Disability-Ability Matching Test

Map the three disabilities to the following purported sets of abilities.

Disabilities:

1. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
2. Autism
3. Dyslexia

Ability Set 1:

A psychologist overlooks the science and a journalist, the full story

(Cross-posted at FacilitatedCommunication.org).

Part I: The Psychologist

When it comes to facilitated communication, Psychology Today has a mixed record. While a number of its contributors (Amy Lutz, Stephen Camarata, Bill Ahearn, and Scott Lilienfeld) have spoken out against it, others (Chantal Sicile-Kira, Robert Chapman, and Susan Senator) have, to one degree or another, expressed support. Recently joining the second cohort (which consists of a neurodiversity philosopher, an autism consultant, and an autism parent) is a psychologist: Debra Brause, PsychD.

Brause’s post, entitled Nina: A Nonspeaker Who Found Her Voice, showcases a nonspeaking autistic individual who purportedly describes her feelings of being locked inside and unheard by others until she started “using a method called spelling to communicate (S2C), which enables her to share her story.” S2C has also enabled Meehan’s communication partners to conclude that “she is a deep thinker and cares about ‘every single thing’” and also that she’s bilingual:

Autism Acceptance Month–what do we accept these days as autistic?

I fidget.

Clothing labels bother me.

I cover my ears to block out sirens.

I sometimes have trouble reading faces, following conversations, and knowing what to say.

Outside of my private refuges, I’m constantly masking my inappropriate reactions and urges and trying to pass as socially acceptable.

Socially demanding events tire me out.

So does lots of volume and sensory clutter.

I can get so absorbed in high-interest activities that I lose track of time and get highly distressed if interrupted.

I sometimes echo pithy things I heard earlier or “script” lines from movies and TV shows.

In other words…

I’m neurotypical.

And as a neurotypical person, I try to be fully accepting of autistic individuals, including of their right to communicate authentically without having their words, or their status as actually autistic, hijacked by others.

From Literacy to “Support Needs” to “Communication Boards”: How vague guidelines enable non-evidence based claims and practices

(Cross-posted at FacilitatedCommunication.org).

When you write general guidelines, you need to make clear not just what you’re saying, but what you’re not saying. And to figure out which things, of all the things you’re not saying, you most need to emphasize as things you’re not saying, you need to take a look at who is likely—unwittingly or deliberately—to misinterpret what you’re saying, and in what ways.