-
-
- What’s the straight dope? I remember some years back seeing a TV show that said that it was a New Trend, and also that it was total bull. When I heard/saw (video) of it actually being done, it did look like something on par with yogic flying. The people on the show noted that when the facilitator looked away, the result was random letters, every time. - I ran across a website that basically made fun of one of the results of F-C; there was a link to something called the Facilitated Communication Digest. I clicked not; it sounds way too dreadful for my time. I assume that there are people out there somewhere, making good livings teaching the “art of facilitated communication”, and this website probably led to quite a few of them. Has F-C ever been scientifically tested? Say, using screens to prevent the facilitator from seeing relevant material that the retarded person is asked about? - MC
-
Bogus? It appears so…
Click here to see the Skeptic’s Dictionary entry on facilitated communication.
I did some research on this topic in college and wrote several papers. When this method of communication first came out, people were enthralled by it. Imagine your autistic child- who may have never spoken a word to you- finally being able to say “I love you”. It was so emotional for people that I think they just didn’t want to know it wasn’t real.
For what it’s worth, I don’t beleive the people who developed this method knew it was “fake”. I think they truely felt they were making a huge breakthrough. After being so involved with so many of the stories of facilitated communication, I for one was really saddened to see that it was considered a failure.
Zette
Love is like popsicles…you get too much you get too high.
Not enough and you’re gonna die…
Click here for some GOOD news for a change Zettecity
One of the most interesting things about the phenomenon is that not only did the creators of facilitated communication not think it was a fake, the facilitators themselves (those who provided the “magic touch” for the people with autism) didn’t know they were guiding the autistic person’s movements! So it’s a particularly interesting example of the power of the unconscious mind. The facilitators truly believed the autistic kids were in control of their own movements and were choosing which letter/symbol to point to next.
The story of FC is sad, therefore, both for the families and friends of the autistic individuals and for the professionals who believed FC was a breakthrough. They had to completely abandon this revolutionary technique and go back to old ways. And that’s why, even in the face of careful scientific research showing no validity to FC, you still have people who hang on to the technique – how do you devote your life/career to something, then admit it’s bunk, without crumbling?
When I taught introductory psychology, I used this story as an example of why scientifically sound psychological research is important. Imagine the pain and suffering that would have been avoided if things had been done in the proper order – carefully designed research to test the efficacy of the technique BEFORE it was implemented.
Think Ouija Board.