Residential Program Treating Behavior Disorders and Developmental Disabilities

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Our latest newsletter.
Brief (6 1/2 min) Introductory film: "Parent's Journey" This film is a good brief introduction to JRCC. It includes an explanation of JRC's optional intensive treatment procedures.
Introduction to JRC in a question and answer format.
Response to articles that have recently appeared in blogs. This is an item that we have been posting on some blogs that have mentioned JRC.
Professional papers by JRC staff members or consultants:
1. Article recently accepted for publication:
  1. Van Oorsouw, W.M.W.J., Israel, M.L., von Heyn, R.E., and Duker, P.C., "Side Effects of Contingent Shock Treatment." This article shows that the side effects of the GED are either nonexistent or positive.
2. Papers submitted to professional journals within the last few months:
  1. Blenkush, N.A., von Heyn, R.E., and Israel, M.L., "An Example of the Effectiveness of Contingent Skin Shock with Problem Behaviors that Proved Refractory to Standard Positive-Only Techniques," 2007. This article reports a case where positive-only procedures were insufficiently effective and where JRC had to employ the GED-4 stimulus, as a supplement to a powerful positive programming, to achieve effective treatment.
  2. Blenkush, N.A., von Heyn, R.E., and Israel, M.L., "The Effect of Contingent Skin Shock on Treated and Untreated Behaviors," 2007. This paper showed that the GED skin-shock therapy, used as a supplement to positive behavioral programming, did the following: (1) it was extremely effective in reducing the frequency of targeted, directly treated problem behaviors; (2) it had a significant decelerative effect on other problem behaviors that had not been directly targeted for treatment; and (3) it eliminated completely the need for physical restraints.
  3. Israel, M.L., Blenkush, N.A., von Heyn, R.E., and Rivera, P.M., "Treatment of Aggression with Behavioral Programming that Includes Supplementary Skin-Shock," 2007. This paper shows that treatment of aggression with the GED at JRC is "effective" in 100 percent of the cases, whereas treatment of aggression with positive-only procedures has proven effective in only 50% of the cases. By "effective" we mean that the frequency at the end of the baseline period was compared with the period at the end of the treatment period.
  4. Israel, M.L., Blenkush, N.A., von Heyn, R.E., and Sands, C.C., "Seven Case Studies of Individuals Expelled from Positive-Only Programs," 2007. This paper takes up seven cases of students who were expelled from programs that use positive-only treatment procedures, and who were then treated with the GED at JRC.
3. Article currently on the JRC website that contains documentary support for the "Seven Case Studies..." paper.
  1. Israel et al: "Positive-Only Programs Expel Their Difficult-To-Treat Students, Many of Whom are Then Referred to JRC for Successful Treatment," (2007). This paper reports on three additional students not covered in the "Seven Case Studies..." paper, names the positive-only programs that expel their difficult-to-treat students, and gives documentary support for the assertions made in the "Seven Case Studies..." paper.
Comments from Parents:
1. Filmed comments by parents
2. Letters from parents
Responses to Mother Jones article. This is a response to a very critical magazine article that appeared in the Mother Jones Magazine in August 2007.
New York Times 12/25/07 article on JRC parents' support of skin shock therapy.
Papers on the problems with Positive-Only Treatment:
1. Carr et al, "Positive Behavior Support for People with Developmental Disabilities." This is a very important, comprehensive review of 109 carefully selected, peer reviewed papers published between 1985 and 1996 in which positive-only (Positive Behavior Support) treatment procedures were used. The author, Dr. Carr, is a leader in the Positive Behavior Support movement. The paper shows that these procedures were effective in only 50% of the cases.
2. Foxx paper on inability of positives to treat severe behavior problems: "Severe Aggressive and Self-Destructive Behavior: The Myth of the Nonaversive Treatment of Severe Behaviors." In this paper Dr. Richard Foxx shows that there is no evidence that positive-only procedures can be used successfully to treat severe behavior problems.
3. Mulick, J.A. and Butter, E.M., "Positive Behavior Support: A Paternalistic Utopian Delusion," in Jacobson, J.W., Foxx, R.M. and Mulick, J.A., Controversial Therapies for Developmental Disabilities, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, 2005. pp 385-404. This is a paper on the Positive Behavior Support movement and its inadequacies.
4. Newsom, C. and Kroeger, K.A., "Nonaversive Treatment," Jacobson, J.W., Foxx, R.M. and Mulick, J.A., Controversial Therapies for Developmental Disabilities, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, 2005. pp 405-432. This is a balanced history of the nonaversive movement.
Bibliography of seven articles on SIBIS. The SIBIS device is a device that was commercially available for several years (approximately 1990-1992) and which a number of researchers have used and published papers on. JRC tried using SIBIS in the 1990-1991 period, but found that it was insufficiently
Effectiveness of GED
Functional Assessment:
1. Functional assessment at JRC. This states our position on the use of functional assessment.
2. Vollmer paper
Miscellaneous Other Papers:
1. B.F. Skinner: "Are Theories of Learning Necessary?"
2. Johnson paper on replacement behaviors. This paper points out that the notion that there is a process that allows for the brick-for-brick replacement of one behavior with another is not an accurate description of what happens when a behavior is decreased.
Replies to June 2006 NYSED Report
1. Reply to NYSED Report: In 2006, NYSED issued a critical report of JRC. This is JRC's response.
2. Three Massachusetts agencies find no support for the principal accusations in the June 9, 2006 NYSED report.
Position Papers
1. ABCT Position paper. This is a position paper of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies that supports the use of aversives.
2. NIH 1989 Conference on Destructive Behaviors. In 1989 the National Institute of Health convened a national conference on the treatment of destructive behaviors. The conference adopted a statement that recognized that skin shock was one of a number of decelerative procedures that had support in the professional literature.
3. ABA position paper. This is a statement of the Association for Behavior Analysis that supports a parent's right to obtain effective behavioral treatment. It supports the use of aversives when necessary.
4. Division 33 of APA position paper. Division 33 (the retardation division) also supported the use of aversives when necessary.
5. Autism Society of America. The Autism Society of America adopted a policy that allows parents to select the option for their autistic child that is best suited to his or her needs.
Positive Programming at JRC
Behavioral education at JRC
Problems with Psychotropic Medication