For some years now, our editorial office has received sporadic reports and articles about conferences on this subject. But in recent months, the stories have become more frequent, more numerous, and the testimonies more verifiable.
Federico, Francesca, Oliviero—young people we had long assumed could not communicate—are revealing feelings, desires, anxieties, knowledge we thought impossible, the capacity to ask questions and give answers.
The phenomenon is so striking and now so widespread that we cannot ignore it, despite the reservations and skepticism of many autism experts, despite the silence of major institutions.
Far from offering final judgments for or against, we simply report what we learn about the method, share some testimonies, and point readers toward texts and resources that may prove useful.
We also ask anyone among our readers with knowledge of facilitated communication to share what they know, so we can pursue together a line of inquiry that could prove invaluable.
- Editorial Board, 1998