2004: The Telepathy Tapes B-Side part 2

PRETEND

02/04/25

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48m

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A mother kills her autistic son. Why? Because he asked her to.

The mother claims he used facilitated communication to ask her to help him die. This case is just one of many tied to the controversial method that claims to give a voice to non-speaking autistic individuals. But what if the voice wasn’t theirs at all?

Share Your Thoughts:

Have you listened to The Telepathy Tapes? What do you think about the claims it makes? We want to hear from you! Send a voice memo with your thoughts to javier@pretendradio.org, and your message might be featured in an upcoming episode.

Resources Mentioned:

➜ Learn more about Amy Lutz’s work and her book Chasing the Intact Mind.

https://amzn.to/4gg9Mbe

➜ Read Zaid Jilani’s articles on Facilitated Communication and The Telepathy Tapes on his Substack, The American Saga.

https://www.theamericansaga.com/

➜ Explore the history of Facilitated Communication in the documentary Tell Them You Love Me (available on U.S. Netflix).

https://www.netflix.com/title/81783064

Stay Connected:

Follow PRETEND on social media and subscribe to the podcast for more stories exploring deception and the human condition.

➜ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/pretendpod.bsky.social

➜ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pretendpod/

➜ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pretendpod

➜ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@pretendpod

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Previous Episode

2003: The Telepathy Tapes B-Side part 1

January 28, 2025

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44m

The Telepathy Tapes podcast shot to the top of the charts, making bold claims about telepathic abilities in non-verbal autistic children. But are the claims rooted in science—or something else entirely? In this episode of PRETEND, we take a closer look at the phenomenon, the controversies, and the skepticism surrounding these extraordinary claims.

We’ll discuss:

➜ The premise of The Telepathy Tapes and the experiments it presents.

➜ Scientific skepticism surrounding telepathy claims.

➜ Ethical concerns, including the history of Facilitated Communication and its controversies.

➜ Voices from parents, experts, and critics, including Zaid Jilani and Amy Lutz.

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about Amy Lutz’s work and her book Chasing the Intact Mind.

https://amzn.to/4gg9Mbe

Read Zaid Jilani’s articles on Facilitated Communication and The Telepathy Tapes on his Substack, The American Saga.

https://www.theamericansaga.com/

Explore the history of Facilitated Communication in the documentary Tell Them You Love Me (available on U.S. Netflix).

https://www.netflix.com/title/81783064

Share Your Thoughts:

Stay Connected:

Follow PRETEND on social media and subscribe to the podcast for more stories exploring deception and the human condition.

➜ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/pretendpod.bsky.social

➜ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pretendpod/

➜ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pretendpod

➜ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@pretendpod

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Next Episode

2005: The Telepathy Tapes B-side part 3

February 11, 2025

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37m

Facilitated Communication is marketed as a miraculous tool for non-speaking autistic children. But what happens when this controversial method leads to devastating consequences? In this episode, we hear from Kevin Plantin, a father who was falsely accused of assault based solely on messages typed with the help of a facilitator.

Despite the evidence, some courts and institutions still give FC credibility—with tragic consequences.

In this episode, Kevin Plantan recounts how a letter typed via FC led to his wrongful imprisonment for 10 months on charges of sexual assault. We also revisit the story of Janyce Boynton, a former FC facilitator who now warns against the practice after witnessing its harmful effects firsthand.

Featured guests in this episode:

Kevin Plantin: Sharing his personal story of wrongful imprisonment.

Janyce Boynton: Former FC facilitator and advocate against the practice.

Additional Resources: