With letter board at ready, these nonspeakers with autism can now freely communicate

They are incredible spellers, highly intelligent thinkers and nonspeakers with autism. Abbey and Shane took us into their community to share how they found their voices and with this form of communication others, like them, can as well. Using what is called a letter board - a laminated piece of paper with the alphabet - 25-year-old Abbey Gore spelled out her thoughts letter by letter.
“We are not stupid,” she spelled.
For more: bit.ly/44ey156
►Subscribe: on.wtsp.com/yo...
►Website: www.wtsp.com/
►Facebook: / 10tampabay
►Twitter: / 10tampabay

[@fcisnotscience]

This is facilitated communication, a technique that's been show, under reliably controlled conditions that facilitators, not their nonspeaking autistic clients or loved ones, are controlling letter selection (often inadvertently) through visual, auditory, and physical cueing. Organizations such as the American Speech/Language/Hearing Association, American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and so many more have statements opposing its use, citing lack of scientific evidence, concerns about facilitator cueing, prompt dependency and other harms (including false allegations of abuse). Proponents of FC have rebranded it (because of negative press) to Spelling to Communicate, Rapid Prompting Method, Supported Typing and more. The common denominator in all these "miraculous" techniques is facilitator interference with letter selection.

[@biodivers5294]

Do your research on Facilitated Communication. There are no controlled study’s that confirm the client gives the letters/words. It’s always the helper/facilitator. Why does someone have to gold the board for the client? Put it in a frame and see what happens…

[@michelemcguire8995]

God bless them all ❤

[@Opaleyesopen]

PLEASE HELP! My son is 22. Can't carry on a conversation. Is confused when asked a question. Not always though. If I ask if he wants something like ice cream he'll say YES!
No, is other words like, " just a minute ". He's come a long way. Said mama at 7.
If I ask him to make the shopping list he'll get paper and pen and write in perfect " font". (He switches around )
He's a very good speller and has a photographic memory.
My question is this; Why won't he communicate by writing or typing? Heck, he types 80 words a minute with two fingers! He's so frustrated and sad. He cries all the time now that he graduated from school and there's nothing for him here. Small town. No services for adults with autism. I afford
to move but I'm trying to think of something.

[@msorani6139]

It's apraxia which is the inability to intentionally move his body. Find an S2C practitioner in your area. Read the book Underestimated and watch the documentary Speller's.

[@iyurvedIN]

Thankyou for sharing this deep analysis. I would like to know what happens in the next session, am assuming this was the first session. Does the child begin to adjust and cooperate? What other techniques are more suitable to help with child's communication?

[@bulletpoints556]

These types of stories need to tell the viewer that the local school districts fight the families tooth and nail to PREVENT the use of this method for communication.

[@lorentz9682]

This is terribly sad. Those words are from the parents, not the child. Why is it that the parent has to hold the keyboard? Put the board down and sit with them, I guarantee they will not type anything. I encourage people to look in to Facilitated Communication. The parents have good intentions and want their children to communicate. In double blind trials, children who were previously typing out paragraphs and writing poetry are suddenly unable to identify a single word correctly.

[@luvulord2]

like, she said. She won't let YOU get in her way

[@pollyfoster6309]

There are spellers who use stands for their keyboard. Some have better gross motor skills than others.

[@michelemcguire8995]

Did someone not give her exercises on how to form words?

[@ticcy_asexual]

It's something you're born with, not a result of anything after birth

[@bobwishart8780]

Thank you for this!

[@Tooclosetohome_truecrime]

Go Erin and speller!! 🎉

[@Emmsays]

Amazing

[@BeMoreOfYourself1984]

Thank you

[@subicstationditosailor4053]

I never knew. I just learned something.

[@sugar-free-2centz]

This type of assisted communication has been shown time and time again to be a sham. The assistant winds up guiding the kid with what they want them to say. It's the Ouija board effect, except on a keyboard. Sometimes the assistant is aware of what they're doing, but many times they don't realize it. What's worse, is that some of these "assistants" have used this supposed communication" to achieve their own goals, such as making the autistic kid type out that their parents are abusing them.

[@pollyfoster6309]

It is not a shame at all

[@ITSMSTL4U]

This is awesome