Matthew Israel, The Judge Rotenburg Center, and Behaviorism
Matthew Israel, The Judge Rotenburg Center, and Behaviorism
The Judge Rotenburg Center (JRC) is an institution located in Canton, MA, that endorses electroconvulsive shock therapy, all types of ABA, harmful early and regular interventions, aversives, and other harmful types of extinctions (punishments). Behaviorism, as I've mentioned in other blog posts, was coined by B.F. Skinner and John Watson, and yet Matthew Israel was one of Skinner's students. He was the one who founded the JRC, and was the one who encouraged Lovaas' experiments in the institution. I've had many folks say that Skinner himself would have never approved of what Lovaas did to autistics, yet here we have one of his students going completely against what he was taught. Israel founded the JRC in 1971.
Source: USA Today
Matthew is in the photo above, and that was taken during his court trial, after he denied that he destroyed evidence. He pleaded not guilty, and the hiding of evidence was an obstruction of justice because he tried to destroy the evidence.
Skinner is important to discuss because Matthew's work partially comes from Skinner's book, 'Walden Two'. Walden Two was created based on Skinner's mindset of an "ideal" world, a Utopia of sorts. This world was perceived as something one could bring into real life by ABA researchers and therapists. There is a Walden Two living center today in VA that exists; however, it has moved away from behaviorist approaches into a cognitive psychological approach.
The next part of this blog post will be about behaviorism, which was founded by B.F. Skinner and John. A. Watson. Watson's photo is below:
Behaviorism was created to control folks that were frequently misunderstood by society. Around the time that Walden Two was published, people were involved with Behaviorism, specifically Applied Behavioral Analysis. This inspired the creation for the Judge Rotenburg Center in Canton, MA. Israel encouraged and condoned not only systemic ableism, but also queerphobia, racism, classism, etc. Folks were placed within these institutions due to self-injurious behaviors, "inappropriate" behaviors such as hallucinations, delusions, crying in public (which seems unreasonable but at the time society deemed wrong), stimming such as spinning, rocking, and flapping, etc.; however, also refusal to listen to authority, meltdowns, tantrums, and anything else that was deemed inappropriate by the JRC in 1971. The parents of the neurodivergent children wanted their autonomy masked, changed, and hidden because it made society uncomfortable to see an autistic person acting autistic in the 1960s and even before this. Society has always had autistic people within the world; however, the Dx for autism did not exist in the US until 1980s, but the name autism did not appear in a diagnosis until 1994. There is a need for complete re-evaluation of the autism dx itself because autism itself has always been diagnosed by non-autistic professionals. The Autism Industrial Complex has been funding research into a cure for years now, and yet the autistic community doesn't want a cure. 92% of the community in yearly non-medical polls continue to say that they would prefer to not be cured. Medical-only polls are classist and have served to silence the autistic community for years to promote an agenda, and that agenda has always been ABA, and other techniques like Behavior Modification, Relationship-Development-Interaction (RDI), Positive Behavioral Supports, and early intervention techniques such as what's listed here in this link.
I explained in a separate blog post that behaviorism targeted specifically towards the autistic LGBTQ+ community (especially Black, Brown, and Indigenous folks) was created by Ivar Lovaas; however, I should note that he is not the founder of Behaviorism itself. B.F. Skinner's Skinner box was taken by Watson as an approach to work on human beings, which inspired many folks, including Lovaas, to start the process of electroconvulsive shock therapy as "treatment" towards neurodivergent human beings. Lovaas' projects with George Rekers included non-white and white LGBTQ+ disabled folks (identity is intersectional after all), as well as abled (able-bodied) LGBTQ+ folks. This started more systemic oppression to more vulnerable groups. Rekers and Lovaas started what is known as autistic conversion therapy, which is similar as I mentioned in that article above linked to gay conversion therapy. Autistic conversion therapy has been known as Applied Behavioral Analysis for years by the community.
Most children who could afford therapy during this time were white, and non-white folks (especially folks who are Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander, Latinx, etc.) didn't have the same rights in the 1960s as most white folks did. Therefore, more oppression occurred towards Black folks, but it also occurred towards Brown and Indigenous folks as well as Asian folks. The darker a skin color, the less passable a Black, Brown or Indigenous person is in society. Immigrants who are and/or were disabled were targeted more often around this time. More and more parents wanted Autism cured, and ABA was one way that was advertised as a cure on the market. Though the economy was different then than it is today, ABA is still advertised as the "golden standard" for autism therapy today in 2021. Incarceration, as well as eugenics occurred while Nixon was in office towards multiply marginalized communities that were not white (this happened less often towards white disabled people, but still occurred). Matthew Israel was one of many many oppressors during this era in US history. Note: he was arrested in 2018; however, was arrested for his institutional and systemic harm, as well as trying to cover up evidence that was brought forward. It also occurred during the presidency of Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, and George W. Bush. And yet, in between 2017 and 2021, Donald Trump, who is an anti-vaxxer and a white supremacist and fascist, encouraged more filicide, incarceration, eugenics, and other harms directed at the Autistic Community.
Most of society refuses to still acknowledge the disabled community. Even during the COVID pandemic, more than 100,000 disabled folks have died in residential facilities in 2020-to present, as well as institutions, etc., due to neglect and harm. Though COVID itself is not a person, Trump encouraged the death of many folks during his presidency. And yet, after Biden was inaugurated, the US still refuses to arrest Donald Trump still. He is to blame for the largest mass death causality in US history, and yet people won't arrest him because they follow a system still that believes it can improve and still has a long way to go. No, America isn't great. It's one of the most violent countries in the world. Yet, it has prided itself on how great it is over many years. Many Americans are quiet about the disability community, especially towards disabled LGBTQ+ trans immigrants, as well as folks who are Buddhist, Muslim, Sikh, Jewish, Taoist, Maoist, Atheist, etc. Disabled Americans make up 20-25% of the US, and yet the US routinely does not acknowledge who are the most vulnerable enough.
