This is why we dislike so-called “psychics”. When Larry King has these cold readers on his show, and believers complain about skeptics, bleating that the psychics are doing no harm and that we should leave them alone, this is the reason they are wrong. From Jim Downey today I learned of how a mother of an autistic child was investigated under the Child and Family Services Act because some lame-ass “educational assistant” who worked with the child visited a “psychic” who guessed the letter “V” (the first letter of the child’s name), and (following validation by the mark) suggested the child was being sexually abused. And the dumb as a rock school officials felt this was enough to report the family:
Colleen Leduc already had a lot going against her. The Barrie woman was holding down a job while struggling to raise her autistic 11-year-old daughter. She couldn't afford to give the child the intensive therapy she needed, and was forced to send her to a public school in the area.
So she was completely unprepared for what happened to her and the youngster, an almost unbelievable tale of red tape involving a strange claim from a teaching assistant, a bizarre decision by a school board, a visit from the Children's Aid Society (CAS) and most improbably of all, the incorrect pronouncements of a psychic.
[…]
"The teacher looked and me and said: 'We have to tell you something. The educational assistant who works with Victoria went to see a psychic last night, and the psychic asked the educational assistant at that particular time if she works with a little girl by the name of "V." And she said 'yes, I do.' And she said, 'well, you need to know that that child is being sexually abused by a man between the ages of 23 and 26.'"
The family were able to avoid prosecution and the family being split up, probably only because the mother had fitted the child with a GPS unit that provided audio records of everything that was going on around her. Yes – she was able to prove herself and her family innocent. Lucky. How many other families would have been able to do the same?
And consider the quote above, “the psychic asked the educational assistant … if she works with a little girl by the name of "V." As those of us who watch these cold reading frauds know, it is highly unlikely that that is what transpired. What most likely happened is that the “psychic” offered numerous guesses, and the “V” was the one that stuck. And the psychic probably didn’t even say the “V” was “a little girl…” – the dumb mark most likely provided that for her too.
The psychic isn’t even the worst villain in this case. The real idiots are in the school board who didn’t just dismiss this piece of idiocy out of hand, but who took it upon themselves to take this piece of nonsense seriously. These events took place Monday, but by yesterday the school board are still refusing to even consider they did anything wrong:
The board has admitted the issue could have been handled better, but notes under the law they had to file a report regardless of the source.
Then the law is an ass.
This reportedly cash-strapped mother is extremely fortunate that she had the proof that the allegations were wrong. Most others would not. Remember this case the next time Larry King, and other credulous media types, mindlessly promote psychics are real in an effort to increase ratings. Shame on you people for validating this crap.
Holy Christ. I'm sending this story to everyone I know. Science is under attack from so many different different directions, and this story shows how much ground has already been lost.
Believing in psychic powers in one thing, but accepting such a thing as reasonable grounds for suspicion of sexual abuse is something out of the dark ages.
Science is under attack from so many different directions - poor teaching, poor funding, religious opposition, new age opposition. This incident shows how much ground has already been lost.
I'll send it to everyone I know.
Posted by: DY | June 19, 2008 at 03:11 AM
I'm keeping a list of responses to this story. I've added yours.
Posted by: Liz Ditz | June 19, 2008 at 04:05 AM
There were also details in the story of the anguish that this caused the little girl. Autistic children need the security of an orderly, predictable routine. Having her mother hassled by idiots with a mediaeval mindset freaked her out a bit.
Stupid, stupid bastards.
Posted by: Stewart Paterson | June 19, 2008 at 04:10 AM
Isn't that slander? One would think a 'psychic' would be libel for making such statements.
Posted by: Wikinite | June 19, 2008 at 06:33 AM
If the psychic had named or implicated a specific person it could be slander. As it is, the assistant should be dismissed or disciplined. The handling of the matter by the school shows that they are not fit to hold any public position.
The psychic has committed no crime, legally speaking, but ethically speaking of course, should be named and exposed to public ridicule.
The laws requiring the reporting of any suspicion were made to protect teachers from accusations of victimising parents. It specifically removes the burdon of proof from the teachers, thereby protecting them from accusations of prejudice or poor judgment. The burdon of proof IS however shifted to child welfare services, and the accused must be considered guilty until proven innocent.
It can be a good system because it gives child welfare the highest possible legal standing. There is always the danger of frivolous or ill-informed claims, and there are certainly plenty of cases where wrongly accused people have been locked up or had their children removed from them.
Every professional who works with children MUST know that the legal situation is already weighted heavily on the side of guilty until proven innocent, and should move with extreme caution, given the seriousness of the allegations.
Rushing in like that without the faintest shred of evidence shows an unbelievable level of ignorance about the legal situation and their responsibilities, as well as the dark ages level of superstition.
