Uploaded March 2018 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Despite being declared a form of torture (1), the use of electric shock pain for behavior modification "based on the works of B.F. Skinner and Ivan Pavlov,, is still used on people with autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional/ behavioral disorders.
The Judge Rotenberg Center in Canton, Massachusetts is, "a special needs school" that has been using painful skin-shock therapy in order to curb what they call "destructive behaviors." They employ a remotely controlled device that delivers a powerful shock whenever an undesirable behavior is detected. The Food and Drug Agency (FDA) has proposed a ban on this device, (2) but the ban has yet to be implemented. For more information follow the work of ADAPT adapt.org
(1) Autism Shock Therapy Practiced In US Is Torture, Says UN Official, by Emily Willingham in Forbes forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2013/03/08/autism-shock-therapy-is-torture-says-un-official/#222b12a828bc
(2) Banned Devices; Proposal To Ban Electrical Stimulation Devices Used To Treat Self-Injurious or Aggressive Behavior; Extension of Comment Period federalregister.gov/documents/2016/05/23/2016-12026/banned-devices-proposal-to-ban-electrical-stimulation-devices-used-to-treat-self-injurious-or
federalregister.gov/documents/2016/04/25/2016-09433/banned-devices-proposal-to-ban-electrical-stimulation-devices-used-to-treat-self-injurious-or
Despite being declared a form of torture (1), the use of electric shock pain for behavior modification "based on the works of B.F. Skinner and Ivan Pavlov,, is still used on people with autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional/ behavioral disorders.
The Judge Rotenberg Center in Canton, Massachusetts is, "a special needs school" that has been using painful skin-shock therapy in order to curb what they call "destructive behaviors." They employ a remotely controlled device that delivers a powerful shock whenever an undesirable behavior is detected. The Food and Drug Agency (FDA) has proposed a ban on this device, (2) but the ban has yet to be implemented. For more information follow the work of ADAPT adapt.org
(1) Autism Shock Therapy Practiced In US Is Torture, Says UN Official, by Emily Willingham in Forbes forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2013/03/08/autism-shock-therapy-is-torture-says-un-official/#222b12a828bc
(2) Banned Devices; Proposal To Ban Electrical Stimulation Devices Used To Treat Self-Injurious or Aggressive Behavior; Extension of Comment Period federalregister.gov/documents/2016/05/23/2016-12026/banned-devices-proposal-to-ban-electrical-stimulation-devices-used-to-treat-self-injurious-or
federalregister.gov/documents/2016/04/25/2016-09433/banned-devices-proposal-to-ban-electrical-stimulation-devices-used-to-treat-self-injurious-or
