Facilitated Communication
This post is based on a discussion with reader Professor Daniel Bitran.
Definition #
Facilitated communication (FC) is a process by which a facilitator supports the hand or arm of a communicatively impaired individual while using a keyboard or other devices with the aim of helping the individual to develop pointing skills and to communicate. (Source: Wikipedia)
(Video: YouTube)
Commentary #
Facilitated communication may be related to the Ideomotor Effect or the Clever Hans Effect. This would go a long way to explaining the facilitator's denial of interference as well as the subject's inability to answer questions to which the facilitator does not know the answer (among other anomalies in this form of communication).
See Also #
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Prisoners of Silence at Google Video for an hour-long Frontline documentary highlighting issues with facilitated communication.
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Facilitated communication and Rom Houben at Digital Bits Skeptic for a more recent story.
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Facilitated communication at Wikipedia
Updates #
2013-03-07 #
- Updated link to Prisoners of Silence.