Facilitated
communication training (FCT) is a strategy for teaching individuals
with
severe communication impairments to use communication aids with their
hands. In
FCT a communication partner (facilitator) helps the communication aid
user
overcome physical problems and develop functional movement patterns.
The
immediate aim in FCT is to allow the aid user to make choices and to
communicate in a way that has been impossible previously. Practice
using a
communication aid such as a picture board, speech synthesizer, or
keyboard in a
functional manner is encouraged, to increase the userís physical skills
and
self-confidence and reduce dependency. As the studentís skills and
confidence
increase the amount of facilitation is reduced. The ultimate goal is
for
students to be able to use the communication aid(s) of their choice
independently.
Facilitated communication
training was developed at DEAL Communication
Centre
in
This bibliography does not
cover material on autism, hyperlexia, or movement disorders unless they
involve
FCT.
The quotations selected for
inclusion (and given in inset type) are not necessarily those covering
the core
message of the piece; they are, rather, passages that cover points not
made
elsewhere in the basic texts.
I have not myself sighted
some references, and these are given in Bold Italics.
(by
author)
I
would very much appreciate any suggestions for additions to this
bibliography.
I can be reached by e-mail at cborthwick@vichealth.vic.gov.au.
Koppenhofer, J., Gilmer,
D., & McElroy, M., 1993, Facilitated Communication; An
Annotated
Bibliography, Orono, Center for Community Inclusion
75 citations. Available
from Center for Community Inclusion (see Address
List).
Includes citations of some relevant articles about autism and AAC not
involving
FCT. (23 pp)
MacPherson-Court, L.,
Rutherford, G., & McDonald, L., 1993, Facilitated
Communication; An
Annotated Bibliography, Severe Disabilities Program, Department of
Educational Psychology,
76 citations. Available
from L. MacPherson-Court at
Selected Readings
Related to
Facilitated Communication - Facilitated Communication Institute
Bibliography of journal
articles
regarding facilitated communication - Facilitated Communication
Institute
LITERATURE REVIEW:
Mental
Retardation, 32 (4) - Exchange of Opinion on the Risks and Benefits
of
Facilitated Communication
Barker, B, Leary, M.,
Repa, S., & Whissel, P., 1993, Getting In Touch; A Workbook on
Becoming
a Facilitator, DRI Press, Madison
Worksheets and useful short
chapters on facilitation practices and techniques. Illustrative
diagrams
unfortunately show poor facilitation practice, with pressure applied
under the
index finger. (44 pp)
Biermann,
A., 1999, Gest¸tze Kommunikation im Widerstreit, Speiss, Berlin
Untranslated.
Berger, C., 1992, Facilitated
Communication Guide, New Breakthroughs,
Berger discovered FCT
techniques independently of Crossley and Biklen in 1987 when working in
special
education classes in
We
now need to begin the task of restructuring our own view of people with
autism
and other developmental disorders, as well as the low-track education
system
into which they have been placed. A complete paradigm shift is underway.
Berger, C. &
Kilpatrick, K., 1992, Facilitated Communication Guide and Materials,
New
Breakthroughs,
An expanded version of vol.
1 of Berger,1992, Facilitated Communication Guide, with added
classroom
teaching materials.
Berger, C. , 1994, Facilitated
Communication Technology Guide , New Breakthroughs,
"An
extensive list of computer programs and devices used successfully with
Facilitated
Communication in the
Biklen,
D., 1993 , Communication Unbound, Teachers College Press,
A basic text. The first
book to deal with the general technique of facilitated communication
training,
this book covers the development of the technique in
One
of the most personally disappointing aspects of our using facilitated
communication or of seeing it used by other people is that for many
professionals it is merely
a new teaching or communication technique. This perspective...
implies that... many people who were previously thought to be dumb are
now
redefined as smart and must therefore be treated differently. It is a
perspective that does not question the validity of treating people
differently
on the basis of perceived intelligence.
(221 pp.)
D Biklen, D Cardinal
(eds). Contested
Words, Contested Science, Teachers College Press,
A collection of studies
(controlled, quantitative ones as well as qualitative investigations)
of
facilitation, focusing mainly on the authorship question: who is doing
the
typing, facilitator or the person with the communication impairment.
The book
includes a chapter by Marcus and Shevin in which Marcus, an FC user,
replicates
a classic facilitated communication authorship test.
Bundschuh, K, &
Basler-Eggen, 1997, ëFacilitated Communicationîbei Menschen mit
schweren
Kommunikationzztorrungen, I Zwischenbericht,
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat
Munchen
Centre for Community
Inclusion, 1993, What Frontline
Didnít Tell You, Centre for Community Inclusion,
A reponse to attack on FCT
in American TV program Frontline. Contains contributions from Biklen, D.,
Cardinal, D., Haskew, P., Kochmeister, S., Schawlow, A., and others.
Available
from Centre for Community Inclusion (see Address
List).
Lists inaccuracies in program, provides examples of evidence
disregarded,
uncovers program bias.
Collins, A.J., (ed),
1992, Facilitated Communication; A reference book, Annandale,
Va., National
Association of Private Residential Resources
Crossley, R., 1994, Facilitated
Communication Training, Teachers College Press,
Basic text on methods of
facilitation. Crossley originated the method in
Facilitated
communication training is a strategy for teaching people how to use
communication aids. It does not cure anything. It is not a particularly
good
method of communication. However, it has allowed many individuals to
communicate verbally for the first time in their lives. Communication
involving
facilitation is certainly imperfect, but, for some people, right now
itís the
best option. Until we can find a better alternative, it is up to us to
make
facilitated communication work as well as possible.
Crossley, R., 1997, Speechless,
E P
Series of case studies
tracing various aspects of using facilitated communication training
with people
who have diagnoses of PVS, autism, Down syndrome, and undifferentiated
mental
retardation. Essential reading
I
tried standing Emma up and holding the Communicator low (if you have a
problem
with low muscle tone it helps not to have to lift your arm against
gravity) and
by the end of the session I had Emma spelling out words with no bodily
contact
at all. Like many of DEAL's clients, she'd liked the human contact
involved in
arm support, and it was a wrench to be weaned so abruptly. This
involved more
tears. The next day at school Emma spontaneously typed without any
support. She
has continued to be able to do so, provided that the Communicator is
positioned
low so that she doesn't have to lift her hand against gravity.
