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It is clear that behavioral skin shock treatment, using the Graduated Electronic Decelerator (GED) is very effective in reducing the problem behaviors of students while they are in residence at JRC[1]. The question remains, however, how well do these students do when they leave JRC? What are the long-range prospects of students who receive this treatment at JRC? This report summarizes follow-up data that has been collected concerning former JRC students who received GED treatment while at JRC. Information was obtained from former the JRC students themselves or from their parents/guardians regarding the following issues:
Currently, there are 76 former students who have been treated using the GED. At the present time, JRC has been able to contact and collect information from 25 of these students so far (33%). Efforts to contact the remaining former students are continuing and the data discussed below will be added to as available. The average (mean) length of time since discharge from JRC for these 25 students was 3 years. The median length of treatment with the GED for these 25 students at JRC was 26 months (ranging from 4 months to 137 months). Eighteen of the 25 students contacted thus far had received GED treatment at JRC for 18 months or more. Results 25 Former JRC Students Who Received GED Treatment while at JRC
How well are they doing now? Seventy-six percent of this sample was judged as doing well at the time of follow-up. In most cases our decision about this was based on self- or parent-rating of overall functioning. The student or parent was asked to rate how the student was doing in terms of one of the following adjectives: “Excellent,” “Good,” “Fair” or “Poor.” Given the often dire state of functioning for many of our students at the time of admission (i.e., either completely restrained in a psychiatric hospital or jail, or soon to be institutionalized as such), we consider that the appropriate rating at time of admission for all of these students was “Poor.” If at the time of our follow-up survey, any student was rated as “Fair” or better he or she was judged to be in the “Doing Well” category. The rating done at time of our follow up contact with the former student sometimes came from the former student him/herself; more often, however, it came from the parent/guardian. In some situations we received a rating report from both the former student and the parent. If we were unable to obtain a direct rating, a former student who was holding regular job employment or who was pursuing further education (including college and technical training) was judged to be entitled to a “Good” rating. Given the desperate state of our students at the time of admission to JRC, to have 76% doing well at follow-up is very gratifying. We have former students who now hold jobs, live at least semi-independently, and who have demonstrated that they can hold positions of responsibility and trust. How many former GED students are holding a job or going to school? Sixty-four percent of JRC’s former GED students are currently holding a job (e.g., stocking, clerical work, sales), going to school (either to finish secondary education or college/vocational training), or in some cases, both. This is remarkable to the extent that education and employment opportunities are often very limited for individuals that have spent a significant amount of time incarcerated or in psychiatric hospitals (due to lack of training, lack of motivation, functional impairment that has not been remediated, or due to impairment resulting from the long term use of psychotropic medications. Overall, JRC’s former GED students have notably increased their level of functioning compared to their level of functioning before their treatment at JRC. Many are now able to maintain meaningful relationships with family members and engage in social activities safely with peers. Some even engage in social dating and can successfully participate in romantic relationships. Even though many continue to require some continued form of supervision on a daily basis, their parents are very proud of how far they have come and oftentimes the students themselves express great pride in how much they have been able to change themselves. How many are using psychotropic medications now? Only 52% are now on psychotropic medications. While these students were at JRC most if not all were completely off of all psychotropic medications. [1] See "Effectiveness of GED Behavioral Skin Shock Treatment at JRC: Charts for All Students Who Were Started on this Treatment During 2003-2005," available by clicking here. |