Jemma Leech/Facilitated Communication?

[Foolmewunz]

Fascinating, the world so wants to believe in fairy tales.

10+ pages all sharing this story and one other equally incredible claim that she wrote some short autobiography in 06 at age 8. Nothing found when I looked for facilitated communication and Jemme Leech except this forum thread, and one entry in another forum thread as a side issue.

This is going to turn out badly. All this attention will get others looking into it. The truth will come out and the contests this girl has supposedly won will be questioned. Some other kids deserve the awards they didn't get competing with this parent. And no doubt the parents will hold fast to their convictions and blame the skeptical community for discriminating against their daughter.

Is that enough detail in my clairvoyant prediction to apply for the million?

Thanks, Skeptigirl... I've read the autobiography and it's equally interesting to read the Night Before Scrooge, which was written at the same time. The language and images are just so obviously those of an adult. (An adult, by the way, who's a sappy writer. For an eight or ten year old this stuff would be impressive. From an adult, it's pretentious crap.)

In defence of the facilitators - as human beings - from everything I've encountered, most of them are delusional rather than frauds. I cannot recall the show, but early in the 90s, one of the investigative journalism types (60 Minutes, 20/20, or one of the Brit or Canadian versions) did a long report, and they actually convinced a very saddened-cum-upset facilitator that she was putting her words/hopes into the child.

They're sad (again, on the human scale). People put all their hopes in their children and the pain and frustration of of dealing with a child with CP, serious autism or other conditions just pushes them to believe in any cure, whether it's real or a bag of magic beans. We see the same with other alternative therapies, but an adult with cancer who chooses to soak in a puddle on the eastern slope of Machu Pichu is at least an adult and has made that choice, freely.

I saw several letters from persons purporting to have been teachers or educators in the UK which mentioned that she communicated with a Dynavox. From what I know, this is a Dynavox: (sorry, can't do the YouTube thingie to save my life... if someone wants to fix it, ... thanx in advance)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4GAX-IXE_k

This does not look like the unit that they show on the ABC clip. Does anyone know if that's also a Dynavox product? I know a teacher here (coincidentally as a JREF Forum frame of reference, from Denmark) who works with autistic children, and the Dynavox that I've seen is like the one in the YouTube clip.

They deal with a combination of symbols, pictures, and letters/words. I also saw a small unit that was simply for writing and email, but the damning fact there is that it uses its own logic to help the writer to complete a phrase, much like your 2004 Nokia did for text messaging (and MSWord does for standard phrases).

Regardless... since I can't see computer technology coming up with the flourishes of "Jemma's" writings, I also can't see how the results of the typical Dynavox session would've convinced anyone, especially an educator, of anything other than the fact that the girl was able to communicate some thoughts.

The use of the Dynavox in the YouTube clip is the proper application, BTW. The mom is reminding her and pointing things out, but wants the girl to do the work. Is this communication? Yes, of a sort, but it's also rote training. The hope, obviously, is that she'll make the mental connection and will learn to string together symbols and expressions on her own. You can't see any of that in the clip, but it's the obvious extrapolation. My friend here has had moderate success, but generally in the "I want" + "object" or "action". Nothing like "I can recall that spring morning when we first met my Uncle Edward upon his return from Basrah" (I just made that up).

Some of mommy's other anecdotal evidence that I'm truly uncomfortable with:
> Came down one morning when she was 3 to find her voraciously reading the newspaper with Grandpa. My question: On his lap? Sitting at the table with a Cafe Latte and a croissant and smoking a Gitanes? Was she turning the pages with her total asence of muscular control? How was she telling whomever to turn the pages. She can't communicate. (Heck, most normal three year olds have trouble with that.)
> She's a speed reader - claimed in '06 when she was 8. My interpretation: A handy way to handwave away questions as to how and when a six year old acquired so much knowledge of classical music, Shakespeare, the Romanticists, opera, etc...
At that age, she wouldn't have time to listen to all the music, read all the books, etc... Ah, but... "Ooooh, I've got it... She's a speed-reader. Yeah, that's it... she snuck out one day and bought the Evelyn Woods course at the church jumble!
> Music is her first love. Again, even if the speed-reading was true, someone had to have spent all day, every day, turning pages for her. Does not ring true, if they only first discovered she was cogniscant at 3. But then, how do you explain away the musical knowledge? In-depth knowledge of the music she was discussing would require years of listening and comparing. Is she a Speed Listener, too?

I'm beyond skeptical on this thing by now... I'm angry.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

You take everything after the = in the YouTube address and enclose between [ y t ][ / y t] minus the spaces of course. I had to ask someone, I couldn't figure it out either.


I recall now with the facilitated communication it was observed that the kids were not making eye contact with the board and that was evidence they were not actively participating.

I agree probably close to 100% of the facilitators believe they are not controlling the movements. Lots of people think Ouija boards work too.

