Birger Sellin
Encyclopedia
Birger Sellin was the first functionally non-verbal person with autism
to become a published author
in Germany
.
His first published work, largely poetry, was entitled I Don't Want to Be Inside Me Anymore: Messages from Autistic Mind and soon became translated in languages worldwide with him being a contributing author in other publications since. Birger became the centre of often volatile controversy about the use of facilitated communication
as a valid form of communication
for functionally non-verbal people with autism. In 2010, Orlai Produkciós Iroda made a monodrama
, Nemsenkilény, monológ nemmindegyembereknek ("Notanobodycreature"), from book of Henriett Seth F.. The text book contains details of Donna Williams' s Nobody Nowhere: The extraordinary Autobiography of an Autistic Girl few lines, Birger Sellin' s Don't want to Be Inside Me Anymore: Messages from Autistic Mind few lines and a few lines by Mark Haddon
' s: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.
population with severely impaired speech, but was considered invalid when used by functionally non-verbal people with autism on the basis that functionally non-verbal people in the autistic population were generally assumed mentally retarded so profound writings by such people were considered impossible. Since the more recent publication of works by other functionally non-verbal authors with autism who progressed from facilitated communication to independent typing, the technique is beginning to be more widely accepted for this group. In this sense, Birger was a pioneer who braved the publication
of his typed communication and in doing so paved the way for later functionally non-verbal authors with autism worldwide.
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
to become a published author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
His first published work, largely poetry, was entitled I Don't Want to Be Inside Me Anymore: Messages from Autistic Mind and soon became translated in languages worldwide with him being a contributing author in other publications since. Birger became the centre of often volatile controversy about the use of facilitated communication
Facilitated communication
Facilitated communication is a process by which a facilitator supports the hand or arm of a communicatively impaired individual while using a keyboard or other devices with the aim of helping the individual to develop pointing skills and to communicate...
as a valid form of communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
for functionally non-verbal people with autism. In 2010, Orlai Produkciós Iroda made a monodrama
Monodrama
A monodrama is a theatrical or operatic piece played by a single actor or singer, usually portraying one character.- Monodrama in opera :...
, Nemsenkilény, monológ nemmindegyembereknek ("Notanobodycreature"), from book of Henriett Seth F.. The text book contains details of Donna Williams' s Nobody Nowhere: The extraordinary Autobiography of an Autistic Girl few lines, Birger Sellin' s Don't want to Be Inside Me Anymore: Messages from Autistic Mind few lines and a few lines by Mark Haddon
Mark Haddon
Mark Haddon is an English novelist and poet, best known for his 2003 novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.- Life and work :...
' s: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.
Facilitated communication
This supported form of typed communication had been already used for years by some people in the Cerebral PalsyCerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
population with severely impaired speech, but was considered invalid when used by functionally non-verbal people with autism on the basis that functionally non-verbal people in the autistic population were generally assumed mentally retarded so profound writings by such people were considered impossible. Since the more recent publication of works by other functionally non-verbal authors with autism who progressed from facilitated communication to independent typing, the technique is beginning to be more widely accepted for this group. In this sense, Birger was a pioneer who braved the publication
Publication
To publish is to make content available to the public. While specific use of the term may vary among countries, it is usually applied to text, images, or other audio-visual content on any medium, including paper or electronic publishing forms such as websites, e-books, Compact Discs and MP3s...
of his typed communication and in doing so paved the way for later functionally non-verbal authors with autism worldwide.