Crossley, R. , 1997, Gest¸tzte
Kommunikation : Ein Trainingsprogramm zur Kommunikationsfarderung f¸r
Menschen
mit Behinderungen, Ðbersetzung aus dem Englischen, deutsche
Bearbeitung und Nachwort: Ralf Sch¸tzendorf. Vorwort: Christiane Nagy.
(Edition
Sozial.) 1997. Ca. 200 Seiten. 9 Abbildungen. Broschiert. DM 42,- (ISBN 3-407-55796-5 )
German translation of Facilitated
Communication Training.
Crossley, R. 1998, Il
Metodo Della Comunicazione Facilitata, Savona, Provincia di
Savona/Associazione Bambini Cerebrolesi Liguria
Italian translation of Facilitated
Communication Training.
Crossley, R., &
McDonald, A., 1980, Annie's
Coming Out,
Penguin,
The story of how FCT was
originally devised to establish communication with a young woman with
cerebral
palsy in an institution for people with mental retardation, and the
story of
the struggle she then had to gain control of her own destiny through
the
Australian courts. Essential reading
In
1977 I was taught to communicate by using an alphabet board on which I
point to
letters in order to spell sentences. That is how I wrote my part of
this book.
Dying
was dependent on the way you felt. Jobs in mental hospitals do not
attract the
best doctors, and there was no supervision. The patients could not
complain. If
you wanted to die you had every opportunity. Many short-stay kids took
their
chance. Death never appealed to me; I wanted revenge. Now that does not
seem to
matter. What is important is stopping other kids going through what we
went
through.
Time
was when the strongest emotion I felt was hate, and hate makes you
strong.
Tender emotions were dangerously softening. Implacable hatred of the
whole
world which hunted handicapped children into middens like St Nicholas
twisted
my relationships with people for years.
DEAL Communication
Centre, 1992, Facilitated Communication Training, DCC,
A collection of DEAL pamphlets
on aspects of FCT. DEAL Communication Centre was set up by
DEAL Communication
Centre, 1992, Getting the Message; Aspects of communication without
speech,
DCC, Melbourne
A collection of DEAL
pamphlets on non-vocal communication. (66 pp.)
DEAL Communication
Centre, 1988, Response to Report of Inter-Disciplinary Working Party on
Issues
in Severe Communication Impairment, Author, Melbourne
A correction of the major
errors of the IDWPISCI report (qv Reports).
(64 pages)
Donellan, A., &
Leary, M., 1995, Movement Differences and Diversity in
Autism/Mental
Retardation; Appreciating and Accomodating People with Communication
and
Behaviour Challenges , DRI Press, Madison
A valuable analysis of the
relation between movement disorders and the conceptualisation of
developmental
disorders. Has a postscript on FCT.
To
suggest that facilitated communicating 'does not work' because there
may be
influence, or we cannot understand the phenomenon, or we cannot always
make it
predictable, is just bad science.
Eichel, E., 2001, Gest¸tze
Kommunikation bei Menschen mit autischer St–rung, Projekt Verlag,
Untranslated.
Haskew, P., &
Donellan, A., 1993, Emotional Maturity and Well-Being;
Psychological Lessons
of Facilitated Communication, DRI Press,
A psychiatric view of the
use of FCT. (45 pp.)
We
want to report the degree to which FC reveals aspects of normal
psychological
development among people with profound communication impairments, and
deviations from normalcy in that population that may originate from the
customary
care provided for people with communication difficulties.
Hill, D., & Leary,
M., 1993, Movement Disturbance, A Clue to Hidden Competencies in
Autism and
Related Disorders, DRI Press,
Exhaustive examination of
the literature dealing with features of movement disorders and a use of
these
to offer an alternative explanation of behaviours observed in people
with
autism. Goes on to suggest applications in clinical treatment
situations.
Valuable text. (33 pp)
Inter-Disciplinary
Working Party on Issues in Severe Communication Impairment, 1988, D.E.A.L.
Communication Centre Operation; A Statement of Concern, Author,
A collection of anonymous
anecdotal reports from an ad hoc group of Victorian psychologists and
therapists opposed to the operations of DEAL
Communication Centre. Unreliable. (85 pp.)
Iverson worked with Soma Mukhopadhyay
(Tito's mother) to apply Soma's methods (which closely track FCT,
though developed independently) with her own son. Understandably, Ms
Iverson wishes to mention FCT as little as possible.
A manual from an inclusive
preschool on techniques and strategies for FCT work with children.
Valuable
text. Available from
McNabb, W., (ed), 1992, The
Handbook of Facilitated Communication, Northwest Centre for
Information
Resources,
Reprints a number of
pamphlets from DEAL Communication Centre and
adds
other brief instructional material.
Nusbeck, Susanne, 2000, Gest¸tzste
Kommunikation: Ein Ausdrucksmittel f¸r Menschen mit geistiger
Behinderung? Hogrefe-Verlag,
Untranslated.
Reed, D., 1996, Paid
for the Privilege: Hearing the Voices of Autism, DRI Press,
A detailed account of the
development of FC use at an autism day centre in
Being
recognized as individuals with capabilities, rather than persons stuck
with
disabilities, became possible at MTS with the help of FC. This
communication
has enabled them to tell us about themselves. We listen, and with
accomodations, try to lay the foundation for more productive and happy
lives.
(162 pp)
Savarese, Ralph, 2007, Reasonable
People: a memoir of autism and adoption, Other Press, New York
Ralph Savarese's memoir of his experiences establishing and engaging in
communication with his adopted son DJ.
Neither a
typical saga of autism nor simply a challenge to expert opinion,
Reasonable People illuminates rthe belated emergence of a self in
language. And it does so using DJ's own words, expressed through the
once discredited but now resurgent technique of facilitated
communication (FC)
Olsen, L., Gurry, S.,
Larkin, A., & McSheehan, M., 1992, A Training Guide to
Facilitated
Communication Use; implications for use with adults in community
settings,
A basic working guide to
FCT or caregivers, including discussion of such topics as "what should
I
do if a client is becoming too attached to me? How can I use
facilitated
communication on a daily basis? What are the possible implications of
facilitated communication for staff? Valuable short text. (32 pp.)
