There was a piece on the BBC yesterday about this. What I saw for communication is what is called “facilitated communication”. It made a big splash here about 15-16 years ago getting up hopes that people with severe MR could communicate and then it was determined to be not a hoax exactly but not likely to be real communication. Here’s a link to an article about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facilitated_communication
Maybe this is real. I hope it is, but I honestly doubt it.
I was under anesthesia thirty years ago and I became conscious during the middle of the operation. Before I frighten anyone facing surgery nowadays, may I reassure you that anesthesia has come a long way since then. I had no trouble with anesthesia in a recent operation and the head anesthesiologist allayed all my fears. In any case, I know what it feels like to be trapped inside a body unable to communicate, tho this was for a very short time only.
Some comments from the website on article:
So it was "facilitated typing". That has a BAD history in the USA : "Facilitators" used the exact same technique ('gentle pressure' on the fingers so they knew what letter to type) so they could allow nonverbal very low IQ autistics a way to communicate. The facilitators soon had their students accusing parents of physical & sexual abuse. Some (almost certainly innocent) parents were jailed . It was later proven by testing that the results of facilitated communication were false-when the students saw one image on the side of a divider & the facilitators saw another, the pressure always led to the typed description of what was on the facilitator's side. The facilitators meant well, but they only tapped into their subconscious worries about their charges-& lives were ruined as a result. If history has repeated itself, heads need to roll IMO. This incident was part of the child abuse hysteria of the 1980s-90s, & it's pretty well known-so no excuses.
- D L Anderson, KC MO USA, 25/11/2009 7:58
The facilitators meant well, but they only tapped into their subconscious worries about their charges-& lives were ruined as a result.
- D L Anderson
It may seem odd, but this is exactly what happened. The "facilitators" are not setting out to deceive, and genuinely believe they are "relaying " the messages. Proof is to be found in the fact that they were very willing to be tested (until they failed every single test).
A typical test would be....
"John, could you type your favourite animal?"
a name of an animal would be typed
"John, do you like listening to music?"
an answer would be typed
etc .etc....
The facilitator would then put on sound proof ear phones
"John, What is your mother name?
...and from that point on answers became nonsensical, the family would claim that "John" or the facilitator became tired at the exact point the earphones were put on. This happened time and time and time again.
- Ken Brown, London, 25/11/2009 8:23