Vicious no I really don't like Supernanny (although this thread is supposed to be parenting philosophy open so if anybody does like supernanny and wants to use that kind of thing then please don't feel it's "not allowed"!)
I agree that it's too regimented. It's also very behaviourist - see the behaviour, react in a positive or negative way. That's it. My feeling on this is, OK, that does work very quickly and achieves results in a dramatic way on a TV programme. It works very well for small children who tend to see things as quite black and white. But, it's only addressing the surface behaviour - not the underlying cause. Which means that whatever is causing that behaviour doesn't always go away by itself and will probably come out in another way, either another negative behaviour, an emotional issue like over/under eating or bedwetting, being expressed at school rather than at home, or the most dangerous and the hardest to see - the child turns the negativity inwards and develops a bad self image. I think that Supernanny does try to address this a bit in the programme by making sure the family spend time together etc but I feel like it's a bit using a sledgehammer to crack a nut and then sticking the nut back together and that makes it OK.
I also feel like it works well on under 10s but for older children I can't see it working the same. I made a point earlier about dog training vs child discipline and that for young children, training them to react to your approval works, but only for as long as they actually want your approval. For children they instinctively do - their "stone age" processing tells them subconsciously, if they don't please mum + dad, they might get kicked out of the tribe and die. For teenagers, this isn't the case. Their processing actually makes them kick off against the authority of mum and dad, just like every animal, they're getting ready to fly the nest and be independent. If they got kicked out of the "tribe" they could probably fend for themselves. So I think that for teenagers you need a much more open environment with mutual trust and respect, and you can't suddenly start to develop this when they turn 13, it has to already be there. So that to me means not using a very authoritative model of discipline where immediate, unquestioning obedience is the expectation.
Then the last point is that it's very one size fits all. I don't think that works in real life. Sometimes you need to punish behaviour but sometimes the lesson is better learnt without punishment. Sometimes a heart to heart helps and sometimes it doesn't. You can use consequences without it being the tough supernanny approach, and you can use lots of other tools as well.
Hebburn Hi, welcome :) The criticism thing isn't ringing bells for me so I'll let someone else answer! If something comes to mind later I'll pop back.
rhetoric A lot of us have had niggling "Is my child really neurotypical or is there something else going on there?" thoughts. I've come to the conclusion that it probably doesn't matter too much as long as we are respectful about the person that they are and trying to respond to their unique nature. Again the importance of not using a one size fits all approach! I think this is probably the only instance where a diagnosis for something would be useful (unless of course there is medication or similar which can help) - because sometimes institutions like schools use a one size fits all approach and it can be helpful to have a flag to wave to say "This approach won't work here!" Shame that it has to be that way. It would be nice if schools could take an individual approach without needing labels to do so.
Oh - and the laughing thing is actually quite normal, it's a stress/anxiety response. It doesn't always mean amusement. It can mean that somebody feels acutely uncomfortable in a situation. I do this and it's really embarrassing but I can't control it! I have a particular sad thought that I think if I feel like I'm laughing and know it's inappropriate but that doesn't always stop it in time 
mandbaby Stop being so hard on yourself. You are totally in "free pass to losing it" territory this close to the end of pregnancy! It's not a normal situation and you shouldn't feel like you ought to be reacting as though it is one. Every day is a new day.
MoreSnow I'm sure every newborn has been dropped at some point! DS launched himself off the sofa into a glass and metal table at 4 months old! Hope he's OK.
I think non eye contact is quite normal... isn't it? It's horrible to look somebody in the eye! I hate it, it makes me feel so uncomfortable. It's especially bad when you know you've done something wrong or you're in trouble. I wouldn't get stressed about it. Maybe take it as a sign of guilt and remorse? :)