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I want to watch the Mummy: tomb of the dragon.

Ice cream has no bones because blue is burgundy.

Ye Olde Mummy.

All aboard!! The Ship of Fools is about to embark on more than just a '3 hour tour'! !

April 2006:

To Whom It May Concern:

My son Duane is now twenty nine years old. On December 3, 1992, he became a student of the Behavioral Research Institute at Judge Rotenberg Center. I would like to introduce you to my son.

Duane was diagnosed as autistic at the age of two and a half (2 ½ years). From that time, he attended the Kennedy Center at the Bronx Municipal Hospital. Up until puberty, Duane was not a problem. Sure he exhibited a lot of behavioral patterns of an autistic child but he was manageable. Duane attended special education classes in the Public School System. He went regularly on vacations to the West Indies, Canada, Disneyland, Washington and Virginia. Twice in 1988 and again in 1990, Duane completed the Walk America Walk-a-Thon for the March of Dimes children with birth defects. He raised over $300.00 each time. I never dreamed that Duane would not remain at home. His behavior was not that bad. I could cope with it.

However, in late 1990, things began to change. I was told by the doctors that this would be expected since he was going through puberty and he would soon settle down again. Instead Duane’s behavior became increasingly aggressive. He even started to attack me; biting, butting, charging, scratching, aiming for your eyes at times as if he wanted to dig them out

Duane had started taking medication when he was about 7 years old. This was because he had started banging his head. About two years later, he had also started biting his hand until a large callus developed. Over the years, he has been given first melloril then haldor. In 1989, he was put on Endoril. The doctor said both the previous drugs had serious long term effects if used for long periods. We were told that Endoril had no known side effects. Unlike the other medications, it did not act on the brain but merely controlled behavior through decreasing activity in the blood stream. However, Duane’s heartbeat and pressure constantly had to be monitored. Therefore I could not understand how it could have been considered a safe drug. Duane went from a trim size 29 than obese size 38 and all the time the doctors denied that the drug had anything to do with it!

Moreover as he became larger, his behavior became more aggressive and of course an imposing force that could not be managed. He would explode unpredictably like a crazed bull for no reason. At school, he would have to he restrained and put in an isolation room. At home, he was breaking down doors. One time, he cut his head so badly when he butt the door and window that he had to receive 8 stitches on his forehead. People were afraid that he would do even more severe damage to himself and to others. The school bus refused to take him unless he had an escort to restrain him. Finally, the school could not deal with him and suggested that he be placed where he could receive the help he needed. At home, we could not even take Duane out anymore in fear of his sudden violent outbursts.

All this time, his dosage was increasing; from 60 mg three times daily to 160 mg three times daily. The behavior was worsening! Every parent agonizes over his child. Duane is a sweet child when he is calm. It was not an easy decision to place him outside the home but it had to be done for his own safety. We visited several schools before we decided on Judge Rotenberg Center. At JRC, we saw the opportunity for Duane to come off drugs that were making him obese without helping his behavior. Moreover, our fear was that he would develop serious health problems.

We are very please with Judge Rotenberg Center. Duane has been offered quality of living that he cannot get with medication. I understand you concern about the indiscriminate use of shock therapy and I am pleased to know you care. However, there are a small minority of people out there for whom medication just does not work. Before Duane received this treatment, he was presented in court and the judge and his lawyer had to agree this form of treatment, the amount and the duration. Therefore, the therapy is not being administered indiscriminately. Moreover, the argument that because averse conditioning should not be applied to mentally disabled if it is not applied to the general population does not make any sense to me. We do not overdrug the general population until they are drooling and incoherent! Yet this is being offered as a viable alternative! This seems to be a much worse fate.

As a mother, I am appealing to you to please allow my child to continue to obtain a quality of life to which every human being is entitled and which he has received from the day he was admitted to Judge Rotenberg Center. I am therefore asking you to oppose any bill/policy which will prohibit JRC from using aversive procedures which is an effective part of my son’s treatment This will not only hurt my son but many children and young adults with behavioral problems. Perhaps a proposal can be put forward by the Senate to protect the rights of individuals who must have this form of treatment and visits can be made to the school to see how greatly these children and young adults’ lives have been improved and enhanced. Medications are not the answer for our children. Please help them to stay where they are safe and loved and given the best care possible.