Richard, J.,
Three case studies; one
written by a boy with autism using FCT, one by a facilitator, and one
by two
parents. Many valuable insights. (55 pp.)
Shane, H. (ed), 1994, Facilitated
Communication; The clinical and social phenomenon, Singular
Publishing
Group,
Basic anti-FCT text,
including chapters by Shane, Green, and others.
Sharing to Learn, 1993, Facilitated
Communication; A guide to resource materials, Author, Thornhill (
A reprint of articles
having appeared in Communicating Together. See address list.
Sharing to Learn, 1993, Facilitated
Communication; A set of readings, Author, Thornhill (
Reprints articles by (inter
alia) Calculator, Crossley, Hudson, McDonald, Shane, and Vicker from Communicating
Together, 9; 2, 10; 4, 11; 2 and 11; 4.
Sharing to Learn, 1994, Facilitated
Communication; A set of readings (2nd edition) Author, Thornhill (
A revised and in some cases
expanded reprint of articles on FCT having appeared in Communicating
Together.
Shubert,
Annagret, 1992, Facilitated Communication Resource Guide,
(240 pp)
Spitz, H., 1997, Nonconscious
Movements - From Mystical Messages to Facilitated Communication,
Erlbaum
(202 pp)
Spitz has previously
published a book on why you can't raise the intelligence of people with
mental
retardation, and takes FCT as the latest in that line. Assuming its
falsity
(with some few possible exceptions) he then relates it to other
phenomena such
as Clever Hansing and Ouija boards.
Useful spiral-bound set of
words, phrases and spelling boards for use with facilitated
communication.
Customisable.
Strandt-Conroy, K.,
& Sabin, L., 1993, Making Connections: Facilitating Communicating
in an
Inclusive Classroom, DRI Press,
Journal and case studies
dealing with the introduction of FCT into a mainstream sixth grade
class
setting, including valuable tips on behavioural cuing, and general
strategies
for introducing FCT to the classroom, adapting lessons, adapting
testing, and
modifying IEP's. (43 pp).
Twatchman-cullen, D.,
1997, A Passion to Believe: Autism and the Facilitated
Communication
Phenomenon,
Twatchman's book has
various errors of fact that could have been checked, but its serious
flaws are
more basic. Her viewpoint comes out most clearly in the section where
she
points out that people using facilitated communication often produce
output
inconsistent with their previous assessments. How do FCT people account
for
that? she asks, and seems to think she has made a point. The answer is,
of
course, that assessments made without being able to communicate with a
person
would be expected to differ from assessments made with a person who
could
communicate, and the fact that she cannot see this elementary point
points to
her basic mind-set. She believes that psychological assessments are
infallible,
however they are done. She believes that what has been done in the past
is
infallible, that we already know all we need about (say) autism, and
that no
new concepts are conceivable or permissible. Writing from this
standpoint it is
hardly surprising that she misinterprets almost everything about the
cases she
purports to record. The book is illogical, biased, and an example of
'scientism' rather than scientific thinking. Anybody who can't pick ten
internal contradictions in the first chapter has no business calling
themselves
a sceptic. (208 pp).
Vexiau,
Anne-Marguerite, Je
Choisis Ta Main Pour Parler
Books & Monographs - Chapters
Attwood,
T., &
Remington-Gurney, J., 1992, Assessment of literacy skill using
facilitated
communication, in Van Kraayenoord, C., (Ed), A survey of adult
literacy
provision for people with intellectual disabilities, Schonell
Special
Education Research Centre,
Preliminary
report on
"This study
identified a sample
of twenty adults who had been assessed on standardised tests of
intelligence
and communication as profoundly disabled. ... During assessment for
literacy
skills, the responses of 17 students were recorded as level 4 <open
conversation>.
...the responses of nine students had at least one example of...
content
validity. "
Biklen,
D., 1992, Communication unbound; autism and praxis, in Hehir, T. &
Latus,
T. (eds) Special Education at the Century's End, Harvard
Review, Harvard
A
reprint of the Biklen (1990) article in Harvard Educational Review
(see
Journals)
(p. 321-349)
Brodin,
J., & Bj–rk-‰kesson
(eds), 1994, Methodological Issues in Research in Augmentative and
Alternative Communication, Proceedings from the Third ISAAC Research
Symposium
in Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Kelkgrade,
Reprints
papers on FCT by
Remington-Gurney and von Tetzchner; see Conference Papers.
Hudson,
A. ,1995, Facilitated Communication; A critique. in T. Ollendick &
R. Prinz
(Eds.), Advances in Clinical Child Psychology (vol. 17). Plenum
Press,
A
somewhat biased review of the validation literature.
Jacobson,
J., Eberlin, M., Mulick, J., Schwartz, A., Szempruch, J., &
Wheeler, D.,
1993, Autism, Facilitated Communication, and Future Directions, in
Matson, J.,
(ed),1993, Autism; Etiology, Assessment, and Intervention,
Sycamore
Press, Sycamore, IL
Presents
accounts of validation studies by Working Party on Severe Communication
Impairment, 1988 (see Monographs), Intellectual Disability Review
Panel, 1989,
(see Reports), Hudson et al, Moore et al, & Szempruch &
Jacobson (see
Journals). Also provides summary of paper by Eberlin et al, 1992 (see
Conference
Papers). Criticizes Calculator & Singer for poor procedural
controls.
Criticizes Biklen's use of qualitative analysis of client's work for
validation. Criticizes FCT for its inconsistency with previous
conclusions
about people with autism.
(pp. 93-132)
Klewe,
L., 1991, Kommunikation ved hjaelp af staveplader. En
eksperimental-psykologisk
unders¯gelse [Communication via spelling-boards. An
experimental-psychological
examination].
Account
of validation exercise with 17 clients from Danish group described in
Johnson,
1988, and Johnson, 1989. See Klewe, 1993, for an account of the
exercise in
English.