A few centuries ago these guys would have been designing procedures for witch trials.
Posted by: DY | June 19, 2008 at 06:59 AM
I guess these idiots need to learn the meaning of the phrase "for entertainment purposes only." This is pure insanity.
Meanwhile, NPR's youth correspondents have declared that psychics are the new psychologists. That's not harmful at all.
Posted by: Tom Foss | June 19, 2008 at 12:22 PM
aw crap, more woo on NPR?
It seems to be a big source of it
-tech.
Posted by: Techskeptic | June 19, 2008 at 02:50 PM
What a shame, I generally like NPR (not the youth version). The girl needed 3 months of therapy after a breakup? You know you're getting old when you start wondering what's happening to today's youth. I could've saved that girl even more money by telling her that the guy was an asshole, move on.
What's next, the 9/11 conspiracy theorists are the new engineers and architects. The worst part of all is that this woo is publicly funded when psychics get funding from the police or energy healers are paid by a non-profit drug rehab.
Posted by: Rogi | June 20, 2008 at 02:40 PM
This is unbelievable! What an outrage! I can't even form a decent response because I'm so stunned by this idiocy!
Posted by: T&A | June 20, 2008 at 06:04 PM
It's the fact that people take these idiot psychics' advice at face value that infuriates me - my deep dislike of psychics started after one such idiot predicted to a workmate that "they were going to be raped in the future".
Posted by: Tonia | June 21, 2008 at 04:11 AM
"If the psychic had named or implicated a specific person it could be slander."
So, in other words, technically, it was the schoolboard making the decision themselves, on no evidence, and they are therefore persecutable under the full extent of the law.
IOW if the family knew about this, They could rape the schoolboard like nothing before.
Posted by: Dan | June 23, 2008 at 01:29 AM
they could rape the schoolboard like nothing before
hmmm, maybe Tonia's friend's psychic was accurate in her prediction and inaccurate in the target.
Oh Noes! I'm a believer!
Posted by: Techskeptic | June 23, 2008 at 08:01 AM
"The family were able to avoid prosecution and the family being split up, probably only because the mother had fitted the child with a GPS unit that provided audio records of everything that was going on around her."
I very much doubt that a prosecutor would take a case to court based on the "evidence" of a psychic. Opening up an investigation file is a lot different to prosecuting them.
Posted by: Chad | July 04, 2008 at 05:54 AM
There are decent psychics--Pam Coronado comes to mind (works with law enforcement to assist in difficult crimes) and does not charge for this service. For every one of the real thing, there are dozens of charlatans/fakes. I was a single dad of an autistic son (he still lives with me, an I am an open-minded skeptic. I have experienced enough to know there's more to our reality than my old close-minded mindset perceived, and the current scientific paradigm supports this (scientism is like religion which I have strong opinions about, most definitely including 'new age' belief systems. This type of incident just angers me--I don't care what people believe in as long as those beliefs don't cause others to have problems or are not forced on them. I'm a pantheist (probably similar to Acharya S., observing that there is an intelligence involved in the structure of our reality, but that it's not separate from any of us. I am my own 'god' (a generic term which is not specific to anyone) and therefore responsible for my own actions. Because of this I don't interfere in other's beliefs or lives unless they are attempting to do this to me. A lot of problems like this could be avoided if people followed this principle.
Posted by: David Brandt | July 04, 2008 at 11:19 PM
There are decent psychics--Pam Coronado comes to mind (works with law enforcement to assist in difficult crimes) and does not charge for this service.
No, there aren't. IF she works with the police then she is wasting valuable time and resources and almost certainly knows she has no psychic powers - therefore she is not a 'decent' psychic.
For every one of the real thing, there are dozens of charlatans/fakes.
There are almost certainly none of 'the real thing'. They are all fake, they may not all be charlatans. Not one psychic when tested under properly controlled conditions has ever demonstrated a psychic ability. Ever.
an I am an open-minded skeptic
Only if the definition of open-minded skeptic means you'll believe anything. Skeptics weigh the evidence and draw a conclusion from it, the evidence clearly shows psychic powers do not exist.
I have experienced enough to know there's more to our reality than my old close-minded mindset perceived,
Typical woo nonsense, what does it even mean to say this? And of course, there is the implication that we must all be close minded, not very original.
and the current scientific paradigm supports this
Really? In what way?
I'm a pantheist
So. You're religious and a believer in psychics, but you claim to be a skeptic?
observing that there is an intelligence involved in the structure of our reality
And an intelligent design advocate apparently. Prove it.
Good grief woo is getting old.
Posted by: Jimmy_Blue | July 05, 2008 at 09:41 AM