Episode 168: ‘Tell Them You Love Me’ / CP and Facilitated Communication

Doctor Vs Comedian

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses sexual abuse.

Today, the guys discuss the new Netflix documentary “Tell them you love me” (3:25) (Spoilers abound). They discuss the case of Anna Stubblefield, a tenured professor of ethics at Rutgers University, who initially started off aiding a young black man with cerebral palsy, Derrick Johnson, with facilitated communication but was eventually charged with sexually abusing Derrick. The guys start off by discussing Derrick’s early life and then Asif takes a medical aside and discusses cerebral palsy (6:37). Asif goes over what it is, how common it is and how it does not imply anything about cognitive capabilities. He goes over the causes, the different types as well as clues that might suggest an alternate diagnosis.

The guys then go back to the case of Anna Stubblefield (16:15) and discuss how Anna believed that facilitated communication ‘unlocked’ Derrick’s intelligence and how she felt he could consent to a romantic and sexual relationship. Ali then asks Asif about the scientific evidence behind facilitated communication and how it is considered by many organizations to be a pseudoscience (30:39). The guys then discuss the potential harms of facilitated communication, before wrapping up the complicated and disturbing case (36:49).

The opinions expressed are those of the hosts, and do not reflect those of any other organizations. This podcast and website represents the opinions of the hosts. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for entertainment and informational purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions.

Music courtesy of Wataboi and 8er41 from Pixabay

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Show Notes:

• Tell Them You Love Me Doc Tells the Complicated True Story of Anna Stubblefield: https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/tell-them-you-love-me-release-date-news
• The Bizarre True Story Behind Netflix’s ‘Tell Them You Love Me’—Where Is Anna Stubblefield Now? https://www.forbes.com/sites/monicamercuri/2024/06/19/the-bizarre-true-story-behind-netflixs-tell-them-you-love-me--where-is-anna-stubblefield-now/
• The Strange Case of Anna Stubblefield: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/magazine/the-strange-case-of-anna-stubblefield.html
• The Strange Case of Anna Stubblefield, Revisited: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/05/magazine/the-strange-case-of-anna-stubblefield-revisited.html
• Cerebral Palsy: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538147/
• https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/pseudoscience/who-doing-pointing-when-communication-facilitated
• A history of facilitated communication: Science, pseudoscience, and antiscience science working group on facilitated communication: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1996-12698-001
• Facilitated Communication—what harm it can do: Confessions of a former facilitator: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17489539.2012.674680?journalCode=tebc20
• Systematic review of facilitated communication 2014–2018 finds no new evidence that messages delivered using facilitated communication are authored by the person with disability: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2396941518821570
• Facilitated Communication: https://www.asha.org/policy/ps2018-00352/
• Facilitated Communication: https://asatonline.org/for-parents/learn-more-about-specific-treatments/facilitated-communication/