Non-verbal Severely Autistic Girl Expresses Unimaginable Intelligence

[Tia Maria]

Please take a few moments to watch the following short video about Carly Fleischmann.

Autistic Girl Expresses Unimaginable Intelligence

Carly is only one of a very large number of previously 'low functioning' non-verbal severely autistic children, teens & adults who have begun communicating using either computers, specialized type writer devices, & now iPads or tablets along with very inexpensive Assistive Chat apps.

These kids write that they are not 'one in a million', but the norm for severely autistic children & adults, most of whom have been "tested" & labeled mentally retarded by their doctors & other so-called experts.

Many of you may already be familiar with Carly or the hundreds of other kids like her who are communicating through writing or some form of Facilitated Communication.

I wanted to post this for parents who read AC, & also to find out from the Aspies here if all this is common knowledge or not. It is not part of the standard ABA therapy for severely autistic children nor is it promoted by the major Autism organizations.

By the way, this is just an appetizer of sorts. There is so much more out there, & more to come.

Thanks.

 

[Cerulean]

That is so great and encouraging. One of the things I hear/read most often from parents with more severely autistic kids is that they want to be able to communicate them and find out who is "inside". I love that we have advanced technology to a point where this is more possible than it has ever been.

I can't have the volume up all the way here at work, so I apologize if this was addressed, but I am curious about where this statement originates:

These kids write that they are not 'one in a million', but the norm for severely autistic children & adults, most of whom have been "tested" & labeled mentally retarded by their doctors & other so-called experts.

Have there been figures worked to determine whether this is quite common? It reads like a personal anecdote but I'm not sure how they could know this is that common. Or are they assuming that their mutual experience of autism, and because they are able to share what that is like with others on the spectrum, they extrapolate that their situation is not so unique? Having worked in a special needs class with children from nearly-NT to nonverbal children much like Carly I am very interested, but my aspie need for facts and numbers can't not ask

 

[Nitro]

Please take a few moments to watch the following short video about Carly Fleischmann.

Autistic Girl Expresses Unimaginable Intelligence

Carly is only one of a very large number of previously 'low functioning' non-verbal severely autistic children, teens & adults who have begun communicating using either computers, specialized type writer devices, & now iPads or tablets along with very inexpensive Assistive Chat apps.

These kids write that they are not 'one in a million', but the norm for severely autistic children & adults, most of whom have been "tested" & labeled mentally retarded by their doctors & other so-called experts.

Many of you may already be familiar with Carly or the hundreds of other kids like her who are communicating through writing or some form of Facilitated Communication.

I wanted to post this for parents who read AC, & also to find out from the Aspies here if all this is common knowledge or not. It is not part of the standard ABA therapy for severely autistic children nor is it promoted by the major Autism organizations.

By the way, this is just an appetizer of sorts. There is so much more out there, & more to come.

Thanks.

This was the clip I was shown the day I discovered what autism was.The next one I watched was about some silly thing called Asperger's Syndrome. It stopped me in my tracks as I saw myself in that mirror

 

[Ylva]

I wanted to post this for parents who read AC, & also to find out from the Aspies here if all this is common knowledge or not.

I knew about it, but even before that I just assumed that people who don't speak still understand language, based on nothing more than the knowledge that how the brain interprets words is separate from how it speaks, to include just forcing the vocal chords to do what you want them to do. (It's harder than making the hands do what you want.) Muscles don't always obey, are often automated even if they're manually controlled (especially in NTs, who still don't think their finger-drumming or foot-tapping or teeth-sucking qualify as stimming), and usually doing their own thing anyway.

Now, I have a hard time believing anyone could have such piss poor imagination as to be unable to imagine this girl's intelligence, and that was before she was brain damaged by electroshocks. Her parents must really be low on both intelligence and imagination.

 

[watersprite]

Nice post.
On an interesting side note, that first news guy - John Stossel - used to have a bad stutter and somehow overcame it to go on to speak on television.
http://www.stutteringhelp.org/conte...his-story-2020’s-john-stossel-inspires-others

 

[Tia Maria]

I can't have the volume up all the way here at work, so I apologize if this was addressed, but I am curious about where this statement originates:

Have there been figures worked to determine whether this is quite common? It reads like a personal anecdote but I'm not sure how they could know this is that common. Or are they assuming that their mutual experience of autism, and because they are able to share what that is like with others on the spectrum, they extrapolate that their situation is not so unique? Having worked in a special needs class with children from nearly-NT to nonverbal children much like Carly I am very interested, but my aspie need for facts and numbers can't not ask

Hi Cerulean, Thanks for watching!

