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FRONTLINE; Prisoners of Silence

Part of Frontline.


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Series
FRONTLINE
Program
Prisoners of Silence
Program Number

1202

Series Description

FRONTLINE is investigative journalism that questions, explains and changes our world. Since 1983, FRONTLINE has served as PBS's flagship public affairs series. Hailed upon its television broadcast debut as "the last best hope for broadcast documentaries," FRONTLINE's stature is reaffirmed each week through incisive documentaries covering the scope and complexity of the human experience.

Program Description

Facilitated Communication (FC) has been heralded as a breakthrough technique for nonverbal people with autism. The method uses a helper to control the involuntary movements of an autistic person's hand, allowing that person to type his or her thoughts on a keyboard. Thousands of people have begun using FC, but many scientists reject FC as simply not real and believe that it is the facilitator who is unknowingly controlling the hand of the autistic individual. This program presents a comprehensive investigation of this controversial technique, interviewing the leaders of the FC movement, scientists, facilitators and parents of autistic children and raises tough questions about the implications of its use for people with autism and their families.

Asset Type

Broadcast program

Media Type

Video

Genres
Documentary
Citation
Chicago: “FRONTLINE; Prisoners of Silence,” GBH Archives, accessed November 21, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_CDCA972BAA9B41C6AE19FFBF20986F80.
MLA: “FRONTLINE; Prisoners of Silence.” GBH Archives. Web. November 21, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_CDCA972BAA9B41C6AE19FFBF20986F80>.
APA: FRONTLINE; Prisoners of Silence. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_CDCA972BAA9B41C6AE19FFBF20986F80
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