Rom Houben (coma man): has any news channel followed up on the criticism?

[John Jackson]

For those who aren't familiar with the case of Rom Houben, he's the man who was allegedly misdiagnosed as being in a 'permanent vegetative state' when in fact he was conscious but 'locked in'.

He has been able to communicate with the technique known as Facilitated Communication - but this technique is known not to work.

Background story here: http://www.ukskeptics.com/houben.php

The news media had themselves a startling story here (the type they like) and reported it as factual at the time.

But there has been a lot of criticism on the internet of this case as reported because of the obvious use of Facilitated Communication.

Now I've looked around, and despite there being huge criticism of this case on the internet, I haven't found a major news outlet (such as the BBC) who have followed this case up.

Has anyone else?

Perhaps this shows the worth of the internet as a tool for people like us to get an alternative to the sensational headlines that news media love, but shouldn't they follow up if their initial reporting turns out to be inaccurate?

A lot of people, perhaps with family in coma states, could have been given false hope and a false impression with this story.

[DrS]

There's a Spanish skeptical blog HERE which is alleging that the man has in fact never woken up from the coma. That he has never said the things attributed to him, and that his supposed "sayings" were made by "facilitated communication", where a so-called facilitator held his fingers over a keyboard and pressed whenever she "felt" he wanted her to by means of a pressure she said she felt in her hand.

The link given in the article for this "facilitated communication" is a WIKI article HERE.

The article has embedded this youtube video of the process of him "typing" with his facilitator making the movement:



Just as a PS out of interest, the link at the top of the blog article is to a story about Boots selling homeopathic treatments they recognize don't work.

[DrS]

John, apologies, just realized exactly what you were asking for.

No, it seems. Have Spanish googled, and nada.

[FarSideOfTheMoon]

Steven Novella has written about this on his skeptical blog and it's discussed at length in the latest SGU episode, but no, not seen any mainstream media pick it up. It's probably too complex for them to work out how to fit into their programming when compared to the feel good 2 minute 'end of news' clip they got away with initially. Maybe you would expect some of the broadsheets to pick up on it with an indepth piece when the dust starts to settle.

[FarSideOfTheMoon]

Two very different angles to the issue on the same day in the same newspaper.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...oldacre-column

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...nt-communicate

[Floppit]

This is so crap! I remember the first wave of FC with autistic kids and ye gads did it create a poo storm! The bit that really ticks me off is that it's so easy to test. Give the 'person' a phrase to repeat out of earshot of the 'assistant' - have something in view of the person but not the assistant - put head phones on the person! It's not hard, these things don't need debating, either it is or it isn't real, no faith or trust required.

I do believe some FC ought to be possible, this is based on some of the parkinsonian symptoms which can ease in human contact and apraxia where a light physical prompt can be more effective than verbal instruction. I just don't get why it isn't simply tested, why would any family go through loops without putting it to the test?

But yep, it's strange how quiet the papers are, I wonder how much damage it's done to organ donor figures?

[commandlinegamer]

Update. Laureys the neurologist who did the brain scans now
says there is no communication:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35479463...e_health_news/

[bindeweede]

Update. Laureys the neurologist who did the brain scans now
says there is no communication:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35479463...e_health_news/

SKEPP, a Belgian skeptical organisation, was actually involved in the testing.

Indeed, his answers to our simple test questions were intelligible and sometimes elaborate, but when the facilitator did not know the questions, his answers were all completely wrong. Most of the time he typed with his eyes closed, but as soon as the keyboard was shielded from the facilitator’s view the typing produced gibberish and halted. There clearly was no communication with the patient, only with the facilitator. We wonder what world-shaking news there would have been to communicate if it hadn't been for the spectacular answers the facilitator produced.

http://skepp.be/nieuws/facilitated-c...ent-fabricated

[Floppit]

No surprises there then! As these tests are cheap, well known and easy it's really dreadful that the family's hopes were raised so far and the news reported internationally before tests were done. Disgusting!