More about the JRC itself, Israel worked with the JRC between 1971 and 2004 (as well as beyond this up through 2018), but there needs to be more research on what he did between 1971 and 2004 before it is exposed (please note: I will be updating this blog post when I find more information). Content warning: this document in this link literally contains descriptions of what happened: There were over 150 injuries and 7 deaths noted from 2005 up through 2015, and the US Food and Drug Administration banned electrical stimulation devices in 2020; however, Applied Behavioral Analysis International (ABAI) and the Behavioral Analyst Certification Board (BACB) were pushing back in 2021 to attempt to remove the ban, and were unfortunately successful. Individuals are still hard at work to reverse such an undoing. BCBAs continue to not listen to our own boundaries, and electroconvulsive shock therapy will not be tolerated period. Aversives have been known to harm the autistic community both mentally and physically. There is a need for advocacy. The details for what has occurred can be found on Lydia Brown's Repository site, as well as resources, petitions, etc. BUT, before I share that link, I will share with you some of what is on their site so that you understand that the JRC is still doing this.
There are some Black Americans that experienced harm through the JRC while they were there, including Jennifer Msumba and Andre McCollins. McCollins was the one who was shocked 31 times within 7 hours. Yes, his mother is fighting for him with ADAPT. A Black autistic man was reprimanded for refusing to take off a jacket, something that is a basic human right with consent over our autonomy. We shouldn't even have to ask permission to wear some clothing, or not wear clothing. But yet, Autistics remain in the fight to gain consent with our own bodies. In the United States it is not illegal currently to restrain someone, to seclude someone, or to enforce non-consented conditioning demands on someone within the autistic community. Autistics are considered to have "behavioral issues" still because of being autistic. If an ABA therapist deems an autistic person's autistic behavior inappropriate, they will be given a form of either punishment (otherwise known as extinction) or another technique such as reinforcement, redirection, planned ignoring, etc. Each person at the JRC that is placed in the JRC has a behavioral chart that addresses what the ABA therapist wants that are goals and objectives. The behaviorist will implement what is known as a G.E.D. (Graduated Electronic Decelerator) attached to a backpack, and the clients are required to wear this backpack everyday, 24 hours a day, even while showering and sleeping. The backpack weighs 10lbs and the amount of damage that does to the body is horrible. The G.E.D. device produces a shock to the body when the child/adults behaves in a way that harms the child/adult. The table is a longer shock; however, because the child is strapped down to a four point restraint board. There is only one proper way to ethically restrain someone; however, we live in a society that relies on this punishment to inflict on others because people become addicted to compliance, control, power, and harmful demands, according to psychological research.
Lydia Brown's JRC repository site
Keep in mind that modern day ABA does not work. It may "work" for caregivers and therapists who support it, but it does not end up being healthy for any individuals.
More about the JRC itself, Israel worked with the JRC between 1971 and 2004 (as well as beyond this up through 2018), but there needs to be more research on what he did between 1971 and 2004 before it is exposed (please note: I will be updating this blog post when I find more information). Content warning: this document in this link literally contains descriptions of what happened: There were over 150 injuries and 7 deaths noted from 2005 up through 2015, and the US Food and Drug Administration banned electrical stimulation devices in 2020; however, Applied Behavioral Analysis International (ABAI) and the Behavioral Analyst Certification Board (BACB) were pushing back in 2021 to attempt to remove the ban, and were unfortunately successful. Individuals are still hard at work to reverse such an undoing. BCBAs continue to not listen to our own boundaries, and electroconvulsive shock therapy will not be tolerated period. Aversives have been known to harm the autistic community both mentally and physically. There is a need for advocacy. The details for what has occurred can be found on Lydia Brown's Repository site, as well as resources, petitions, etc. BUT, before I share that link, I will share with you some of what is on their site so that you understand that the JRC is still doing this.
There are some Black Americans that experienced harm through the JRC while they were there, including Jennifer Msumba and Andre McCollins. McCollins was the one who was shocked 31 times within 7 hours. Yes, his mother is fighting for him with ADAPT. A Black autistic man was reprimanded for refusing to take off a jacket, something that is a basic human right with consent over our autonomy. We shouldn't even have to ask permission to wear some clothing, or not wear clothing. But yet, Autistics remain in the fight to gain consent with our own bodies. In the United States it is not illegal currently to restrain someone, to seclude someone, or to enforce non-consented conditioning demands on someone within the autistic community. Autistics are considered to have "behavioral issues" still because of being autistic. If an ABA therapist deems an autistic person's autistic behavior inappropriate, they will be given a form of either punishment (otherwise known as extinction) or another technique such as reinforcement, redirection, planned ignoring, etc. Each person at the JRC that is placed in the JRC has a behavioral chart that addresses what the ABA therapist wants that are goals and objectives. The behaviorist will implement what is known as a G.E.D. (Graduated Electronic Decelerator) attached to a backpack, and the clients are required to wear this backpack everyday, 24 hours a day, even while showering and sleeping. The backpack weighs 10lbs and the amount of damage that does to the body is horrible. The G.E.D. device produces a shock to the body when the child/adults behaves in a way that harms the child/adult. The table is a longer shock; however, because the child is strapped down to a four point restraint board. There is only one proper way to ethically restrain someone; however, we live in a society that relies on this punishment to inflict on others because people become addicted to compliance, control, power, and harmful demands, according to psychological research.
Lydia Brown's JRC repository site
Keep in mind that modern day ABA does not work. It may "work" for caregivers and therapists who support it, but it does not end up being healthy for any individuals.
I will update this blog more later.
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