Morley,
B., 1996, The Apparently
Intellectually Handicapped, in Burrows, G., (ed.), Fifth
Greek/Australian
International Legal and Medical Conference,
Transcript
of adderess by
neurologist. Describes thirteen clients who have established nexpected
communication - five with head injuries, two with cerebral palsy, two
with
encephalitis, two with Down syndrome, and two with autism. All at some
stage
used facilitation. Seven of the 13 provided confirmation by recovering
speech
or writing skills.
The
irrefutable fact is that seven
of the thirteen patients whom I have examined ... . have eventually
become
independent of their facilitator.
Remington-Gurney,
J., 1994,
Facilitated Communication and AAC: a Dichotomy? in Brodin, J., &
Bj–rck-‰kesson, E. (eds), Methodological Issues in Research in
Augmentative
and Alternative Communication,
Reprint of
ISAAC paper on the
relation of FCT to AAC.
Facilitated
Communication is here to
stay. What we must now do as AAC specialists is to ascertain clearly
the
parameters in which it is used, and how we measure and test for the
authenticity of both the FC users and their facilitators.
Schawlow,
A. & Schawlow, A., 1985, The endless search for help, in Brady, M.,
&
Gunther, P. (eds), Integrating moderately and severely handicapped
learners;
Strategies that work, Springfield, Ill., Charles C. Thomas (pp.
5-15)
Account
by a Nobel prizewinner of an independent discovery of the principles of
FCT
with an autistic boy. Emphasises the use of typed communication, but
does not
stress the facilitation aspect.
<He>
still needed a parent's
hand on his to guide him. Sometimes, he would do nearly all the guiding
by
himself, but he would rarely do it alone. Later, we wrote another
program that
displayed and printed larger characters... This was an improvement, but
he
still wanted a hand on his.
Snow, P.,
1991, Fringe Therapies
in the Management of Brain Damage, in Caliuy, J., (ed) Occamís
Razor 3,
Transcript
of radio talk. An attack on FCT (called 'assisted communication') for
claiming
to establish communication with people in 'persistent vegetative state'.
The
pathophysiology of such damage
precludes the sparing of cognitive abilities against a background of
severe
physical impairment.
As
she concedes that a small number of people assessed as having
'persistent
vegetative state' have subsequently recovered, this global denial is is
patently untrue and casts some doubt on the author's other comments.
Stehli,
A. (ed), 1995, Dancing
in the Rain; Stories of Exceptional Progress by Parents of Children
with
Special Needs, The Georgiana Organisation,
A
compilation of case histories
writen by parents of children with disabilities. The main intervention
discussed is Auditory Integration Training (AIT), but two of the 22
cases also
use FCT. There is a short piece by Sharisa Kochmeister. All the studies
are
interesting. (303 pp)
FC gave me a
way to communicate that
cerebral palsy had denied me. It opened the door to other treatment,
such as
nutritional and vitamin therapies, occupational theray to reduce
sensitivity
and improve motor planning, speech therapy to overcome oral apraxia in
eating
and speaking, vision training to help me learn to use my eyes more
effectively,
and AIT to overcome hypersensitive hearing and improve processing.
von
Tetzchner, S., 1994, Research
Issues in Facilitated Communication, in Brodin, J., &
Bj–rck-‰kesson, E.
(eds), Methodological Issues in Research in Augmentative and
Alternative
Communication, J–nk–ping University Press, J–nk–ping
Copy of
conference paper at ISAAC
conference, 1994.
The research
issues discussed are
how to distinguish between automatic and facilitated communication,
characteristics of facilitated communicators, processes of facilitated
and
automatic communication, and historical processes underlying
intervention
development.
Baron-Cohen,
S., &
Brief mention
of FCT as a
fringe therapy (p.74).
Facilitated
Communication has
recently had a considerable impact on teaching children with autism in
Beukelman,
D., &
Mirenda, P., 1992, Augmentative and Alternative Communication;
Management of
Severe Communication Disorders in Children and Adults, Baltimore,
Paul H.
Brookes
Extended
presentation of
FCT as a recent development in communication impairment.
Beusst-Smith,
B., &
Keeney, C., 1992, Parentsí Guide to Facilitated Communication,
River
Bend Co.,
Basic
techniques with a
discussion of integration and parentsí perspectives. Includes accounts
of use
with authorís children. Underestimates the need for literacy teaching
and
illustrates some undesirable handholding postures. Available from River
Bend
Company (see Address List)
(26 pp.)
Carlton, S., 1993, The
Other Side of Autism, A positive approach, Self Publishing
Association,
Worcester
A general treatment of
autism with a brief and inaccurate reference to FCT (pp. 142-3).
Facilitated
communication was started several years ago in
Goode, D., 1994, A
World Without Words: The Social Construction of Children Born Deaf and
Blind,
Temple University Press, Philadelphia, ISBN 1-56639-215-2
"The result of
studies of two children with congenital deaf-blindness and mental
retardation... discusses the implications of the work for some current
issues
of the disabilities field, such as 'inclusion', 'quality of life', and
'facilitated communication."
Grandin,
T., 1995, Thinking in Pictures,
A page on FCT, taken
largely from Rimland (con) and Berger (pro).
It
is likely that the truth about facilitated communication is somewhere
between
wishful hand-pushing and real communication.
Also some interesting
details of autistic perceptions.
Hart,
C., 1993, A Parent's Guide to Autism, Pocket Books,
Contains chapter on FCT.
Reports critics, but generally positive. Gives extensive instructions.
Maurice, C., Green, G.,
& Luce, S., 1996, Behavioural Intervention for Young Children with
Autism:
A Manual for Parents and Professionals, Pro-ed,
Manual edited by parents.
Recommends Lovaas approach. Contains several chapters by Gina Green
analysing
other approaches, including FCT, negatively.
...others
continue to believe in (and practice) Facilitated Communication.
Clearly, such
service-providers should be avoided.
Oppenheim, R. F., 1974, Effective
teaching methods for autistic children., Charles Thomas ,
First published record of
the use of FCT techniques with significant numbers of people.
Pioneering and
still valuable manual on teaching people with autism to communicate.