I wish to thank you for taking the time to read this letter and I hope you will understand how difficult it is for me to be constantly having to beg for mercy on behalf of my son but love him and want the best for him.

A loving and Concerned Parent,
Sylvia Biggs
Bronx, NY

... stupidity is the epitome... dee do dee do de doo de doo!!

April 2006:

To Whom It May Concern:

Please do not vote in favor of a policy/bill that would prohibit the use of aversives in programs serving children with disabilities in private, out of state schools approved for placement of New York students.

If the policy/bill passes, JRC’s treatment effectiveness would be severely curtailed and JRC will be severely hurt. It would directly and negatively affect those students whose program at JRC includes the use of aversive procedure, such as the GED procedure. If they have to remove this treatment from those students, many of them will regress badly and others will be unable to continue to make the progress that they are currently making.

My son, Damian is a student at JRC. He is making much progress behaviorally, academically and socially. He is no longer taking any antidepressant or any antipsychotic medications. He is responding well to a positive reinforcement behavioral treatment program.

The staff at JRC are highly trained and very professional. The administration, the program director, the clinician, the case manager, the teacher and the classroom aides all work together in developing a specialized program to best meet each student’s individual needs.

JRC works with children and young adults who have serious behavioral issues. Most of their students have been rejected by their own school districts. The way the staff at JRC deals with these children and young adults is amazing. JRC constantly monitors their behavioral and academic progress and fine tunes their programs accordingly.

It is my impression from the literature I have read about aversives and the fashion in which my own child has been treated at the school, JRC makes every attempt to put a student on a positive reinforcement behavioral treatment program as the first priority. In the case of my own son, Damian, aversives were not even a consideration to modify his behavior. In fact, JRC told me that after reviewing Damian’s file and having met him personally, they were sure they would be able to modify his behavior by using positive reinforcement and there would be no need for the use of aversives.

When it is decided that a student requires the use of aversives, it is decided when all other options are exhausted. These students are treated humanely and with respect.

When I was visiting Damian at his residence, the Norton House, during Thanksgiving vacation 2004, I noticed one of the JRC staff going around to certain students and removing straps from their legs and arms and massaging the areas before putting the straps back on. I was told these were the GED devices and a staff person routinely removed the straps, checked and massaged the area and put them back on the student.

On two occasions I heard a staff person give verbal instructions to a student to do something and when the student didn’t respond the first time, he was told again before he did as requested. At no time did I witness the GED being used. What I did witness was a staff person in a firm, moderately toned voice making demands on a student and when the student didn’t respond, make the same demand in the same voice. In each case the student was treated with respect and the student followed the instructions of the staff person.

I feel that I am fortunate to have found a school such as JRC for placement for Damian. I feel confident when I go to sleep at night that my son is taking care of and is receiving an education. It is reassuring knowing that his needs are being met and he is making progress.

Dr. Israel should be commended and not criticized and attacked for his efforts in helping students who have serious behavioral issues. The GED that Dr. Israel developed in the early 1990’s is only used as a last resort to help students who desperately need help to control their behavior. Parental approval and a court order are required before it can be used.

In today’s culture, the alternative is medication. My son, Damian, was prescribed antidepressants, at first by our family physician and when they didn’t do the job, a psychiatrist prescribed psychotropic medication, which made Damian’s behavior even worse. These medications made Damian drowsy and his mind cloudy. His face had a glossy look and you could tell he was “drugged up”. Most of his school day was spent sleeping. He was awakened when it was time for his next dosage, then he fell asleep again. Damian was at school, but Damian wasn’t receiving an education. After a few weeks, this cocktail of drugs Damian was on seemed to lose its effectiveness and increasing the dosage didn’t seem to help. When Damian wasn’t sleeping, his behavior was out of control, for example, he was throwing desks around the classroom, hitting and kicking staff, running away from staff in side the school building and running around outside the school building on school grounds. Finally, in April 2004, he was expelled form school.

Damian was admitted to JRC on September 17, 2004. He remained on his medication for about 3 months so the school could observe his behavior. In late September, the school started to decrease his dosages until in mid-January 2005, Damian was drug free.

