Facilitated communication promises to be a method by which a person who lacks the ability

to communicate can, with the help of a specially trained facilitator, actually use a computer

keyboard or other device to finally make their thoughts known.

It sounds like a medical miracle.

The only problem?

It is pure, unadulterated, bunk.

Unspecified communication is up next, UnSkeptoid.

You're listening to Skeptoid.

I'm Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com.

Facilitated communication isn't.

It is truly unfortunate that there are people out there who have intelligence but are

without the ability to communicate.

Perhaps they have severe cerebral palsy, autism, or some other communication disability.

It's hard on them and just as hard on their families and loved ones.

Who aren't even able to know something as basic as that the person is cold, hungry,

has an itch, wants to change the channel on the TV, or maybe just wants to say, I love

you.

And so we see the same thing that happens every time there is a difficult and painful problem

for which we don't have a good solution.

Our lethins step forward to fill the void.

In this case it's called Facilitated Communication.

A facilitator sits with the disabled person, holds or guides their hand, and quote, assists

...