Most
of the autistic children whom we have taught have learned to read
without
difficulty, often before they develop speech. Writing, however, is
another
story. Many autistic youngsters have major problems in controlling
pencils,
chalk or crayons. This disability appears to be more pronounced in
nonverbal
children... ...we usually teach writing by manipulating the child's
hand, and
thus feeding in the motor patterns. We believe that the autistic
child's
difficulties stem from a definite apraxia... There seems to be a basic
deficiency in certain areas of his motor expressive behaviour. So, in
teaching
writing, we find that it is usually necessary to continue to guide the
child's
hand for a considerable period of time. Gradually, however, we are able
to fade
this to a mere touch of a finger on the child's writing hand. We're
uncertain
about precisely what purpose this finger-touching serves. What we do
know is
that the quality of the writing deteriorates appreciably without it,
despite
the fact that the finger is in no way guiding the child's writing hand.
"I
can't remember how to write the letters without your finger touching my
skin'
one nonverbal child responded... The problem is not recognition, but
rather
execution, in retaining the mental image of required motor patterning.
Ultimately, however, the finger-touching can be eliminated, and the
child does
write without it, although some children want the touch of a finger on
some
other bodily surface, such as the head, in order to write.
Roopnarine, J., &
Johnson, J., 1992, Approaches to Early Childhood Education, 2nd Ed,
Special education textbook.
Brief account of FCT.
Some
young children for whom speech is absent, delayed or deviant can spell
their
wants and needs on a keyboard with physical support. This method is
called
'facilitated communication'. ... With this method, children have been
able to
spell words and sentences that are apparently at a much higher level
than would
be expected of even a 'normal' child of 3 or 4. Some children have
demonstrated
extraordinary literacy skills and can spell what they cannot speak.
These
children's abilities to read and type has compelled us to revise
totally our
expectations and understanding of their cognitive potential.
Siegel,
B., 1996, The World of the Autistic Child,
Brief unfavourable mention.
By
and large, FC is a hoax that has managed to deceive many parents and
teachers
because it appeals to a longing for a normal child to be 'inside'.
Silverson, F., 1995, Communication
for the Speechless, 403 pp, ISBN 0-13-184870-4
"This text will be
of most use in courses where the primary goal is preparing students for
clinical work with persons who are severely communicatively impaired...
New
approaches and services, such as facilitated communication and
telecommunications relay services are covered."
Sinason, V., 1992, Mental
Handicap and the Human Condition, Free Association Books,
A poetic psychiatric
interpretation of intellectual disability. Contains (ch. 8) an account
of FCT
as used in House M,
The
residents of House M know their staff are catering for both their
highest
functioning and their lowest. No-one is denying their right to be alive
and
feel and think. This means that they are faced with their own internal
enemy.
Nietzsche understands this interplay well. 'Under conditions of peace
the
warlike man attacks himself.'
Sobsey, D., 1994,
Violence and Abuse in the Lives of People with Disabilities, Paul H.
Brookes,
Contains a balanced
discussion of FCT in the section on Law and Law Enforcement.
Even
if it is valid in 99% of cases, it may not be valid in the case of the
particular witness in question. If it is invalid in 99% of cases, but
it is
legitiumate for the witness at hand, he or she should be allowed to use
it.
Williams, D., 1996, Like
Color to the Blind: Soul Searching and Soul Finding, Bantam,
Records Williams'
discussions with a person with autism given the name Alex.
Alex's
writing was typed via a method called facilitated communication, in
which he
received physical assistance in order to type. His writing was almost
overwhelmingly deep, sweepingly poetic, and shatteringly real - the
words of a
teenager and a genius trapped in the straitjacket of autism.
Zaretsky, H., Eisenberg,
M., & Glueckauf, R., 1993, Medical Aspects of Disability, a
handbook for
the rehabilitation professional, Springer,
Brief favourable mention,
based on Biklen's early articles. Regrettably, Biklen is spelt Bicklin
throughout.
Ball, Marshall Stewart,
1999, Kiss of God, The Wisdom of a Silent Child, Deerfield
Beach, Health
Communications Ltd
A popular book of religious
poems by a boy who communicates by pointing to letters with arm
support.
Crossley, R. &
McDonald, A., 1980, Annie's Coming Out. Penguin Books,
The account of how
Crossley, R. &
McDonald, A., 1990, Annie ó Licht Hinter Mauern, Piper, Munchen
The German translation of Annie's
Coming Out.
Davey,
R., 1982, Annie's Coming Out,
A play for schools based on
Crossley & McDonald, 1980. The actors play the children in the
ward,
talking directly to the audience. The published monograph includes the
text of
the play and documentation on the project.
Eastham,
D., 1985, Understand; Fifty memowriter poems, Oliver Pate,
Ottawa
Poems by David Eastham,
produced with FCT (see Eastham, 1992).
HELL
IS WHERE YOU'RE IGNORED
THIS IS TRUE I SAY
HOPE
YOU UNDERSTAND
YOUR YOUTH HAS GONE AWAY
Eastham,
D., 1992, Silent Words; A Biography, Oliver Pate,
Account of an independent
discovery of the techniques of FCT by a Canadian mother and her son
with autism
in the late 70's. David Eastham's privately published book of poetry (Forever
Friends) is also reprinted.
Eckardt,
Bettina & Kristina, 2001, Ein Offenes Tagebuch, Band 1,
Untranslated.
Gauger, J., (Ed.). ,
1999, Give Me My Voice, A Book Of Poems expressed through
Facilitated
Communication,
The Institutes Press,
"The poems contained
in this book were written by brain-injured children on the Intensive
Treatment
Program of the Institutes for Human PotentialÖ They use facilitated
communication toanswer questions, initiate conversations, write
letters, and
explain with great understanding the challenges they face in life. Once
they
become adept at this mode of communication, their most poignant means
of
expression is found in the poetry they choose to write."
Graham, G., 1996, A
Long Season in Hell: The
An account of the treatment
of a head-injured young man, by his mother. Includes material on
discovery of
his communication through FC.
Being
a facilitator... is not as simple as it looks. The head-injured person
who is
fortunate enough to have a degree of upper body control and good head
control
can use this method virtually unaided. But even this person will need
someone
who knows how to correctly fit and position the headpointer, and who
will take
the time and trouble to make sure the alphabet board is properly
mounted so
that it can be used easily, comfortably and effectively. And, of
course, the
facilitator must have the patience to stand there and wait during the
slow,
tedious business of spelling things out.
