Court Rejects Facilitated Communication Case

[fishbait]

Charges dropped against man accused of raping his autistic teen daughter (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080311/NEWS03/80311032)
Experts testified in the case that scientific evaluations of the method show the facilitator, consciously or not, authors the method.
Good to see that some judges don't buy into this nonsense.

Not so for the clueless prosecutor:But assistant prosecutor Barbara Morrison said that the girl did communicate with investigators through the method.

[Red McWilliams]

Everytime I hear about this, I want to puke. My oldest daughter is autistic and for the first several years of her life, I would have bought into this. I feel very fortunate that I didn't get duped.

When Sue Rubin's Autism is a World (sorry, no link, n00b) was broadcast by CNN, we were glued to the TV. I haven't seen any specific comments about that film, which was nominated for an Academy Award, but FC is the whole story.

[krelnik]

Aside from the emotional trauma and damaged reputations, the father spent 80 days in jail over this pseudoscientific nonsense. It makes my blood boil.

I do have this case and a couple of others on my FC page (http://whatstheharm.net/facilitatedcommunication.html (http://whatstheharm.net/facilitatedcommunication.html)), if anyone knows of other cases I should add, let me know. submit -at- whatstheharm -dot- net. Thanks!

[Jeff Corey]

Thanks for the link to What's the Harm, Krelnik. I teach critical thinking and it will come in handy.

[Empress]

When Sue Rubin's Autism is a World (sorry, no link, n00b) was broadcast by CNN, we were glued to the TV. I haven't seen any specific comments about that film, which was nominated for an Academy Award, but FC is the whole story.

I watched that as well, since I've been fascinated by FC ever since Frontline exposed the whole nonsense years ago.

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/presents/index.autism.world.html

At the end of the program, Sue was getting a new facilitator--she'd had the same one for a few years. I wondered how dramatically her "comments" would change when that happened. I've not been able to find any new information on the subject, and Sue's website seems not to have been updated since the documentary aired. I can't help but wonder if the bubble burst when the new facilitator was installed and everyone found that Sue suddenly couldn't communicate nearly as well any longer. Sad.

[Red McWilliams]

I can't help but wonder if the bubble burst when the new facilitator was installed and everyone found that Sue suddenly couldn't communicate nearly as well any longer. Sad.

You're probably right, but it sure would be nice to see some kind of followup, you know, in the name of honest journalism. Sad indeed.

[EyeOn]

Quite frankly, there's little information in the article to conclude anything. From what I can figure, either the whole thing is a scam or this girl is being swept under the rug, because she refuses to communicate any further and maybe she is scared of her father, but why? I know I'd be standing beside myself unable to communicate and then have the slightest possible try be criticized. I'd like to know who made the rape claim and what was done to physically investigate this. Interesting.

[fishbait]

Aside from the emotional trauma and damaged reputations, the father spent 80 days in jail over this pseudoscientific nonsense. It makes my blood boil.


Here is a recent article (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage)on the trauma suffered by the brother who is also autistic. The damage goes much deeper than that suffered by the parents.

[Empress]

Here is a recent article (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage)on the trauma suffered by the brother who is also autistic. The damage goes much deeper than that suffered by the parents.

Good god, that video was sickening. No matter how much the Detective presses him, the boy refuses to lie. But by the end, the boy, in tears, comments that he's lost his faith in his dad.

Nice work, Police. :mgbanghead

[krelnik]

Here is a recent article (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage)on the trauma suffered by the brother who is also autistic. The damage goes much deeper than that suffered by the parents.

Thanks for pointing that out, I had missed that part of the story. I need to add that boy as a victim to my FC page too.

[bignickel]

I can't believe this crap is still out there. Didn't anyone in the prosecutor's office see that Law and Order episode years ago? By the time anything makes it to Law and Order, it's been discussed to death.

Maybe it should be required viewing just to make the point.

[RSLancastr]

Here is a recent article (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage)on the trauma suffered by the brother who is also autistic. The damage goes much deeper than that suffered by the parents.The article is no longer on the (libked) front page.

[Empress]

The article is no longer on the (libked) front page.

Here's a link straight to it: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880316001