Posts by savedbytyping

Facilitated Communication: Tracy Thresher & John Smyth at 2011 ICI Summer Institute

Supported typers Tracy Thresher, co-star of the documentary Wretches & Jabberers, and John Smyth use supported typing to have a conversation at Syracuse University’s 2011 Institute of Communication and Inclusion Summer Institute: Connection, Communication, and Creativity. A true example of Facilitated Communication in action! This is the first time Tracy and John had an opportunity…

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Todd Washburne: Joining the Real World as an Adult Typer

I was raised as being retarded because I could not communicate. My frustration level was off the charts throughout my school years. The many times I got in trouble were driving me crazy and I couldn’t even be a tattletale so I was teased a lot. However, I did learn stuff like speed reading and…

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Autistic Typer’s Poetry Reviewed by Bestselling Author Don Mann

John Smyth is a nonverbal autistic who, until recently, had no ability to communicate with anyone – parents, doctors, educators, siblings. As with many similarly afflicted individuals, John, a highly intelligent young man, was diagnosed as having a 3 year old’s mind and warehoused by his local school system in “life-skills” training until he was…

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The Ember, a poem by John Smyth

Click to watch video: "The Ember" by John Smyth

The Ember by John Smyth When all I could lamely autistically do was open my mouth and make sounds that made no sense and behave in ways that were inconsistent with what a normal person would think or do, my autism looked as if it was what defined me and was all I might ever…

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The Path to Independence: Introduction to Facilitated Communication

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.Lao Tzu, 6th Century B.C. For thousands of children and adults on the Autism Disorder Spectrum (ADS), the ability to talk or communicate has been disrupted, or virtually eliminated in many cases, by the neurological disorder that affects 1 in every 88 children in the…

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Starting Down the Path to Independent Typing

“I believe we cannot isolate physical independence from the other two elements of facilitated communication – communication and emotional support. Although I am called an independent typer because I no longer need physical touch, I cannot walk into a room, and type without a facilitator. The facilitator must still provide communication and emotional support to…

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The Path to Independence: Step 1 – Facilitator Training

"(Facilitated Communication is) …strongest therapy for people with no means of expression is sensational, controversial, revolutionary, technically subtle FC. It involves understanding movement lapses of people and providing physical support to help overcome them. Plastic nature of users of FC requires topnotch weaning of support towards ultimate goal of independence." Larry Bissonnette, Independent Typer Facilitated…

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