Lapos,
M. (ed), 1996, A Foot in Both Worlds, Facilitation Supports,
"A collection of
personal accounts from speakers, their families, friends and
facilitators".
Lehr, S., 1992, If
You Look In Their Eyes... You Know; parents' perspective on facilitated
communication,
Facilitated Communication Institute, Syracuse
Basic procedures of FCT in
the form of answers to commonly asked questions. Sound instructional
text with
examples and short case studies. (44 pp)
Martin,
R., 1994, Out of Silence, Henry Holt,
Moving in-depth account of
life of an autistic boy, eventually communicating through FCT. Very
interesting
discussion of processes of language acquisition and their influence on
behaviour. (300 pp)
...a
modest sort of account of the way in which facilitated communication
actually
might succeed depends less on synonyms for mystery than on words that work on
describing movement.
Mukhopadhyay, Rajarshi
(Tito), 2000, WHEN SILENCE SPEAKS - The Way My Mother Taught Me,
National Autistic Society,
A book by a person with
autism who learned to communicate through a method very similar
to FCT (though arrived at independently).
'Let
me hold your shoulder like I used to when you started pointing and
communicating', she said, trying to find a way. This time it was easy
for the
boy to
write, as he could feel the presence of the hand, his own hand linked
to his
body,
at the shoulder point, where his mother was holding him. The boy could
relate
his
thoughts to words and express them by pointing or writing only when
somebody
held his shoulder.
Tito and his remarkable
achievements were featured in a TV documentary, 'Inside Story - Titoís
Story' broadcast in the UK by the BBC on Sunday 21st May 2000.1.8
million
viewers watched Inside Story on Sunday 21st May. This represents a
12.4%
audience share.
Mukhopadhyay, Rajarshi
(Tito), 2003, The
Mind Tree: A miraculous child breaks the silence of autism,
National Autistic Society (Arcade Publishing),
A book by a person with
autism who
learned to communicate through a method very similar to FCT
(though
arrived at independently). The introduction by Lorna Wing
establishes a distinction without a difference between this
method and FCT:
She used the
technique, familiar to parents and teachers of children with autism, of
moving his limbs through the notions neeeded for each task, including
pointing, until he felt the feel of the muscle movement. This seems to
support the proponents of facilitated communication, who believe that
all children with autistic disorders, however severely learning
disabled they appear to be, are potentially capable of understanding
and expressing complex ideas if helped by appropriate physical
guidance. It is important to emphasise that Tito showed, very early on,
clear signs of good cognitive ability in his recognition of and ability
to match numbers, letters and shapes..... Children who do not
exhibit any signs of good cognitive ability are very unlikely indeed to
develop skills through any method of teaching, including facilitated
communication.
Lorna Wing, p. xii
Mukhopadhyay, Rajarshi
(Tito), 2008, How
Can I Talk if my Lips Don't Move: Inside my autistic mind, Arcade
Publishing,
Tito's second book, giving more information about his
life and his communication.
"People need
to believe you" she told me every now and again.
Sunday 21st May 2000.1.8 million viewers watched Inside Story on Sunday 21st May. This represents a 12.4% audience share.
Mukhopadhyay, Rajarshi
(Tito), 2005, The
Gold of the Sunbeams and other stories, Arcade Publishing,
A rare example of a person with
autism using assisted communication to write a book that is about
neither autism nor assisted communication, these excellent short
stories are about Indian life.
Nolan
, C., 1987. Under
the Eye of the Clock, Weidenfeld and Nicolson,
Christopher Nolan, who has
cerebral palsy, uses a headpointer, with support, to access a keyboard.
The
book is both a literary masterpiece and a fine account of life with
severe
communication impairment.
Page , Thomas S., 2003. Caught
Between Two Worlds, Words of Understanding,
A book of recollections by a person with
autism.
"At age 36 Tom leaned Facilitated Communication (FC) and began
learning to express his desires, interests, and thoughts..."
Rocha, A., & Jorde,
K., 1995, A Child of Eternity; an extraordinary young girl's
message from
the world beyond. Ballantine Books,
An autistic girl spelling
out through FC that she is the reincarnation of John the Baptist. The
messages
are total nonsense: there is no reason to believe, however, that the
communication is not accurate.
Rohde, Katja, 1999,
Ich Igelkind, Botschaften au seiner autistchen Welt, Lebenswege,
Munchen
Untranslated
Sellin, B., 1993 , Ich
will kein inmich mehr sein, botschaften aus einem autistichen kerker,
Kiepenheuer & Witsch,
An account by a German
youth with autism who uses facilitated communication.
Sellin, B., (1995) , I
Don't Want To Be Inside Me Anymore,
A translation of Ich
will kein inmich mehr sein, botschaften aus einem autistichen kerker.
Sellin, B., (1995) , tr.
Anthea Bell, In Dark Hours I Find My Way,
Another translation of Ich
will kein inmich mehr sein, botschaften aus einem autistichen kerker.
I do
not know why two different translations were commissioned.
Sellin, B., 1995, Ich
Deserteur einer artigen autistenrasse, Kiepenheuer & Witsch,
Z–ller,
D., 1992 , Ich gebe nicht auf, Scherz Verlag, M¸nchen
An account by a German
youth with autism who uses facilitated communication
JOURNALS & PERIODICALS
Adams, C., 1997,
Facilitated Communication Training: an evaluation, European Journal
of
Disorders of Communication, 32, 1, 70-75
Commentary on Crossley,
1997.
Attempts to dismiss case study.
See also Crossley's response.
Allen, B., & Allen,
S., 1995, The Process of Socially Constructing Mental Retardation:
Toward
Value-Based Interaction, JASH, 20, 2, 158-160
Discusses Biklen's article
'I am intelligent' (1994) in terms of social construction of mental
retardation.
Allen, B., & Allen,
S., 1996, Can the Scientific Method Be Applied to Human Interaction?,
American
Psychologist, 21, 986
A response to Jacobson,
Mulik & Schwartz, 1995 (q.v.).
