The Detroit Free Press recently published a six-part investigation into a pending case of the Wendrows, a family with two children with autism spectrum disorders. The parents chose to use a highly controversial technique known as facilitated communication (FC). The goal of this technique is to aid communication in autistic people by using a keyboard. Although FC has been proven ineffective, the Wendrows believed it would help their autistic children.
With the use of FC, their daughter seemed to intellectually develop at an astounding rate. Once unable to read, she was suddenly writing poetry and taking difficult exams. A vital thing to note, however, is that an aide's hand is supposedly guided by the child to type what he/she wants to say. The technique has been proven to rely on the aide's projections instead of the own thoughts of the child. FC has shown that, when the aide is typing, there has been a repeated failure to demonstrate that the words are being thought or written by the child.
Although the Wendrows believed that their children were benefiting from FC, it soon became clear that it would be detrimental to their family. The Wendrow's daughter's aide typed allegations of sexual abuse against the child's father and brother, and neglect from the child's mother. The aide truly believed that she was typing the child's words, however complex the language may have been. The children were kept away from their parents for 106 days, even though there was ample evidence against the allegations.
http://healthland.time.com/2011/06/24/a-controversial-autism-therapy-unravels-a-family/
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