1. First, I want this book.

Second:

[O]striches were thought to have a huge appetite for iron. One of them died in the Tower after being fed more than 80 nails.

2. Small (and scary as hell) world.

3. A pretty detailed account of how a parent applied Scientology to "curing" his son of autism. Don't get me wrong -- I'm happy for the kid, if he's happy himself, and for the parents, who seem happier with/for their son after applying their pseudo-medical techniques to him. But that won't stop me from criticizing.

For me, my 20 years of slave labor as a Scientology and Sea Org staff, with its countless 85 hour work weeks and 16 hours days, all done for little or no pay, except for Training, Processing and Knowledge and the tooth and nail struggle to overcome dozens of brutal Technical programs that seemed designed to make all but the toughest 1% fail, on that count alone, have paid off.

So this guy is deeply indoctrinated. Of course he's gonna think any success is due to Scientology. He probably already attributes everything else good in his life to it.

On applying False Data Stripping to parents of and professionals who work with autistic kids:

False ideas to be gotten rid of are concepts that the unresponsive autistic child is “unaware” and that Enforced control (or any other form of Violence) is ever going to prove beneficial. Also false concepts about communication, life and control may require addressing as well.

You don't need Scientology to do this. This just sounds like re-framing the kid's abilities in your mind, which any parent and any professional worth their fee should do in the first place.

The next layer consists of having a complete ability and desire to communicate with the individual without any bias of any kind and without any evaluation (even those made privately in one’s own mind). This is a true test of pure “OT communication” without any vias.

Again, nothing specific to Scientology here. He just slaps on the "OT communication" label at the end there to fit this step into his preferred framework.

In many cases the response of the Autistic is non-verbal. It can be, at times, almost as hard to perceive an answer as it is while doing a “Comatose person assist”.

Oh my god. You're saying they apply TRs and auditing to comatose people?? Good lord. How do they charge them for said services? Do their families pony up? Those poor, poor people....

While it is true enough that Autism can be defined as an inability of the person to communicate with his environment, the truth of the matter is that it in the case of Autism it is not the Thetan (or Being) who has trouble communicating, it is the Thetan + Body that has trouble.

Huh. So the Body has sensory processing problems, but the Thetan doesn't?

Out of communication-ness is what bothers parents and therapists about Autistic children.

To the child, he knows damn well he has a problem with communication. Only a complete boob would be unaware of that fact. He wants to communicate using the “via” of his body and he cant. That becomes a PROBLEM.

Well, yes, communication is a common problem for people with autism.

Notice he says "child," not "person" or "individual." In his mind, I suppose Scientology can cure all cases of autism and therefore no one has to reach adulthood uncured....

I disagree that all people with autism are aware of their communication difficulties at all times. It varies. How many autistic people has this guy met? Only his son?

Also, I don't think all autistic people want to communicate in the same sense that neurotypical people do. And I don't think they all want to communicate with their bodies, necessarily, either.

The most lasting results are accomplished when a minimum of 15 hours a week are spent personally with the child. Weeks of 25-35 hours produced the improvements. As the child reaches a new plateau, he may stall, or even begin to regress. When this occurs, it is best to take a break for several weeks and let the child adjust to his new level of awareness until he is comfortable. After several years, as the child improves and matures, the amount of work done can gradually drop, as long as the child is continuing to make good progress.

The same can be said for any therapeutic or educational program.... How can that much dedicated one-on-one time with anyone who's truly interested in the child's progress not result in improvement, regardless of their methodology?

As far as the cause of Autism, I can’t say at this point. What little I did of research[....]

Yeah, we can tell you haven't done much research into autism in general....

A non-Scientologese version of this article is being published in a number of specialized publications dealing with Autism.

I believe it. He makes some good points, but like I said, none are exclusive to Scientology. And none are new to anyone familiar with typical behavioral intervention.

4. Ha. A good idea.

"Recall a traumatic experience."

I think about puppies and rainbows.

Rosemary points to the E-Meter. "Look! You can see the traumatic experience registering here. Our courses can help eliminate the pain caused by that memory. Now think of a pleasant experience."

I imagine a nuclear holocaust.

"The E-Meter records how you are content with that thought. Now let me give you the personality test."

...

"We have courses which can help you deal with your childhood traumas and depression," she says.

"But Dieter's music is about childhood traumas and depression. Listen to the album A Coffin Is Home."

"Our courses can make your music that much better. You'll find yourself writing about brand new things."

"If Franz Kafka were not depressed, would his writing be just as good?"

Rosemary's smile grows. She thinks she's going to gain ground in her argument.

"I think his lyrics would be even better. He would have a whole list of new things to write about!"

I tell her to listen to his latest album, The Metamorphosis.

5. Good lord.

"Only two legs and his skull were left," the report said.