Archer, A., 1992, Where
is the ëFacileí in ëFacilitated Communicationí?, Communicating
Together,
10, 4, 5-7
Discussion of the 'Carla'
case of allegations of sexual abuse in
Arndt, B., 1994,
Erfahrungen mit der ìgestutzen Kommunikationî in der
Arbeit einer Autismusambulanz, Autismus, 37, 3-6
Attwood, T. 1992,
Movement Disorders and Autism; A Rationale for the Use of Facilitated
Communication, Communication, 26, 3,27-
An explanation of the
success of FCT through a movement disorders perspective. Gives
preliminary
results on a major longitudinal validation study being carried out in
Attwood, T., 1993,
Bewegungsst–rgen und Autismus; ein logische
Begr¸ndung fur den Gebrauch der ìGest¸tzen Kommunikationî, Autismus,
35, 9-13
Batt, M., Crossley, R.,
Remington-Gurney, J., 1987, Apraxia; An Unrecognized Cause of Severe
Communication Impairment, Australian Communication Quarterly,
Vol. 2,
Spring 1987, 8-9
First publication dealing
with DEAL's client outcomes using FCT, and the first article to raise
the
question of apraxia as a widespread source of SCI.
Baxter, C., 1993, A
Review of Current Childhood-Disability Research in Sociology, Disability
Studies Quarterly, 13, 4, 19-23
A reasonable review of
studies on social construction of disability. Emphasizes power
relationships
between parents and professionals. Short mention of FCT.
Bebko, J., Perry, A.,
& Bryson, S., 1996, Multiple Method Validation Study of
Facilitated
Communication: II. Individual Differences and Subgroup Results,
Journal of
Autism & Developmental Disabilities, 26, 1, 43-58
Validation study with 20
students using multiple testing methods. Facilitators trained for the
study by
instructors who had been trained at
Beck, A., &
Pirovano, C., 1996, Facilitated Communicators' Performance on a Task of
Receptive Language, Journal of Autism & Developmental
Disabilities,
26, 5, 497-512
Hostile study of 12
subjects with generally positive results, which are played down as far
as
possible.
Given the methodological
flaws - no rehearsal of test conditions, for example - the results seem
more
than creditable, and the rejection of the method the result of prior
bias.
Bennett, C., 1994,
Facilitated Communication: Witchcraft & Fantasy, Journal of the
Speech-Language-HearingAssociation of
Short piece based on Shane
& Wheeler.
Berger, C. L., 1992 ,
Facilitated Communication; The Breakthrough, Communication Outlook,
14,
3, 5-10
Account of independent
discovery of FCT techniques in 1987 by teacher working in special
education
classes in
Berger, C. L., 1992 ,
Unlocking the Literate Minds of Students with Autism Through
Technology, The
Writing Notebook, 9, 4, 5-7 & 41
Shorter version of Berger,
1992 , Facilitated Communication; The Breakthrough.
Berger, C. L., 1994 ,
Discussion of learning and
teaching literacy with autistic children using FCT.
Berger, C., 1994a,
Facilitated Communication: a positive validation study of multiple
subjects, The
Catalyst, II, 2-3
Berger, C., 1994b,
Facilitated Communication: a positive validation study of multiple
subjects, The
Catalyst, II, 8-10
Biklen, D., 1990,
Communication unbound; autism and praxis, Harvard Education Review,
60,
3, 291-314
First American publication
on FCT.
Biklen, D., 1992, Typing
to talk; facilitated communication, American Journal of
Speech-Language
Pathology, 1, 2, 15-17
Gives examples of FCT
users, gives brief outline of the method, and notes the challenge to
prior
assumptions about autism.
Biklen, D., 1992,
Facilitated Communication; Biklen responds, American Journal of
Speech-Language
Pathology, 1, 2, 21-22
Continues debate with
Calculator (1992). Defends qualitative research against charges of
being
'anecdotal' and defends use of apraxia as a hypothesis.
Biklen, D., 1992, Autism
Orthodoxy versus Free Speech; A Reply to Cummins and Prior, Harvard
Educational Review, 62, 2, 242-256
A response to Cummins &
Prior, 1992, Harvard Educational Review.
Biklen, D., 1994, Response
to Review of Communication Unbound, AMJR, 99, 4, 450-451
Response to Thompson T,
1994, Communication Unbound - Book Review.
Biklen, D., &
Duchan, J., 1994, "I am intelligent": The Social Construction of
Mental Retardation, JASH, 19, 3, 173-184
Discusses the influence
that views of mental retardation have on attitudes to FCT research.
Biklen, D., 1995, Why
Parents and Children with Disabilities Should Have the Right to Use
Facilitated
Communication, Exceptional Parent, July, 48-49
Coverage of validation
research exploring possible sources of difficulty.
Biklen, D., 1995, Why
Parents and Children with Disabilities Should Have the Right to Use
Facilitated
Communication, Exceptional Parent, July, 48-49
Coverage of validation research
exploring possible sources of difficulty.
Biklen, D., 1996,
Learning from the experience of people with
disabilities, American Psychologist, 985-986
Biklen, D., &
Schubert, A., 1991, New Words; the communication of students with
autism, Remedial
and Special Education, 12, 6, 46-57
A qualitative study of 21
children using FCT. None were communicating verbally prior to the
introduction
of FCT. After FCT use 18 were communicating by spelling sentences.
Extensive
sampling of student work is given. The article presents the basic
technique and
discusses learning abilities, the role of support, and the implications
for
schooling.
Biklen, D., Morton, M.,
Saha, S.,
An account of an
observational study of the introduction of FCT to 22 students with
autism in
Biklen, D., Morton, M.,
Gold, D., Berrigan, C., & Swaminathan, S., 1992, Facilitated
Communication;
Implications for individuals with autism, Topics in Language
Disorders,
12, 4, 1-28
Basic text. Discusses
communication in autism, the use of FCT and its qualitative
examination, gives
examples of its use and teaching techniques, discusses apraxia as a
possible
cause of problems in autism.
Biklen, D., Saha, N.,
& Kliewer, C., 1995, How Teachers Confirm the Authorship of
Facilitated
Communication; A Portfolio Approach, JASH, 20, 1, 45-56
Close study of the means
used to establish that the communication came from the communication
subjects
in a qualitative study of FCT.
Bilu, Y. &
Goodman, Y., 1997, What does the Soul Say?: Metaphysical Uses of
Facilitated
Communication in the Jewish Orthodox Community, Ethos, 25, 4, ?
