Shock Therapy with Sticks? Families Recount What Happened to Disabled Children at a Treatment Center "They took 24 million tomans; they returned my son in tears"

In recent months, a number of families with disabled children have reported on the activities of an unlicensed treatment center run by an individual identified as "M.B.Sh.", exposing the horrifying extent to which their need and hope for treatment were exploited. The case shows how families' desperation can provide fertile ground for unscientific and harmful methods to spread.

Roya Babaei: In this report, eight families from Khomeinishahr, Khuzestan, Izeh, Semnan, Tehran and other regions of the country have presented similar narratives of their experience and claimed that their children were beaten during a method they said was called "shock therapy and brain simulation". These families also say that they have seen at least 150 to 200 families in this center who had come to Tehran from different cities of the country hoping to treat their children or other family members.

Eight families from different cities of the country have reported physical injuries to their children during treatment sessions at the center under the management of Mojtaba Bigdeli Shamalu.

Families have told of beating children, breaking a child's leg and receiving millions of dollars for treatment sessions.

Activists in the field of autism and the Iranian Occupational Therapy Association have questioned the alleged methods and announced legal follow-up and filing a complaint against the activities of this center.

Bigdly Shamlou has claimed to have legal licenses and emphasized that the result of the treatment is not guaranteed.

From coding the mind to breaking bones

Mehdi Ahmadi, the father of a 10-year-old boy with disabilities from Isfahan, says that through this person's Instagram page and his promotional posts about the treatment of children with autism, cerebral palsy (CP) and other disorders, he got to know his work method and that is why he took time for his son.

Ahmadi says about what happened in this center: When this person introduced his work method, he compared it to computer programming and said: "My work is similar to computer programming and I work on nerves and muscles in the form of coding." He took my son along with the children of several other clients to a room where the music was very loud. About half an hour later, the baby was handed over to us while he was crying profusely and holding his leg crooked. We didn't know what happened inside the room and we kept massaging his leg to relieve his pain. He was in pain all the way back to Isfahan and had a seizure that night. After the imaging, it was found that his leg was fractured in the upper part of the thigh. The cause of this injury was hitting my son's leg with a stick.

Fahima Mehri, another mother from Khuzestan who, according to her, took her two disabled children to him under the influence of this psychologist's Instagram ads in the hope of treatment, says: It took two days to get to Tehran with my two disabled children. From midnight, we stayed in front of the doctor's door and on the street until the doctor's office opened. Apart from us, at least 200 to 300 other families were present and there was not even a place to sit in the office.

This mother adds: Within one day, they took 24 million tomans from us for the visit and brain mapping of the children. The children were taken to a room with eight beds, with a nurse standing next to each bed. Then the music started. About 15 minutes later, my son was brought back while he was crying profusely; But my daughter stayed in the room until the end of 45 minutes and then came back, confused and distraught.

Mehri also says about the brain mapping process that his children were placed in a chair without anesthesia, and after this process, according to him, it was explained to the family that the color difference in parts of the brain mapping indicates the success of the treatment.

In another part of her story, this mother claims that in the office, the doctors who were not present stamped the prescriptions of the patients. Referring to the presence of a large crowd in front of the office, he says: The crowd was so large that a doctor got off while passing by and asked us all not to believe these lies. But none of us left because we thought there was hope for our children's treatment.

A family from Izeh who has complained against this psychologist says: We went to this office for five sessions and paid 11 million Tomans for each 45-minute session. In every meeting, they beat our daughter with a stick and emphasized that we should visit the office every week for two years.

The mother of this 12-year-old girl, who is suffering from cerebral palsy (CP), says: My daughter hoped to regain the health of her legs with this method, and my wife used to earn this money so that our child's condition might improve.

In a phone call with Ambassador Arjan's reporter, MBSH introduced himself as a psychologist and the director of the autism center and claimed that his center is licensed by the Welfare Organization and the Medical System Organization at the same time.

About the cost of the provided services, he said: The cost of our visit to treat children with disabilities, including a visit to a neurologist, checking medications, taking two brain maps before and after treatment and interpreting the maps, is five million tomans. Considering that the tariff of other colleagues is five million and 500 thousand tomans for each map, our price is suitable.

