Aversives

Lemon juice

Pepper spray

Handcuffs

Blindfolds

These are terms that should never enter a parents mind when they send

Their children off to school. Especially, if their child is autistic, or has some other kind of learning disability. These terms are known as aversives, and are used to reduce behaviors in children mainly with autism. They cause pain and are a form of punishment for a behavior no matter how large or small i.e. Biting, kicking, punching, not blowing your nose, or not sitting when told to do so. If a command was not followed by a student, the teachers' immediate reaction is to use one of the many aversives. This is something that has to be stopped and should not be allowed.

This type of behavior modification is used all through out the United States and there are even two known programs that use aversives in New Jersey, Eden Institute and Bancroft Neurohealth. I was personally at Eden and witnessed this going on right in front of me, and I knew of a student that unfortunately past away in one of these places. (will not name which) these techniques are dangerous, torturous, over used, and should not be allowed.

There are millions of different things that can be done to achieve the same success rate of reducing behaviors. They may not be as quick, but they can and will work. How about positive reinforcement? A technique used in schools also to reduce behaviors. That means you speak to the child is a positive manner or use a reward system like verbal praise, or a piece of cookie, or a sip of a favorite drink to reduce a behavior. If a child does not listen or does not like to follow directions, you can say "Mike if you sit quietly then I will give you a piece of cookie" and most of the time the child will listen because he/she really wants that cookie.

Now some may say that's fine and dandy but what about more aggressive behavior? Like biting or pulling hair. I would say if a child is biting try to find out why the child is biting. Is it because he is upset, can't verbalize what he/she wants or maybe his/her teeth are bothering them. There are a lot of things that can be done. For starters develop a behavior plan, using the ABC method.

This means Antecedent Behavior Consequence. Find out what happens right before the behavior begins, and go on from there. Sometimes restraints and "takedowns" are necessary but only if the child is being a threat to him/her self or someone else in the area, and as soon as the child calms down the child should be let go.

After visiting Eden Institute and seeing what goes on there I was sick and

upset. I asked the gentleman using aversives why he was pulling on that child's hair?

And he said it was to stop him from shaking his head. THAT'S IT just shaking his head.

And when he saw the look on my face he told me it is ok we have parental permission to

do this. I also found out that these types of restraints are used in a van for when the

are taken out into public for various trips. I read in this article about a child named Matthew

who was restrained and was forced to wear a helmet and wraps on his arms and hands.

He was put into a room completely isolated from the rest of his peers and did not receive

much in the way of adult attention or supervision. Matthew eventually developed

pneumonia and tragically past away. I had read about this in a newspaper article a

while ago and the response of the program was that Matthew was such a biter and

so violent that they were afraid to take off his helmet so they could not check his

temperature or give him proper medication. Knowing that this goes on in programs

disturbs me to no end and I think that these programs should be forever shut down.

There was this other school that was shut down in Massachusetts for using aversives,

and one thing they were doing to children was locking them in trunks, and using other

forms of unnecessary restraints. I understand that these programs do have a high

success rate for behavior reduction but look at they are doing to these children to

achieve these results. Children are being hurt sometimes bones are broken and

they are becoming afraid of people. It is also mentioned in this article that a child

was restrained on her stomach in a public school for not following the simple command

"blow your nose" These restraints are part of a behavior plan in which the school or

program designs and is signed off by parents,