hirsch, an autistic 12-year-old, at least 24 times in 30 minutes, while the boy screamed and cried. This was a punishment for soiling his pants. ("It might have been true," Israel says. "It's true that pinches were being used as an aversive. The pinch, the spank, the muscle squeeze, water sprays, bad taste--all those procedures were being used.") Israel was in the news again in 1981, when another student, 14-year-old Danny Aswad, died while strapped facedown to his bed. In 1982, the California Department of Social Services compiled a 64-page complaint that read like a catalog of horrors, describing students with bruises, welts, and cuts. It also accused Israel of telling a staff member "to grow his fingernails longer so he could give an effective pinch."

In 1982, the facility settled with state officials and agreed to stop using physical punishments. Now called Tobinworld, and still run by Judy Weber, it is a $10-million-a-year organization operating day schools near Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Rotenberg Center considers itself a "sister school" to Tobinworld, and Israel makes frequent trips to California to visit Weber. The two were married last year.

Despite his setback in California, Israel continued to expand on the East Coast-and to generate controversy. In 1985, Vincent Milletich, an autistic 22-year-old, suffered a seizure and died after he was put in restraints and forced to wear a whitenoise helmet. Five years later, 19-year-old Linda Cornelison, who had the mental capacity of a toddler, refused to eat. On the bus to school, she clutched her stomach; someone had to carry her inside, and she spent the day on a couch in a classroom. Linda could not speak, and the staff treated her actions as misbehaviors. Between 3:52 p.m. and 8 p.m., staffers punished her with 13 spatula spankings, 29 finger pinches, 14 muscle squeezes, and 5 forced inhalings of ammonia. It turned out that Linda had a perforated stomach. She died on the operating table at 1:45 a.m.

The local district attorney's office examined the circumstances of Vincent's death but declined to file any charges. In Linda's case, the Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation investigated and found that while Linda's treatment had "violated the most basic codes and standards of decency and humane treatment," there was insufficient evidence to prove that the use of aversives had caused her death.

By the time Linda died, Israel was moving away from spatulas and toward electric shock, which, from his perspective, offered many advantages. "To give a spank or a muscle squeeze or a pinch, you had to control the student physically, and that could lead to a struggle," he says. "A lot of injuries were occurring." Since shocking only required pressing a button, Israel could eliminate the need for employees to wrestle a kid to the ground. Another benefit, he says, was increased consistency. It was hard to know if one staff member's spatula spanking was harder than another's, but it was easy to measure how many times a staff member had shocked a child.

Israel purchased a shock device then on the market known as SIBIS--Self-Injurious Behavior Inhibiting System-that had been invented by the parents of an autistic girl and delivered a mild shock that lasted .2 second. Between 1988 and 1990, Israel used SIBIS on 29 students, including one of his most challenging, Brandon, then 12, who would bite off chunks of his tongue, regurgitate entire meals, and pound himself on the head. At times Brandon was required to keep his hands on a paddle; if he removed them, he would get automatic shocks, one per second. One infamous day, Brandon received more than 5,000 shocks. "You have to realize," Israel says. "I thought his life was in the balance. I couldn't find any medical solution. He was vomiting, losing weight. He was down to 52 pounds. I knew it was risky to use the shock in large numbers, but if I persevered that day, I thought maybe it would eventually work. There was nothing else I could think of to do…but by the time it went into the 3,000 or 4,000 range, it became clear it wasn't working."

This day was a turning point in the history of Israel's operation-that's when he decided to ratchet up the pain. The problem, he decided, was that the shock SIBIS emitted was not strong enough. He says he asked SIBIS's manufacturer, Human Technologies, to create a more powerful device, but it refused. "So we had to redesign the device ourselves," he says. He envisioned a device that would start with a low current but that could increase the voltage if needed--hence its name, Graduated Electronic Decelerator or GED--but he abandoned this idea early on. "As it turns out, that's really not a wise approach,", he says. "It's sort of like operating a car and wearing out the brakes because you never really apply them strongly enough. Instead, we set it at a certain level that was more or less going to be effective for most of our students."…

http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/26264565/SCHOOL-OF-SHOCK#

[mstinamotorcity]

196. People act as if they have

never heard of this before. The mentally disabled have been dealing with the shock treatments for a long time throughout history. at one point and time they even had mandatory sterilization (no children for handicapped) for mental patients. All these things were considered wrong back then and it hasn't changed for me at all,its still wrong. And yes,there are some treatments where the send tiny impulses to stimulate certain parts of the brain,but not for control of the persons liberties.

[Odin2005]

198. The Autistic Rights cammunity has been going after this hellhole for a while, now.