Damian still has ups and downs in his behavior, but very mild in comparison to the period of time he was taking medication. His mind is a lot more clear now, he is learning academics, he is learning to socialize more and his rate of inappropriate behaviors is decreasing. JRC has made this possible.

As a parent, I implore you to vote against and policy/bill that would ban aversives and allow JRC to administer aversives to their students with parental consent and court approval. All the parents a choice in determining the best methods to be used in helping their children control their behaviors. If a certain mother feels that GED isn’t appropriate for her child that is her choice. However, please don’t deprive the other parents who have made the choice and are seeing positive results the GED is achieving for their children.

Also, if this policy/bill passes, my son, Damian, could be severely and negatively affected in two ways, even though he is not currently receiving any supplementary aversives. First, it will require that JRC allocate more of their staff members to the care of the students who have lost the benefit of aversives. This will diminish the staff resources that can be provided to the other students, including Damian. Second, it will cause JRC to be unable to serve many students. This will require that they downsize their school. The result will be a substantially smaller school that will not be able to provide as many services that they currently to both parents and students.

In conclusion, I urge you to vote against the proposed policy/bill and to influence your fellow members to do the same. Please vote for the right of parents to choose the most effective treatment for their child.

Sincerely,

Charles Bryant
Saranac Lake, NY

Uh oh... it looks like we posted at the same time, Ana54. Please don't think my post about stupidity was a response to yours. It's just a random thought. (Don't I have wonderful timing?! )

I'll be in a Sociology lesson in 9 hours.

Doesn't sound like much fun...

Sociology is fascinating, but you're right it isn't fun. The 9 hours bit disturbs me more I am a night person, I hate the day.

I can relate... I'm a night person too I used to work night shift, but since I switched to days (or should I say, "daze"?!), I'm much groggier. I am not a morning person...

April 2006:

To Whom It May Concern:

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

My daughter Esther is diagnosed with ADHD and Learning Disabilities. While attending the Board of Education schools, she never excelled academically. She was a 14 years old with a second grade reading and a fourth grade math level. Although she seemed to make friends easily, Esther’s social skills were limited. She would become aggressive when frustrated or use her size to intimidate younger peers. Esther’s behavior became self-destructive. I could barely keep up with her. She would disappear from the house for hours, and then for days. It was apparent that she needed more supervision than I could provide. Esther has been on many different medications throughout the years, which never modified her behaviors. I could not take on any commitment for myself or my other children because I would have to be available for any sudden emergency that would occur because of Esther.

The Judge Rotenberg Center is a gift from divine powers. JRC has given Esther a chance to have a quality life. They do not utilize psychotropic medication to deal with the behaviors while educating her. I have the opportunity to see how my child is doing at all times because they implement a 24 hour digital cameral system. Esther has been there for four months and she has lost 40 lbs, which is the result of the vegan diet, as well as the discontinuation of medications.

She is doing extremely well and I am expecting her to continue to make progress.

Brenda Brazell
Mother
Bronx, NY

Imhotep.

April 2006:



To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Gloria Alvarez. My daughter is Lani Rochez.

The reason I sent her to the Judge Rotenberg Center, after observing other schools first, is due to what JRC offers to my daughter. I know that my daughter can gain independence, work on tasks I once thought she could not do, due to her illness. She has been there 2 months, and now I can sleep well, because my daughter is more relaxed. I can sleep better because Lani would wake up every night clapping her hands, beating walls, and yelling. I would have to take my other children, many times, to the neighbor’s house to allow them to sleep. I would have to stay awake at night and take care of Lani. She hated school in New York City; she would take off her shoes, hit the teacher with them, and roll all over the floor. When I was outside with her, I would have to chase her and focus solely on her. She crossed the street unsupervised, and thanks to God, my neighbor caught her.

The police had to go look for her one time after she left the park. She was always nervous, depressed, took many pills. The doctor recommended Bellevue Hospital. She was there for two months. After that she went to the Judge Rotenberg Center.

I am very grateful to the Judge Rotenberg Center for accepting my daughter. I know, as a mother, what is best for my daughter, and I know that the Judge Rotenberg Center is the best location for her.

Sincerely,

Gloria Alvarez
Brooklyn, NY

Imhoooooooooooooootep.