The graduated electronic decelerator (GED) is an aversive conditioning device that delivers a powerful electric skin shock to punish behaviors considered undesirable. The GED was created by Matthew Israel for use on students at the Judge Rotenberg Center as part of the school's behavior modification program. The school has since been condemned for torture by the United Nations special rapporteur on torture for its use of the GED and other inhumane punishments. In 2020, the device was banned by the United States Food and Drug Administration. On July 6, 2021, the U.S. Court of appeals for the D.C. Circuit overturned the ruling stating the ban was beyond the FDA's authority.

Matthew Israel created the GED to replace the older punishments of spankings, pinches, and muscle squeezes, but continued to use restraints, sensory deprivation, and the withholding of food. These older punishments were often used in combination with the GED: For example, a student could be restrained to a board and then given several GED shocks in succession. While the school advertises its behavior modification program as safe, effective, and backed by science, these claims are disputed by independent experts. Independent experts have consistently found that the GED can produce serious harms including neuropathy, psychological trauma, and third-degree burns.

 

Note:   The above text is excerpted from the Wikipedia article Graduated electronic decelerator, which has been released under the GNU Free Documentation License.