Bradley Bernstein's parents say an electric cattle prod is the only thing that stops him from banging his head and violently punching his eyes, nearly blinding himself.
The Illinois couple's fight to continue shock treatment on their severely autistic 48-year-old son and the uproar over a Massachusetts school that uses similar treatment, have pulled back the curtain on this extreme form of behaviour modification. Critics call it outmoded, barbaric and unethical.
Officials dispute the Bernsteins' claim that their son's behaviour has grown worse without the shocks.
The device used on Bradley Bernstein is a cattle prod. It used to be a long electrified rod, but the newer model is a handheld shocker about the size of a portable phone, with two short metal prongs.
Fran Bernstein, his mother, says it delivers a shock about as painful as a bee sting. Critics say it's considerably stronger, akin to sticking a finger in an electric socket.
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