flâneur

Espen Slettnes

27 followers · 22 following · 1816 views

on the atlas — 21

highlights — 10

  • This young man was brought on The Today Show to mark Autism Awareness Month, and yet, in a cruel irony, everything about this case suggests that his true nature was not acceptable to his parents. He has been required to perform a pantomime in service of an appealing fantasy. Worse yet, like all victims of Facilitated Communication, he has endured years of useless tapping on letter boards that could have been spent in more appropriate instruction. Rather than learning to live as independently as possible, Woody remains dependent on his mother.
    Woody Brown (author)
  • Writing in The Atlantic, Daniel Engber notes that on an April 2026 Today Show segment, the camera shows Brown pointing to letters which do not correspond to what his mother is saying, or to anything else: In the broadcast, Mary says: “To finally be in the room where learning was happening, I felt like I was in heaven.” But Woody’s finger seems to say: Tobgdhi nvza.
    Woody Brown (author)
  • Brown's communication method, the Rapid Prompting Method, is classified by critics as a form of Facilitated Communication (FC), which multiple professional organizations have characterized as pseudoscience.[11] Most mainstream researchers believe that text purportedly communicated in this way by non-speaking autistic people is actually the unconscious expression of the facilitator, via the ideomotor effect.
    Woody Brown (author)
  • According to a profile in The New York Times, Brown composed the novel by spelling out letters on his communication board at a pace of roughly one paragraph per day, with Mary Brown transcribing his selections. The writing process took approximately two and a half years. Mary Brown (who previously worked as a story analyst for Hollywood studios) has stated that she reads sentences back to her son to confirm accuracy and does not contribute to the content.
    Woody Brown (author)
  • Brown was diagnosed with severe autism in early childhood. He reportedly communicates by pointing to letters on an alphabet board held by his mother, Mary Brown, who reads the letters aloud and transcribes them.
    Woody Brown (author)
  • This form of communication has been considered unreliable by the National Council on Severe Autism.
    Woody Brown (author)
  • Finding soul-feeding, all-encompassing belonging Is a myth. Even if you feel you’ve found it, it will be fleeting — you’ll change and evolve, be influenced by your surroundings, and seek environments that feel in sync with who you are and who you want to become. Connections at all levels will come and go throughout our lives, and life events (moving to a new city, losing a close relationship, integrating with new colleagues or peers) can all make us feel unstable — it’s unlikely that anyone will ever truly have all of their circles full at any point in time.
    Loneliness: The Four Circles of Belonging (2/2) - by joss
  • Genres Hand game Players 2 (or more) Setup time None Playing time seconds Chance High
    rock paper scissors lizard spock
  • MYTH: Every death is preventable.
    The Myths & Facts of Youth Suicide
  • In the three months following an attempt, a young person is at most risk of dying by suicide. The apparent lifting of the problems could mean the person has made a firm decision to die by suicide and feels better because of this decision.
    The Myths & Facts of Youth Suicide