Comments on: Shocking http://humans.org.nz/2007/08/23/shocking/ A website to advocate, provide a voice, stimulate policy debate and provide essential information to people on the autistic spectrum and their friends and families. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:11:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: Matthew L. Israel http://humans.org.nz/2007/08/23/shocking/#comment-72 Matthew L. Israel Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:41:25 +0000 http://humans.org.nz/2007/08/23/shocking/#comment-72 Ms. Gonnerman’s article “School of Shock,” which appears in the September/October issue of the Mother Jones magazine, is an entirely one-sided and biased account of the court- and parent-approved behavior modification therapy used at the Judge Rotenberg Center to successfully treat, without drugs, severe (sometimes life-threatening) behavior problems of children and young adults with special needs that have not responded to any other form of treatment. For readers who would like to hear the other side of this story, please see http://www.judgerc.org/ResponsetoGonnermanArticle.pdf Matthew L. Israel Executive Director Judge Rotenberg Educational Center www.judgerc.org Ms. Gonnerman’s article “School of Shock,” which appears in the September/October issue of the Mother Jones magazine, is an entirely one-sided and biased account of the court- and parent-approved behavior modification therapy used at the Judge Rotenberg Center to successfully treat, without drugs, severe (sometimes life-threatening) behavior problems of children and young adults with special needs that have not responded to any other form of treatment. For readers who would like to hear the other side of this story, please see http://www.judgerc.org/ResponsetoGonnermanArticle.pdf

Matthew L. Israel
Executive Director
Judge Rotenberg Educational Center
www.judgerc.org

]]> By: andrea http://humans.org.nz/2007/08/23/shocking/#comment-50 andrea Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:29:15 +0000 http://humans.org.nz/2007/08/23/shocking/#comment-50 Unfortunately there's nothing "new" about the JRC, or the terrifying idea that one can "cure" any number of issues by brute-force punishment. Indeed, I can't help but think that when people leave there, they would be suffering from PTSD on top of whatever caused them to be incarcerated. (The idea that someone who already had PTSD be sent there is too horrifying to stand.) And not all do get to leave -- some have been there for years beyond their age of legal adulthood; it's good money for Mr Israel after all, and the inmates/residents have had no training for how to cope with the real world. I too have blogged about them, with analyses on how punishment is a poor teaching tool <a> The Crime of Punishment</a>, and <a> Being Unruly</a>, and how the site's testimonial letters are hardly good "proof" as to the benefit of the program: <a> The Plural of Testimonials is Not ____"</a>. Comments by blog visitors (including a former resident and a job applicant) have also been very illuminating. The whole scene is disturbing on a number of levels. I'm at a loss as to what can effectively be done about it. Unfortunately there’s nothing “new” about the JRC, or the terrifying idea that one can “cure” any number of issues by brute-force punishment. Indeed, I can’t help but think that when people leave there, they would be suffering from PTSD on top of whatever caused them to be incarcerated. (The idea that someone who already had PTSD be sent there is too horrifying to stand.) And not all do get to leave — some have been there for years beyond their age of legal adulthood; it’s good money for Mr Israel after all, and the inmates/residents have had no training for how to cope with the real world.

I too have blogged about them, with analyses on how punishment is a poor teaching tool The Crime of Punishment, and Being Unruly, and how the site’s testimonial letters are hardly good “proof” as to the benefit of the program: The Plural of Testimonials is Not ____”.

Comments by blog visitors (including a former resident and a job applicant) have also been very illuminating.

The whole scene is disturbing on a number of levels. I’m at a loss as to what can effectively be done about it.

]]> By: Dave http://humans.org.nz/2007/08/23/shocking/#comment-43 Dave Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:08:13 +0000 http://humans.org.nz/2007/08/23/shocking/#comment-43 It sounds awful. Thank you for speaking out. More of us need to. Dave It sounds awful. Thank you for speaking out. More of us need to.

Dave

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