Amy Sequenzia
Amy Sequenzia is an American non-verbal autistic prominent in the field of autism and disability activism. She is primarily known for the voluminous writings attributed to her, produced through the scientifically discredited technique of facilitated communication.[1]
Scholarly consensus deems facilitated communication to be pseudoscience and finds that the facilitator, rather than the nonverbal person, is the source of messages obtained through the process.
Biography[edit]
Sequenzia was born in Miami and grew up in a community group home in St. Louis where there was a better special education program.[2] Sequenzia moved back to Florida in 2005.[3] She has cerebral palsy,[4] and is a member of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network.[5] Writings and other commentary attributed to Sequenzia include poetry,[3] contributions to the book Loud Hands,[6] and a speech to the Florida Legislature on issues relating to health and people with disabilities.[7] In speaking panels, she uses a special iPad that "speaks" for her based on input typed by a facilitator.[8]
According to a facilitator, she identifies as a "non-speaking Autistic", preferring to use the capital letter as a mark of pride. A facilitator said that she is not ashamed of her condition.[9] Additional statements made by her facilitator have included telling parents not to try and "fix" their children, but to celebrate and endorse who they are so they will be safe to live disabled,[10][11] and criticizing Temple Grandin for only focusing on and listening to high-functioning autistics.[12]
Criticism of facilitated communication[edit]
Facilitated communication is a scientifically discredited technique[13][14][15] and there exists widespread agreement within the scientific community and within disability advocacy organizations that FC is not a valid technique for communicating with those having autism spectrum disorder.[16][17][18][19] Research indicates that the facilitator is the source of messages obtained through the process.[20][21][22][23][19]
According to skeptic Steven Novella, a professor at Yale University School of Medicine, Sequenzia's writings under FC are unusually eloquent for a nonverbal autistic individual. He additionally stated that there is no given explanation for how she spontaneously learned to read and write at an advanced level when she was eight years old.[24]
References[edit]
- ↑ Bakan, Michael B. (2018). Speaking for Ourselves: Conversations on Life, Music, and Autism. Oxford University Press. pp. 201–216. ISBN 9780190855833 – via Oxford Scholarship. Search this book on
- ↑ Bakan 2018, p. 205.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Corona, Laura (July 29, 2010). "CATA Poets Speak Their Minds Tonight". North Adams Transcript. Retrieved June 18, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Why ABC's Speechless feels like such a revolutionary depiction of disabled people". Slate. October 19, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
- ↑ Korkiakangas, Terhi (May 30, 2018). Communication, Gaze and Autism: A Multimodal Interaction Perspective. Routledge. ISBN 9781317221258. Search this book on
- ↑ Bakan 2018, p. 203.
- ↑ Berman, Dave (December 13, 2012). "Range of Issues Discussed". Florida Today. Retrieved June 18, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Bakan 2018, p. 216.
- ↑ Parker, Sydney (March 20, 2015). "Autism: does ABA therapy open society's doors to children, or impose conformity?". The Guardian. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
- ↑ "Disability rights and reproductive rights don't have to be in conflict". LA Times. August 29, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
- ↑ "Your child is not a prop". The Week. December 29, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
- ↑ "Things You Should Never Say to An Autistic". San Francisco Chronicle. August 12, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
- ↑ Vyse, Stuart (7 August 2018). "Autism Wars: Science Strikes Back". Skeptical Inquirer Online. Skeptical Inquirer. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
- ↑ Jacobson, John W.; Mulick, James A.; Schwartz, Allen A. (1995). "A history of facilitated communication: Science, pseudoscience, and antiscience science working group on facilitated communication". American Psychologist. 50 (9): 750–765. doi:10.1037/0003-066x.50.9.750. ISSN 0003-066X.
- ↑ Boodman, Sandra G. (January 17, 1995). "Can autistic children be reached through 'Facilitated Communication'? Scientists say no". The Washington Post (Final Edition). Washington, D.C. p. z01. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ↑ Riggott, Julie (Spring–Summer 2005). "Pseudoscience in Autism Treatment: Are the News and Entertainment Media Helping or Hurting?". Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice. 4 (1): 58–60.
- ↑ "ISAAC Position Statement on Facilitated Communication". Augmentative and Alternative Communication. 30 (4): 357–358. 2014-12-01. doi:10.3109/07434618.2014.971492. ISSN 0743-4618.
- ↑ Wichert, Bill. "Professor found guilty of sexually assaulting disabled man". NJ.com. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Schlosser, Ralf W.; Balandin, Susan; Hemsley, Bronwyn; Iacono, Teresa; Probst, Paul; Tetzchner, Stephen von (2014-12-01). "Facilitated Communication and Authorship: A Systematic Review". Augmentative and Alternative Communication. 30 (4): 359–368. doi:10.3109/07434618.2014.971490. ISSN 0743-4618.
- ↑ Lilienfeld; et al. (26 February 2015). "Why debunked autism treatment fads persist". Science Daily. Emory University. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- ↑ Ganz, Jennifer B.; Katsiyannis, Antonis; Morin, Kristi L. (February 2017). "Facilitated Communication: The Resurgence of a Disproven Treatment for Individuals With Autism". Intervention in School and Clinic. 54: 52–56. doi:10.1177/1053451217692564.
- ↑ Mostert, Mark P. (2010-01-19). "Facilitated Communication and Its Legitimacy—Twenty-First Century Developments". Exceptionality. 18 (1): 31–41. doi:10.1080/09362830903462524. ISSN 0936-2835.
- ↑ Hemsley, Bronwyn; Bryant, Lucy; Schlosser, Ralf; Shane, Howard; Lang, Russell; Paul, Diane; Benajee, Meher; Ireland, Marie (2018). "Systematic review of facilitated communication 2014-2018 finds no new evidence that messages delivered using facilitated communication are authored by the person with the disability". Autism and Developmental Language Impairments. 3: 1–8. doi:10.1177/2396941518821570. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
- ↑ "Facilitated Communication Persists Despite Scientific Criticism". NeuroLogica Blog. 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
Sources[edit]
- Bakan, Michael B. (2018). Speaking for Ourselves: Conversations on Life, Music, and Autism. Oxford University Press. pp. 201–216. doi:10.1093/oso/9780190855833.003.0010. ISBN 9780190855833 – via Oxford Scholarship. Search this book on
External link[edit]
- Blog at Ollibean.com
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