Only 1% of autistic children exhibit compulsive, self-injurious behavior, which does NOT respond to a myraid of conventional methods of treatments. Don't they matter? Don't they have a right to effective, safe treatment? A medical device which can save their lives-is not an aversive--it's a miracle.Naturally, it should be done only as a last resort and within a comprehensive therapeutic plan-with every effort to limit or fade the device. However, if it's stopping the self-mutilation-then it should be used until something more effective replaces it. Sadly, some people are so philosophically opposed to this device (groups like TASH and ARC), they pass harsh judgement on anyone who chooses this therapy for their loved-one. Consequently, they have denied support for this device in virtually every way they can think of--from school to community level supports. It's really horrific. Obvioulsy, they aren't thinking about the unique needs of the individuals involved. There are different levels of self-abuse. The most severe is "compulsive" or "complex" or "life-threatening" self-abuse. It's recurrent and non-responsive to conventional treatments. Very few disabled children possess this type of self-abuse, but when it occurs--it's a savage, brutal behavior, which holds the disabled person captive to compulsive acts of self-injury. Often, the antecedents to the behavior are complex, fluctuate and are episodic. In short, this an extremely difficult disorder to treat. It simply makes no sense to lump a medical device into the same catagory as "pinching, spanking and spraying someone with ammonia."

Things to compare to SIBIS--Certainly, nobody considers these things "aversive":
http://www.debmar.com/tens/
http://www.siba.fi/Yksikot/Muka/physioacoustic.html
Further evidence validating the needed availability of SIBIS for certain
people:
http://www.psych-health.com/porter.htm
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/forensicmedicine/llb/heading.htm (This is excellent evidence illustrating what can happen to a person with compulsive self-abuse--who repeatedly smashes their head)
http://www.brainerddispatch.com/stories/012600/nei_0126000013.shtml (Even head gear doesn't protect person from brain damage!) They can sure
document this for boxers--well, hello....it's the same thing for self-injurious, disabled children--who punch themselves! This is exactly
why our neurologist prescribed the device. It was medically-necessary to
protect his body and health.
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3ad0a5ae269a.htm
http://www.raevans.com/researchpaper.html
http://www.pai-ca.org/pubs/700401.htm
http://www.mnstate.edu/beare/example.htm
http://www.aet.cup.edu/~edp656/stefl/sib.htm#self
Please, let's not forget the small, but vulnerable minority who needs skin-shock therapy as part of their treatment plan.

Kim Oakley


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