There are many severely autistic children who are learning to communicate this way although I do not have any accounting of numbers or statistics.

You are correct that the statement "These kids write that they are not 'one in a million', but the norm for severely autistic children & adults, most of whom have been "tested" & labeled mentally retarded by their doctors & other so-called experts. " is based on personal anecdote, the insights & opinions of multiple severely autistic children & teens who prior to their "break through" communication were medically labeled mentally retarded, & physically look & presented exactly as their low functioning autistic peers still present. That is not a scientific proof, but it holds significant weight with me because I have been researching the subject for a while, & there are enough individuals who have succeeded given the opportunity that I see no harm in at least trying.

And given that there are more questions than answers on the subject, why would a neurologically typical person, despite their intelligence & education, know more about what severely autistic people feel & need than a severely autistic person who is eventually able to tell us directly?

The majority of severely autistic people of all ages do not receive any kind of Facilitated Communication (FC) assistance or training because it is not part of the standard methodology of ABA Therapy which is the accepted educational & autism industry 'gold standard'. FC seems to go against the standard accepted way of thinking about autism although more doctors are becoming interested. Meanwhile it is primarily the children & teens of parents who pursue this on their own who end up gaining the ability to express themselves in this way.

Carly is unique in that she totally self initiated her ability to type a word, a thought, on a computer; & she was blessed with parents who followed up with dogged persistence to help her acquire the the skills & discipline needed to work through her physical & mental disabilities to reach her current level of ability of typing & communication. It was not an easy thing for her, or her parents & aids, to accomplish. But she always had the capability.

Think of Helen Keller. She was considered mentally retarded & behaved more like a wild animal than a human being. That all changed when she finally learned how to communicate with the outside world, to express her needs & feelings. It was not an easy task for her to learn how to communicate given the obstacles created by her physical disabilities. It was a long & arduous task, & required a dedicated & determined teacher.

Temple Grandin is a HFA or Aspie. What if she had been institutionalized as a child as was recommended at the time as the best solution?

Of course parents yearn to communicate with their children & truly know them. But think too what it must be like to be unable to express anything for yourself. And what happens to non verbal severely autistic, low functioning children when they 'age out' of school - really remedial education - at age 21? I can't imagine how it would be to live in a group home without the ability to communicate. Of course (terrible) places like the Judge Rotenberg Center are also available.

I'll follow-up to post more resources & information later on this same thread.

Since this site is intended for people with Aspergers I think the Parenting forum may be the best place to discuss & share this information.

 

[Tia Maria]

Nice post.
On an interesting side note, that first news guy - John Stossel - used to have a bad stutter and somehow overcame it to go on to speak on television.
http://www.stutteringhelp.org/conte...his-story-2020’s-john-stossel-inspires-others

I have seen that Kestrel, & thanks for sharing it!

As an aside, I personally love John Stossel, & his weekly show where he discusses Libertarian issues. He's also the author of some excellent books. He has a nephew, Scott Stossel,who suffers from severe crippling anxiety & wrote a book about living with anxiety.

 

[Tia Maria]

Carly's parents are neither low in intelligence or imagination. They are quite the opposite actually in both attributes; & Carly was & is extremely fortunate to have such wonderful & devoted parents.

In early 2014, at around age 19, Carly received electroshock therapy at her own request in hopes of better controlling what had become severe OCD symptoms. He parents did not coerce or even encourage her to pursue that treatment. It was something she researched online herself & was very interested in trying. Was it a mistake? Perhaps. But that is for her & her family to decide & to also live with.

I personally wish the best for Carly & her family, & hope one day she will begin writing again. She is already a published author.

What happened to Carly Fleischmann? : an exclusive interview with her father - Autism Daily Newscast

What happened to Carly Fleischmann? : an exclusive interview with her father - Page 2 of 2 - Autism Daily Newscast