School of Shock
Why are we treating autistic kids like enemy combatants?
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A photo essay on the Judge Rotenberg Center, a facility where autistic, mentally retarded, and emotionally troubled children from eight states are subjected to food deprivation, social isolation, and even electric shocks.
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Comments
what the hell??!?! has
Submitted by stephanie arnet (not verified) on Fri May. 1, 2009 2:11 PM PDT.
what the hell??!?! has anything been done about this atrosity?!
trying...
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu Jun. 4, 2009 10:02 AM PDT.
Thanks for the photo essay. It was interesting. I do think more words would have helped, though, because we need both sides of an issue to understand where fairness lies. I don't agree with having staff/students under surveillance at all times because the staff is probably more concerned with retaining their jobs (aka: following instructions to a T since they're on camera at all times) than following what's truly best for students. Instructions given to staff on how to handle the kids can be wrong and often have been. Clearly, there's a great deal of 'objectifying' students which can't be good from any angle. Also, because each individual is different (staff AND student), their interaction will differ, which means detailed rules are probably more of an impediment than real help.
These kids need constant supervision, one-on-one help to learn how to work for longer and longer periods without input.
The need someone to hand feed them, water them, and endure their attacks.
It's both not for the faint of heart and it's just plain the most expensive thing - to hire someone to work with them for a few hours. Each child/adult is like a 24-hour retail store that can only be staffed with people who have six years of college.
I'm not sure what the pictures tell us.
School of Shock
Submitted by Betty Anonymous (not verified) on Fri Jul. 17, 2009 4:42 PM PDT.
This is totally ridiculous. It makes me sick. I have an autistic grandchild, and he has made great progress with kind understanding treatment. Shocking would terrify him and intensify his feelings of confusion, isolation, and fear. I think whoever runs this school ought to be taken out and shocked. How do we make an objection to the school that might have some weight somewhere?
public funds
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue Sep. 1, 2009 3:04 PM PDT.
Why are taxpayers still funding this? Public schools are sending students they have 'trained' with years of educational neglect, punishment and poor training and then send them to places like this. Of course the kids are that way, the system led them to that place where they are living off fright and flight primal responses, unable to trust another system that so indifferently crushed their early potential-- as future citizens, taxpayers and neighbors.
I cannot believe that places
Submitted by Educator (not verified) on Sat Jan. 30, 2010 12:59 PM PST.
I cannot believe that places like this still exist. This is not the way to treat any human being. I am thoroughly disgusted as an educator and someone so who believes in human rights. What are the steps needed to close such an atrocious place?
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