SPELLING TO COMMUNICATE: Miracle Autism Therapy or Fraud?

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Күн бұрын

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@bowen_is_cool 8 ай бұрын

My son is soon 19 and recently began communicating via spelling to communicate! He is nonspeaking and has used augementative communication since he was in kindergarten with increasing success but we were still limited to his requests about food choices, where he wants to go, and a couple of feelings he expressed (happy, sad). But in just the last week I have discovered he can spell and answer questions about information I have verbally provided but better yet about himself! I have learned his favourite colour is purple and that he can confirm when he has had a seizure when we are sometimes unsure if he had one. He can tell us why he likes certain sensory things like the sound of velcro or that certain shows help him feel calm. It is nothing short of a bonafide miracle and it costs almost nothing and I have learned from books and youtube. It is not smoke and mirrors it is simple and it works.

@thatdailymama 8 ай бұрын

thats amazing! Thanks so much for sharing!

@JnRene1 10 ай бұрын

It’s real. I use it with my son who is 29. They can eventually learn to type unassisted. For the people who say the facilitator is helping them what the hell…..is the autistic individual reading their minds to know what letters to point to??? Get some real life knowledge before you judge!

@emilyk5718 5 ай бұрын

When the facilitator is with your son, ask your son a very very very simple qestion that ONLY your son knows and the facilitator would not know. Maybe choose an aunt he loves, let's say it's Aunt Susie. Ask "who is susie?". Then have him type the answer in the manner he usually does with the facilitator helping. If he types "my aunt" then it's likely legitimate. If he types something else like "my friend at school" (presumably there is nobody in his class named susie) then you know the facilitator is doing the work the whole time. The facilitator doesn't read minds, they just do the thinking and pretend it's the autistic student doing it.

@hollyanneee 10 ай бұрын

Also I agree about the feeling about the facilitator. Chris is like, why can't they spell at home then Needs to be with a "facilitator" well that makes it seem sketch.

@thatdailymama 10 ай бұрын

Ya I’m not sold but im just a regular ol person so I dunno. 🤷‍♀️ but I see a lot of red flags. I also find it weird that nobody is spelling just some normal everyday stuff. It’s always a grande statement of some kind or overly poetic. I just don’t know. I’d have to see a lot more evidence than what I’ve seen so far. Would be nice to see it in a natural environment

@barbararose88 10 ай бұрын

@@thatdailymama Yes, this "facilitated communication" was a thing when my 38 year old son was a kid, and it was debunked back then, at least in most cases. It involved using a desktop computer keyboard, which is all there was back then. The facilitator assisted the child in typing words. I'm surprised it is still being touted now that we have devices kids can learn to use on their own. I can see helping the child learn to use the device by showing them. My son was little before all the devices they have now, but he used picture books with Mayer Johnson pictures. I also just made him a picture book using pictures from magazines and ads that I put in a photo album. Very primitive but he did use it all the time. And he did learn about 60 words.

@johnapellicci3896 8 ай бұрын

We do the free lessons on line and are having great results

@msorani6139 8 ай бұрын

Many speller's spell at home with their families, it just takes a lot of practice. Like any new motor skill their bodies need a lot of prompting, eventually those prompts fade.

@msorani6139 8 ай бұрын

Also, many of the practitioners are actually parents who started spelling with their children with such success and now they want to share it with other families.

@nikkideshane7777 8 ай бұрын

It’s important to understand apraxia/dyspraxia to understand it’s a motor issue. Yes, just like anything anyone learns in the beginning is prompted but those prompts are faded out. It is also a motor hierarchy so the boards change over time while building motor skills. When the motor progresses overtime they can and do type on keyboards or touchscreens to communicate with the end result of independence. Depending on sensory profile some might need a person to say focus, finish your sentence due to distraction with attention etc. However at this stage nobody is holding a board/ keyboard for them or giving any letter prompts. This is actually very different than Facilitated Communication (FC)

@miti38 8 ай бұрын

The board should be stationary and not held to voice facilitator influence. Kids can learn to spell and write and type without physical manipulation by anyone. I hope that there isn't an avalanche of sexual abuse allegations made through this as they were through facilitated communication. I saw wonderful parents who were completely innocent accused of sexually abusing their kids.

@msorani6139 8 ай бұрын

The Speller's documentary is now free on KZbin. Speller's Freedom Foundation

@BeLLaVeNuS8553 6 ай бұрын

Hello from Australia.. My Son is 6 years old and ex 25 weeker survival twin and was recently diagnosed with level 3 ASD and is also a Gestalt learning Processor.. I came across this channel and it made me smile.. as my Elijah does a lot of the same.. his quite vocal too.. you are doing amazing thankyou for sharing..

@johnapellicci3896 9 ай бұрын

The facilitator teaches you how to assist your own child. You are not pushed to continue going to a facilitator. Lessons are free online and you can buy the boards. You can actually learn online and not pay anyone. Check out Elizabeth Breen nonverbal valedictorian who set up a nonprofit website to instuct parents to facilitate their own children.

@nikkideshane7777 8 ай бұрын

Her name is Elizabeth Bonker and her nonprofit is Communication 4 All.

@johnapellicci3896 8 ай бұрын

You're right my bad😊 my son just started and is doing so well I want to see all non verbal people find their voice ❤

@nikkideshane7777 8 ай бұрын

That’s fantastic! I’m excited for your son and family the world is about to open up to him!

@barbararose88 10 ай бұрын

My autistic son used to open drawers, play with the BP cuff, spin around, and it was very challenging!

@thatdailymama 10 ай бұрын

She always wants to touch the computer and those ear things that are on the wall

@barbararose88 10 ай бұрын

@@thatdailymama yes, that stack of covers for the otoscope! He wanted to stack and unstack them.

@hollyanneee 10 ай бұрын

The comments I have been seeing on Gabe's instagram have been wild. I really want to see the documentary!!! I also relate to not really going many places. She did so good and love that the doc understood like omg... love.

@msorani6139 8 ай бұрын

Speller's is now streaming on KZbin