Radio Atlantic The Mind Readers
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Mar 6, 2025 Dan Engber, a science writer at The Atlantic, dives into the controversial world of facilitated communication for non-speaking autistic children. He explores emotional parent-child connections and the complexities of interpreting communication through a skeptical lens. Engber questions whether the ability to seemingly read minds comes from genuine understanding or a deep desire for connection. The discussion also touches on how societal beliefs in telepathy impact our perception of such extraordinary claims.
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Podcast Argument
- Hannah Rosen and her partner argued about the podcast The Telepathy Tapes.
- The podcast's mind-reading scenes sounded believable, but Rosen questioned the concept of telepathy.
FC Origins
- Facilitated communication (FC) emerged in the 1970s as part of the disabilities rights movement.
- FC aimed to empower non-speaking individuals by providing them with a way to communicate.
Mia's Experiment
- In the podcast, Kai Dickens conducts experiments with a non-speaking autistic girl named Mia and her mother.
- Mia's mother acts as the facilitator, and Mia appears to spell out numbers her mother is thinking of.