There's something unique about Judge Rotenberg Educational Center. Located in Canton, Massachusetts, near Boston, the facility initially looks like a regular health care center for patients with developmental disorders. However, over the past few days, a very important information surfaced: it's the only facility in the entire country that uses skin shock treatment to control aggressive behavior.
The center, which officially opened in the early 1970s, currently has more than 200 patients, a good number of which are children and teens. In the 1990s, they introduced a controversial therapy known as skin shock as a way to control aggression toward self or others, which tends to be common among people with developmental disorders, after the device received an approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The device is called GED (graduated electronic decelerator) attached to either the arm or the leg. When the patient shows aggression, a staff from the clinic then presses a button, which then sends a two-second shock onto the wearer's skin. This therapy is now being used by over 45 patients of the clinic.
However, times have changed, and the center decided to upgrade their device to something stronger after one of the patients developed tolerance or immunity to the shocks. Although initially the FDA mentioned they didn't have to get an approval, they later changed their minds, compelling the center to get one from the court before they can use it to a patient.
Now, it's thinking of banning it altogether, citing the substantial risk and harm of the treatment procedure. Experts in ethics and neurology also agreed with the explanation, especially since there's no concrete evidence that shows the effectiveness and safety of skin shock in treating aggressive behavior.
Although some patients have reported about traumas and burn marks from the skin shock, other parents believed it worked for their children. The center itself also deems their treatment safe, which is also used alongside other complementary programs.