Referring to the waiting time and the length of the treatment period, "M.B.S" added: It takes from one day to one month to determine the client's appointment. Each child's treatment period lasts for two years and one month of support is also considered. The cost of each treatment session is eight million tomans.

In response to a question about whether the treatment result is guaranteed, he said: There is no guarantee and basically nothing is guaranteed in science and everything is variable. Maybe there is no guarantee as a result of occupational therapy and speech therapy.

From the promise of treatment to millions of expenses

Raha Mokhtari, an activist in the field of autism, who said that her child was also affected by this treatment method during a similar process, referring to the fees received from the families, says: while the latest tariff for occupational therapy is 900 thousand tomans for half an hour and 1 million 300 thousand tomans for 45 minutes, MBSH charges between 7 and 11 million tomans from families.

Describing what he says happens in the treatment room, he says, "M.B.S. takes children with disabilities into a room in groups of eight and plays loud music to prevent their cries from reaching the families."

According to Mokhtari, "M.B.S" calls this method "change of brain frequency" and in the same noisy environment, he hits the children's hands, feet and areas with disabilities with a stick. He believes that these measures stimulate the nerves of people with disabilities and eliminate their disabilities.

This activist in the field of autism continues, referring to the advertising activities of "MBS" on Instagram, and says: Every day, he publishes materials that are unscientific and showy. The parents of these children, hoping for the improvement of their children, from different parts of the country and despite the difficulties of travel, reach his place of work; But in the end, with physical injuries, mental frustration and spending millions of Tomans, without achieving the expected result, they return to their place of residence.

Mokhtari believes that the release of advertising films with the title "Certain Autism Treatment Package" is an example of therapeutic intervention outside of professional competence. According to him, the provision of occupational therapy and speech therapy services in the rehabilitation interventions of people with autism requires having relevant qualifications, documents and licenses.

Behnoosh Qadri, the vice-chairman of the Iran Occupational Therapy Association, in an interview with Ambassador Arjan's reporter, informed about the registration of this association's complaint about the activities of "MBS" and said: "Due to his unauthorized interventions in the field of therapy, the fees received and the type of his activities, we have filed three complaints to the government penal organization and recently to the medical system organization, and we are waiting for a serious follow-up."

He added: People who do not have numbers and professional licenses necessary for therapeutic activity are not allowed to enter the field of therapy, and their intervention outside the limits of professional competence is an example of unauthorized activity. M.B.S.'s license is to work in the field of psychology, but he is currently interfering in rehabilitation fields by using non-scientific techniques. Colleagues who work with him have also been blacklisted by the medical system organization.

According to Qadri, he performs the treatment in a closed environment without providing any information or explanation to the families and claims to have published articles about his knowledge; While the publication of these articles does not mean confirming his activities and expertise and has nothing to do with therapeutic techniques in the field of rehabilitation.

Referring to the difficult situation of families with disabled children, he said: Some parents, due to desperation and hope to improve their child's condition, may believe the claims of people who promise treatment and even give in to try a method; While they may not be aware of its possible consequences.

In another part of his speech, the vice-chairman of the Iranian Occupational Therapy Association warned against the danger of using treatment methods without scientific support and said: Some people may abuse the needs and hopes of families and cause physical and psychological harm to clients by using non-scientific methods. Injuries that families may not realize their dimensions in the short term.

Qadri also said about the possible consequences of blows to the body: such blows, even in adults, can lead to dangerous complications such as embolism, stroke and even death.

He advised the families to ask for their medical system number and professional licenses when visiting doctors and health care providers and check their authenticity through official authorities.

According to Qadri, families who consider themselves to be victims can report complaints related to the competence and therapeutic interventions to the medical system organization, the vice president of treatment of the relevant university of medical sciences, or the medical crimes prosecutor's office. Complaints about received fees can also be pursued through the government penal organization; Because in his opinion, the mentioned amounts are not compatible with the conventional tariffs for medical and rehabilitation services.