Controversial Podcast Claims Autistic Children Have Telepathic Powers

A new podcast claiming that nonverbal autistic children possess telepathic abilities has surged to the top of Spotify‘s charts, briefly overtaking “The Joe Rogan Experience” as the platform’s most-listened-to show. “The Telepathy Tapes,” hosted by filmmaker Ky Dickens and psychiatrist Dr. Diane Hennacy Powell, explores controversial claims of mind-reading abilities among autistic children, sparking both fascination and skepticism.

The podcast, which premiered in September 2024, features experiments where children allegedly guess numbers and words their parents are thinking. In one episode, a nonverbal autistic girl named Mia from Mexico is said to have demonstrated “100 percent accuracy” in mind-reading tests. Dickens and Dr. Powell argue that these abilities could revolutionize understanding of consciousness, though no scientific evidence supports their claims.

Critics, including McGill University scientist Jonathan Jarry, have dismissed the experiments as easily explainable by subtle cues from parents. “The mother’s influence cannot be ruled out,” Jarry wrote, pointing out that Mia’s mother held her jaw during tests. Despite the controversy, the podcast has garnered over 1,400 five-star reviews and remains a top contender on Spotify.

Dr. Powell, a former Harvard Medical School faculty member, has dedicated her career to studying telepathy in autistic children. She acknowledges the limitations of their experiments, stating that proof would require eliminating all possibilities of cueing. Meanwhile, Dickens has announced plans for a second season focusing on non-autistic telepaths and is raising funds for a documentary.

While some listeners praise the podcast for its groundbreaking claims, others remain skeptical. Joe Rogan, whose show was briefly dethroned by “The Telepathy Tapes,” called the series “really fascinating” but stopped short of endorsing its conclusions. The podcast’s success highlights a broader human desire to believe in the extraordinary, even in the absence of scientific validation.