"A new scientific truth does not usually prevail by convincing its opponents and making them declare themselves enlightened, but rather by the gradual death of the opponents and by the fact that the rising generation is familiar with the truth from the outset." Max Planck 1946, referring to physics, but the same phenomenon happens in every field.
Hi JB. I sincerely wish that everyone would understand precisely what you are presenting. Many do. Even those with another self-serving agenda. Like you, my entire life is devoted to our 33 y.o son.
I'd kill or die for him. Lawfully. Same oath I swore long ago when asked to defend our Nation.
I would do the same to protect your son. This is even though S2C did not yield results in his case. It did lead us to a painstaking set of tools commonly "acronym" based AAC device. Any progress is good progress. At any age and time.
So, I would like to say thank you for all the lives you touch. I sispect you know that your platform always opens new ways of thinking for those who have but one mission. The children.
Amy,... if your listening?
"The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend."-
"And perhaps most painfully of all, it means confronting your own participation in that misunderstanding.
I have had to live through that reckoning."
This parallels the difficulty faced by parents who realize that their children were damaged by childhood vaccines.
We can't go back and change the past, but we can affect the future. And one way to make the future brighter is to acknowledge which of our past beliefs were wrong and learn how to address the consequences of those mistaken beliefs.
The leadership at the National Council on Severe Autism claim that when we support spelled communication methods, we think that every nonspeaker is a "secret genius," and that in so doing, we are disrespecting individuals with true cognitive disabilities.
But how do we know the cognitive abilities of any nonspeakers without a reliable way to communicate? And why not offer the chance to learn this method to all nonspeakers? What could it hurt?
Yes, these concepts may overturn the conceptual apple cart of autism professionals and teachers...or shock parents with a degree of responsibility that they fear to consider more than autism itself.
Thank you! Thank you for writing your book and for this Substack article. I have witnessed my non speaking grandson’s success with Spell 2 Communicate. It has opened up a whole new world for him. It is hard for me to understand why anyone would want to deny access to this method in case it can help. It does not harm anyone who tries it and for some it is a miracle.
From the outside it is hard to understand the push back of exploring the potential of this concept. For what really matters, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain. Why do people fear being wrong above all else?
The author of that New York Times opinion piece is the vice president of the National Council on Severe Autism. Now, its president, Jill Escher, and its executive director, Jackie Kancir, are trying to claim that they are being “harassed” by people “going bananas” and being “aggressive” in the comment section and making “unhinged” accusations against them. Yet here are the responses I got when I asked Jackie Kancir to address specific points about spelled communication:
“I commend your blind loyalty to your beliefs. The text speaks for itself.”
“I’d explain it differently, but I can’t understand it for you.”
“You’re shadowboxing with points nobody made.”
“That’s a remarkable reconstruction of words that were never written. The imaginary version of me in your head sounds exhausting.”
“At this point your keyboard deserves workers’ comp. You’ve become the background noise of multiple pages simultaneously, and yet still somehow maintain your commitment to elude the actual points of any of the authors you’ve tried to lure with tired strawman arguments. You’re everywhere except apparently outdoors; I hear the grass feels lovely to touch this time of year.”
I looked up to Helen Keller and thankful for Anne Sullivan, Alexander Graham bell, sign language. I wrote my senior paper on Keller and using hand formations to “speak” and learn.
Having the privilege of learning from these amazing individuals in schools and in other jobs, I can say with surety that they want to express who they are, what they want, and I worked hard to help them do that! As a person born with a severe hearing loss, and surgery, speech schools, slps, and struggling with learning and then a welcome assessment and diagnosis of two specific learning disabilities in college, I understand the frustration and reward of being able to express myself, and process what others are saying! Hard work and helpful and patient teachers and parents who supported me to get it! It’s sometimes a battle, discouraging!
"A new scientific truth does not usually prevail by convincing its opponents and making them declare themselves enlightened, but rather by the gradual death of the opponents and by the fact that the rising generation is familiar with the truth from the outset." Max Planck 1946, referring to physics, but the same phenomenon happens in every field.
Hi JB. I sincerely wish that everyone would understand precisely what you are presenting. Many do. Even those with another self-serving agenda. Like you, my entire life is devoted to our 33 y.o son.
