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paolo
Veteran
Veteran

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Joined: 12 Aug 2006
Age: 92
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,175
Location: Italy

04 Oct 2008, 2:49 pm

“In medicine, a prosthesis is an artificial extension that replaces a missing body part lost by trauma, disease, or defect. Prostheses are typically used to replace parts lost by injury (traumatic) or missing from birth (congenital) or to supplement defective body parts.” (from Wikipedia).

"The primary aim of the TEACCH program is to help to prepare people with autism to live or work more effectively at home, at school and in the community" (from UK's NAS, italics is mine).

In the case of autism we cannot talk of trauma or disease. If anything we can talk of defect. But it is a genetic "defect". My impression is that in dealing with autism the approach is an approach attempting to apply some prosthesis (TEACCH). But the wiring of a brain is something that makes unthinkable for now, and in the foreseeable future, the appliance of prostheses. The problem is rather: what our relationship must be with human beings lacking the brain “wiring” that makes possible "normal" communication with them. It’s not them who need prostheses, but the so called normal people who need prostheses.


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