Larry John Bissonnette (born 1957 in

Winooski, Vermont Winooski is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located on the Winooski River, as of the 2020 U.S. census the municipal population was 7,997. The city is the most densely populated municipality in northern New England, an area ...

) is an American

autistic The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

artist and has been credited as an activist for

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

and general disabilities. Bissonnette's art is in the collection of the Musée de l'Art Brut in Switzerland. The film has been criticized for claiming that Bissonnette and Thresher can communicate through the discredited pseudoscience

facilitated communication Facilitated communication (FC), or supported typing, is a scientifically discredited technique that attempts to aid communication by people with autism or other communication disabilities who are non-verbal. The facilitator guides the disabled ...

Biography

Bissonnette is the son of Albert Bissonnette and his wife Alma Marie, née Bashaw. He has three brothers and sisters. At age two, he experienced a high fever, which might have caused some kind of damage to his nervous system. By the time he was eight, he was sent to the

Brandon Training School The Brandon State School, also known historically as the Brandon Training School and the Vermont State School for Feeble Minded Children, was a psychiatric facility for the care and treatment of children in Brandon, Vermont. Founded in 1915, it was ...

, which was Vermont's only institute for mentally disabled people at the time. During this time, he used techniques of art such as drawing and painting to help himself through self-expression. By the time he was 18, he was transferred to Vermont Psychiatric Hospital in

Waterbury, Vermont Waterbury is a town in Washington County in central Vermont, United States. Although the town is still home to the Waterbury Village Historic District, the village sharing the name of the town officially dissolved as a municipality in 2018. As ...

. In 1991, Bissonnette was introduced to

. Although this was quickly discredited as a valid communication technique (''

Skeptical Inquirer ''Skeptical Inquirer'' is a bimonthly American general-audience magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) with the subtitle: ''The Magazine for Science and Reason''. Mission statement and goals Daniel Loxton, writing in ...

'' claims that "it is clear that their facilitators are prompting them by touching an arm or shoulder as they type"), Bissonnette and his therapists and facilitators continued to use it.

Art

Bissonnette has created many works of art (over three hundred by 1990). In 1989, he received an honorable mention from the Vermont Council on the Arts for his painting and sculpture. Some of his works depict "faces peering through a veil, as if imprisoned".

In media

In 2005, Larry starred in his biographical film, ''My Classic Life as an Artist: A Portrait of Larry Bissonnette''. In 2011, Larry and his ally Tracy Thresher were in a documentary called ''

Wretches & Jabberers ''Wretches & Jabberers'' is a 2010 American documentary film directed by Gerardine Wurzburg and produced by Wurzburg and Douglas Biklen.The film is about two autistic men, Larry Bissonnette and Tracy Thresher, who travel the world helping othe ...

'', which documented his travels around the world. The film has been criticized for claiming that Bissonnette and Thresher can communicate through facilitated communication. In 2012, they were both featured in an episode of the National Geographic ''

Taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannic ...

'' television series which was titled "Strange Behavior".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bissonnette, Larry 1957 births Autism rights movement American disability rights activists Living people Artists with autism American activists with disabilities American artists with disabilities