 

[Gevaudan]

What makes my skepty senses tingle is how often these people using FC seem to be eloquent and poetical. No one ever seems to turn out to be a normal, cranky person of average literacy. It's the Retarded Angel syndrome - they always have to be purer and better than 'normal' folks to 'make up' for their disabilities (and probably to act as an object lesson for normal people).

 

[Elvis666]

Good point about the math, not so sure I agree 100% about the music though.

The stuff you "learn" about music is mastered by five-year olds all the time, reading notes from a staff, etc. The creation of music is very much like mathematics. I've been writing original instrumental pieces and arranging others' music for years, and the process that goes on in my head when juggling notes to create music and juggling numbers to create solutions is very similar. (Not that I create anything wondrous, my music is on the competent but uninspired level.)

 

[Showmeproof]

The stuff you "learn" about music is mastered by five-year olds all the time, reading notes from a staff, etc. The creation of music is very much like mathematics. I've been writing original instrumental pieces and arranging others' music for years, and the process that goes on in my head when juggling notes to create music and juggling numbers to create solutions is very similar. (Not that I create anything wondrous, my music is on the competent but uninspired level.)

I am sure it is equivalant to a Beethoven

 

[MetalSeagull]

I saw several letters from persons purporting to have been teachers or educators in the UK which mentioned that she communicated with a Dynavox. From what I know, this is a Dynavox: (sorry, can't do the YouTube thingie to save my life... if someone wants to fix it, ... thanx in advance)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4GAX-IXE_k

This does not look like the unit that they show on the ABC clip. Does anyone know if that's also a Dynavox product? I know a teacher here (coincidentally as a JREF Forum frame of reference, from Denmark) who works with autistic children, and the Dynavox that I've seen is like the one in the YouTube clip.

Here is a child who is using a set of two switches to activate scanning software. Although many of her answers are long pre-programmed sentences, you can see her answering questions letter by letter as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAdEOXD9Tvk

When I was an occupational therapist in the public schools, I used to work with some kids like this. Sometimes I helped choose the assistive devices and taught the kids and teachers how to use them, or helped adapt schoolwork to fit the interface. These devices can be very complex, incorporating word prediction software or nested screens so the user could access a wide range of choices even if they could only effectively choose from two scanned items.

I don't see any reason Jemma could not use a similar system. Maybe they tried them and found that, for some reason, it gave her writer's block.

 

[Aepervius]

@MetalSeagull, the kid in the video has got Cerebral Palsy. But I guess the same equipment could be used for autistic kids.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

No one is doubting that some kids with CP are very intelligent and can communicate with assistive devices. The problem has to do with the assistant believing the child is communicating when the assistant is moving the device the same way people move dowsing rods and Ouija board letter pointers.

This kid appears to have such an assistant.

 

[Foolmewunz]

Here is a child who is using a set of two switches to activate scanning software. Although many of her answers are long pre-programmed sentences, you can see her answering questions letter by letter as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAdEOXD9Tvk

When I was an occupational therapist in the public schools, I used to work with some kids like this. Sometimes I helped choose the assistive devices and taught the kids and teachers how to use them, or helped adapt schoolwork to fit the interface. These devices can be very complex, incorporating word prediction software or nested screens so the user could access a wide range of choices even if they could only effectively choose from two scanned items.

I don't see any reason Jemma could not use a similar system. Maybe they tried them and found that, for some reason, it gave her writer's block.

I'm unable to do YouTube from work and won't be home for another 6-8 hours (and then too drunk to make any sense as I have to take a binge-drinking Brit client out), so can you tell me if that's a Dynavox? They specifically mentioned that she worked with a Dynavox, and that's the particular point I was making.

The Dynavox also is specifically promoted for autism, but I doubt that its intended use would have much difference, merely that that was a more readily identifiable market. I am not dissing Dynavox, BTW. I have no reason to do so. I'm just curious as to the capabilities of their units, since the teachers mentioned that particular product and also mentioned how impressed they were with Jemma's communications stemming from the use of them.

My admittedly limited experience with Dynavox was with a single unit like the one I posted in the above when I first mentioned it, and that unit would not be terribly helpful in writing the kind of prose and poetry that she's supposed to have produced. I'm more prone to thinking that they were impressed that she could communicate at all, as opposed to them thinking she could write like William Blake.

I'm willing to be corrected. That's why I asked.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

She calls is a "Pathfinder" and they refer to it also as Alternative and Augmentative Communication of AAC.

 

[MetalSeagull]

I reviewed the video again. I shows a close up of the aug com device several times. You can see it first at -2:29 on the video clip. It's not a Dynavox. Although I couldn't make out the brand name at the top, I'm pretty sure it's this one, called a Mercury.

http://www.assistivetech.com/p-mercury.htm

I guess she could be using more than one device, though.