By: Gary Walsh
Re: Facilitated Communication

Today's (Jan 21) Toronto Star has a front page article titled "Autism
'miracle' a nightmare for family."  Through "facilitated
communication", a couples autistic son allegedly accused them both of
repeated sexual assault.  They were both arrested and have spent a
considerable amount of money defending themselves.  The charges were
dropped the day before the scheduled trial when tests at the Clark
Institute of Psychiatry revealed that the boy couldn't count beyond
three, despite supposedly claiming to have been assaulted nine times,
and is unaware of his own or others' sex.  Tests showed that he could
not describe objects that he had seen but which had not been seen by
his "facilitators."  The couple have filed and $8.5 million suit
against York Region police, the York Region Catholic Separate School
Board and Christian Horizons, Inc., operator of the group home where
their son lived.

Gary R. Walsh                       gary.walsh@canrem.com
Richmond Hill, Ontario              grwalsh@interlog.com

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