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Coma Man's Words May Not Be His

Experts doubt Houben's 'facilitated communication'

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 25, 2009 2:28 AM CST
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(Newser) – Ron Houben's poignant words after being locked for 23 years inside his paralyzed body may not be his own, according to some skeptical experts. They believe the Belgian, misdiagnosed as being in a vegetative state, is definitely sentient. But they note that an "interview" with him relied on "facilitated communication" in which an aide guided his fingers on a keyboard. The technique has been widely discredited in studies by research that showed aides consciously or unconsciously guided patients' hands.

“I don’t trust it,” the director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Bioethics tells Wired. “I’m not saying the whole thing is a hoax, but somebody ought to be checking this in greater detail. Any time facilitated communication of any sort is involved, red flags fly.”

Belgium's Rom Houben uses his touchscreen and assistance of his speech therapist Linda Wouters, left, to communicate during an interview earlier this week.
Belgium's Rom Houben uses his touchscreen and assistance of his speech therapist Linda Wouters, left, to communicate during an interview earlier this week.   (AP Photo/Yves Logghe)
Belgium's Rom Houben uses his touchscreen to communicate during an interview last week.
Belgium's Rom Houben uses his touchscreen to communicate during an interview last week.   (AP Photo/Yves Logghe)
Belgium's Rom Houben uses his touchscreen to communicate during an interview last week. Houben was misdiagnosed for 23 years as being in a coma.
Belgium's Rom Houben uses his touchscreen to communicate during an interview last week. Houben was misdiagnosed for 23 years as being in a coma.   (AP Photo/Yves Logghe)
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"You see this woman who’s not only holding his hand, but what she’s doing is directing his fingers and looking directly at the keyboard," skeptic James Randi says of the Houben interview. "She’s pressing down on the keyboard, pressing messages for him. He has nothing to do with it."   (rihanna0sex0)

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 12 comments
Count-Spatula
Nov 26, 2009 4:00 AM CST
FaRT. hootErs. Doody, EggsAlad. monkeypoo. &$&#* KSHK --- (I'm trying to reply but without my assistant I'm having a hard time.)
fishdrapes
Nov 26, 2009 2:14 AM CST
This is EASILY verified: get a person to do the hand-holding who DOES NOT SPEAK HIS LANGUAGE - AT ALL. If he can still communicate with the proper words - it's legit. If he suddenly cannot communicate - then it was the hand-holder (facilitator). All the scientists of the world couldn't figure that one out?
Unaffiliated
Nov 26, 2009 1:43 AM CST
@Prowler, so you know better than the researchers who have studied Facilitated Communication and determined it's not really the patient in control? Just where did you READ about the "independent testing"? It's not here. It's not at the linked article on Wired. I did read in the linked article that the man is indeed lucid. It's been confirmed in MRI scans. He also can move his foot very slightly to respond on his own to questions. But in his "interview", which included the facilitator, he "said" some pretty poignant, almost poetic stuff. If he's not really saying it, but they're passing it off as if he's saying it, then they're manipulating this man for publicity and money.

 
Belgium • vegetative state • Rom Houben • facilitated communication

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