Treatment Option and Treatment

Behavioural psychology in modern day has devised a number of ways to deal with serious problem areas in children with special needs and the youth. These means of treatment include rewarding admirable behaviour along with presenting corrective consequences for the undesired ones. Using skin shock as a supplementary form of encouraging positive behaviour does not meet the requirements in the torture definition of the UN Convention against Torture. Skin Shock in behavioural terms is used to mitigate the effects of an illness condition or condition. Thus, it cannot be termed as a form of torture. The application of shock on the skin for two seconds does not inflict or arouse any painful sensation (Israel, 2010).

Pros and 3 Cons Statements

Response contingent electrical stimulation is regarded as one of the most intrusive behavioural punishment technique; it is still potentially the safest and most effective of methods. The effectiveness of the technique is made possible by several factors including the delivery immediacy, the limitation on the part of the recipient to evade the punishment stimulus and the advantage of the proximity between the targeted behaviour and the punishment. The advantage here is that it will not trigger other responses in one's repertoire. Although it has a higher level of effectiveness in deterring the undesired behaviour response, punishment has been proven to fail to sustain desirable behaviour over time (Salvy et al., 2004. Experts have pointed out that other behaviour correction options including psychotropic treatment and behaviour therapy fail in some cases. In fact, some experts have voiced their opposition to the use of the method, citing that it is unethical. They further point out the possibility of other cognitive counter-indications (Ellawala, 2015). People do not use the method anymore because it is simply undesirable. In fact, there are options that do not involve aversive techniques such as shocks. It should be clear that drugs are not on the alternative menu. There are optional behavioural treatment procedures. The painfulness of the shocks has been a subject of debate among experts for a long time. It has been pointed out that shock treatment is applied for a wide range of actions apart from the dangerous self-mutilation. Some of the other areas include spitting and shouting profanities. The latter two can effectively be handled by less extreme approaches though (Kaufman, 2015). Those who are inclined to the use of Electroconvulsive Therapy claim that the method has been inappropriately demonised by clinicians and subsequent underutilization, but is, actually, a safe and effective method. Both APA and AACAP regard ECT as a palatable and useful option for the treatment of children with certain psychotic, affective and catatonic disorders. The treatment option provides remarkable potential to relieve the patients that do not show responsiveness to first line treatment alternatives (Ellawala, 2015).