Spring Break
Club fights electric shock therapy
by Quinn Lockwood
News | 9/25/07
Posted online at 9:05 PM EST on 9/24/07
/ Last updated at 3:51 AM EST on 9/24/07
Robinson said the group has also investigated alternatives to electric shocks as a means of discipline, looking at programs that don't use pain to punish students.
"As a whole, the group has decided that the use of pain as treatment is unacceptable," Robinson said.
The group came to that conclusion after approaching the electric shock issue with a neutral perspective, Robinson said.
Liza Behrendt '11, a member of the group, said that protests at the Center, a letter-writing campaign to get in touch with local legislators and trips to meet with state representatives are courses of action the group plans to take to raise awareness about the issue.
"There has not really been any public outcry about his issue," Behrendt said. "We are trying to raise awareness on campus. Before three weeks ago, I had never heard of the problem. Hopefully state representatives will take notice if we're able to get support for a grassroots campaign."
Robinson noted that Brandeis students, however, quick to take action.
The Globe reported on proposed legislation that would limit the use of aversive therapy in Massachusetts to only the most extreme self-injury cases and would set up a commission to regulate it.
"As a whole, the group has decided that the use of pain as treatment is unacceptable," Robinson said.
The group came to that conclusion after approaching the electric shock issue with a neutral perspective, Robinson said.
Liza Behrendt '11, a member of the group, said that protests at the Center, a letter-writing campaign to get in touch with local legislators and trips to meet with state representatives are courses of action the group plans to take to raise awareness about the issue.
"There has not really been any public outcry about his issue," Behrendt said. "We are trying to raise awareness on campus. Before three weeks ago, I had never heard of the problem. Hopefully state representatives will take notice if we're able to get support for a grassroots campaign."
Robinson noted that Brandeis students, however, quick to take action.
The Globe reported on proposed legislation that would limit the use of aversive therapy in Massachusetts to only the most extreme self-injury cases and would set up a commission to regulate it.
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 7
Anne Bakeman
posted 9/27/07 @ 3:15 PM EST
As a parent of an adult daughter with autism, I thank the students involved in this club from the bottom of my heart. There is so much we still don't know about what my daughter and her friends and colleagues with autism are experiencing physically as they struggle to be a part of the world. (Continued…)
Matthew L. Israel
posted 10/01/07 @ 1:17 PM EST
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. (Continued…)
Deborah Wood
Deborah Wood
posted 10/04/07 @ 1:37 PM EST
As a former Special Education Teacher trained at a well-know school for children with autism in Massachusetts, I strongly protest the use of aversive therapies for anyone, especially people with developmental disabilities. (Continued…)
Dr. Phyllis Klein
posted 10/26/07 @ 1:08 AM EST
I appreciate that some individuals are giving great thought to the postings and their responses here?but I do believe that the views expressed by some have given little, if any, consideration to those of us who must make decisions for our loved ones. (Continued…)
Grandma Pearl
posted 10/26/07 @ 2:01 AM EST
I am Matthew's grandmother. I am 96 years old, very much capable of speaking for myself and my family, and capable of speaking out against injustices done to people who are handicapped. (Continued…)
KateGladstone
Kate Gladstone
posted 12/26/07 @ 9:17 PM EST
Does anyone unconnected with Matthew Israel, and unconnected with his school, support the claims made by Dr. Israel in the second paragraph of a Rotenberg Center web-page at http://www. (Continued…)
Sickmind Fraud
posted 1/16/08 @ 4:57 PM EST
Unfortunately, the only people who spoke out against this place in previous years were small religious groups like the Church of Scientology. This was used to smear anyone speaking out against the despicable practice, regardless of how wrong the actual practice is. (Continued…)
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