I'd kill or die for him. Lawfully. Same oath I swore long ago when asked to defend our Nation.
I would do the same to protect your son. This is even though S2C did not yield results in his case. It did lead us to a painstaking set of tools commonly "acronym" based AAC device. Any progress is good progress. At any age and time.
So, I would like to say thank you for all the lives you touch. I sispect you know that your platform always opens new ways of thinking for those who have but one mission. The children.
Amy,... if your listening?
"The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend."-
Abraham Lincoln
I am sending Underestimated to my daughter… and hoping my grandson Achilles will benefit. Thank you so much.
"And perhaps most painfully of all, it means confronting your own participation in that misunderstanding.
I have had to live through that reckoning."
This parallels the difficulty faced by parents who realize that their children were damaged by childhood vaccines.
We can't go back and change the past, but we can affect the future. And one way to make the future brighter is to acknowledge which of our past beliefs were wrong and learn how to address the consequences of those mistaken beliefs.
The leadership at the National Council on Severe Autism claim that when we support spelled communication methods, we think that every nonspeaker is a "secret genius," and that in so doing, we are disrespecting individuals with true cognitive disabilities.
But how do we know the cognitive abilities of any nonspeakers without a reliable way to communicate? And why not offer the chance to learn this method to all nonspeakers? What could it hurt?
Sounds like a woke attitude to me, using the possibility I could offend so as to neutralize different thoughts and insights to stop opposition.
Yes, these concepts may overturn the conceptual apple cart of autism professionals and teachers...or shock parents with a degree of responsibility that they fear to consider more than autism itself.
Thank you! Thank you for writing your book and for this Substack article. I have witnessed my non speaking grandson’s success with Spell 2 Communicate. It has opened up a whole new world for him. It is hard for me to understand why anyone would want to deny access to this method in case it can help. It does not harm anyone who tries it and for some it is a miracle.
The line in the book that was the most heartbreaking to me was when Jamie asked you “How did she know I was smart?” Excellent work, J.B. ❤️
I cannot like this article enough!
Thank you so much for putting this into words. I'm grateful the spelling community has such an eloquent and fierce advocate 🙏
From the outside it is hard to understand the push back of exploring the potential of this concept. For what really matters, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain. Why do people fear being wrong above all else?
The author of that New York Times opinion piece is the vice president of the National Council on Severe Autism. Now, its president, Jill Escher, and its executive director, Jackie Kancir, are trying to claim that they are being “harassed” by people “going bananas” and being “aggressive” in the comment section and making “unhinged” accusations against them. Yet here are the responses I got when I asked Jackie Kancir to address specific points about spelled communication:
“I commend your blind loyalty to your beliefs. The text speaks for itself.”
“I’d explain it differently, but I can’t understand it for you.”
“You’re shadowboxing with points nobody made.”
“That’s a remarkable reconstruction of words that were never written. The imaginary version of me in your head sounds exhausting.”
“At this point your keyboard deserves workers’ comp. You’ve become the background noise of multiple pages simultaneously, and yet still somehow maintain your commitment to elude the actual points of any of the authors you’ve tried to lure with tired strawman arguments. You’re everywhere except apparently outdoors; I hear the grass feels lovely to touch this time of year.”
https://documentinghope.com/aba-behavior-and-biology-a-new-vision-for-autism-treatment/
May God bless you and Jamie!
The spelling reminds me of the device I had as a child, “Speak and Spell.”
I looked up to Helen Keller and thankful for Anne Sullivan, Alexander Graham bell, sign language. I wrote my senior paper on Keller and using hand formations to “speak” and learn.
Having the privilege of learning from these amazing individuals in schools and in other jobs, I can say with surety that they want to express who they are, what they want, and I worked hard to help them do that! As a person born with a severe hearing loss, and surgery, speech schools, slps, and struggling with learning and then a welcome assessment and diagnosis of two specific learning disabilities in college, I understand the frustration and reward of being able to express myself, and process what others are saying! Hard work and helpful and patient teachers and parents who supported me to get it! It’s sometimes a battle, discouraging!