FC "...was
transformed in the Jewish ultraorthodox community into a mystical
device
through which autistic children disclose otherwordly messages. We use
this case
to study the process whereby, in a given historical moment, specific
forms of
deviance are selected and moulded into ritualized moralistic
performances
through which the values of the community are reasserted. Folowing a
comparison
between the clinicaland metaphyical FC, we explore synchronic and
diachronic
aspects of the complex relations between the ultraorthodox and the
secular
society extrapolated from the case. A comparative analysis of FC
sessions and
exorcistic rituals of dybbuk posession provides a background for
proposing a
dichotomous model of mystical pathways to the sacred, highlighting the
role of
deviants in revitalizing religious beliefs."
Bjarnason, D., 1992,
Bl–ndun; M· laera af andfoetlingum?, Proskahj·lp, 2, 14, 17-25
An account of the use of
FCT with a developmentally delayed child in
Bligh, S., &
Kupperman, P., 1993, Facilitated Communication Evaluation Procedure
Accepted in
a Court Case, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,
23, 3,
553--557
Account of single-case
validity testing of person with visual impairment and diagnosed
intellectual
disability to determine evidential weight of facilitated communication
in a
case of alleged abuse. Correct answers were given through facilitation
only
when the facilitator also knew the correct response.
Bligh, S., Kupperman,
P., & Klco, J., 1994, Facilitated Communication; Identifying the
Source of
the Communication, Communication Outlook, 16, 1, 5-9
Suggests totally
ill-informed and inappropriate protocol for testing the validity of
communications through FC.
Bligh, S., Kupperman,
P., & Klco, J, 1994, Policy Statements Issued on Facilitated
Communication,
Communication Outlook, 16, 4, 16-17
Response to Crossley, 1994,
Finding the Source,. Reprints policy statements from APA, etc.
Bode, T., 1994,
Facilitated Communication - One Option, Australian Communication
Quarterly,
Autumn, 17-18
A speech therapist discusses
the use of FCT in practice. Highly cautious, and expresses several
reservations, but suggests that it is useful for some clients.
Bode, T., 1995,
Facilitated Communication - Some Observations, Australian
Communication
Quarterly, Winter, 15
There are dozens of
augmentative communication systems and ozens of accessing methods and
training.
Ultimately I believe that FCT will take its place as one of these
options;
being used in the dsame proportions as scanning or Morse cose training,
for
example.
Bomba, C., O'Donnell,
L., Markowitz, C., & Holmes, D., 1996, Evaluating the Impact of
Facilitated
Communication on the Communicative Competence of Fourteen Students with
Autism,
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 26, 1, 43-58
An experimental study of an
attempt to teach 14 autistic students using FC. None of the 14 learned
to
communicate using FC.
Bondy, A., 1997, Book
Review, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 27, 2,
213-217
A review of Crossley's Facilitated
Communication Training, Biklen's Communication Unbound, and
Shane's Facilitated
Communication: The Clinical and Social Phenomenon. Attacks the
first two
for being unscientifc and praises the last for being scientific.
Borthwick, C., &
Crossley, R., 1999, Language and Retardation. Psycoloquy: 10 (038)
ìAbstract
There has always been a powerful bond between lack of
speech,
perceptions of lack of mental capacity, and civic and legal incapacity. The diagnostic link between lack of
speech (in the absence of deafness or obvious structural impairment)
and mental
retardation depends on the premise that behaviour is in general an
accurate
reflection of internal mental processes, and that there is no
clinically
significant phenomenon that inhibits the overt production of
communication and
"masks" more sophisticated language (i.e., that actual production is
representative of "internal" language comprehension and/or
processing). While this may be
true, it is not necessarily true, and the methods for determining
whether it is
true may not be the methods now practised in the field of mental
retardation
psychology. This paper covers the
history of several previous reassessments whereby people with deafness,
physical handicap, and learning disabilities were reclassified out of
the
category of mental retardation, discusses the recent debate over
facilitated
communication in the light of that history, and suggests that the onus
of proof
lies with those holding the position that the expressive communication
of
people diagnosed as mentally retarded adequately represents their
internal
language.î
Botash, A., Babuts,
D., Mitchell, N., O'Hara, M., Manuel, J., & Lynch, L., 1994,
Evaluations of
children who have disclosed sexual abuse via facilitated communication,
Archives
of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 148, 1282-1287
Braddock, S., Braddock,
B., & Graham, J., 1993, Rett Syndrome; An update and Review for the
Primary
Pediatrician, Clinical Pediatrics, October, 613-626
Brief mention of FCT as a
treatment tool for children with Retts.
Braman, B., Brady, M.,
Linehan, S., & Williams, R., 1995, Facilitated communication for
children
with autism; An examination of face validity, Behavioural Disorders
21,
1, 110-119
An experimental study of
three FC users. Proof of independent communication was illogically
discounted
because more communication occurred when facilitators knew the
material.
Bundschuh, K., 1998,
Facilitated Communication bei Menschen mit shweren
Kommunikationsstorungen als Herausforderung und Aufgabe fur die Sonder-
und
Heilpedagogik, Zeitschrift fur Heilpedagogik 49, 8, 358-364
Bunk, U, 1994, Uber
den Umgang mit neun Konzepten am Beispiel der sogenannten gestutzten
Kommunikation, Autismus, 37, 7-9
Burgess, C., Kirsch,
The authors
"designed a study in which they used a confederate to simulate a
language-disabled person and trained students to facilitate
communication with
the confederate. Undergraduate students were trained in facilitated
communication using a training videotape and then given an opportunity
to
practice facilitated communication with a person described as having
developmental disabilities, including an inability to speak (actually a
confederate). The participants were given information about her
siblings, where
she grew up, and her favorite foods and activities. The information was
different for each participant, and the confederate did not know what
information was provided.
The participant then met
Jackie who was seated at a computer terminal, stared straight ahead
past the
computer monitor throughout the session, and did not make eye contact
with the
participant. The participant was instructed to grasp Jackie's hand and
position
it above the computer keyboard. The experimenter asked questions about
Jackie
corresponding to the information the participant was given, and the
participant
facilitated Jackie's typed responses on the keyboard.
Burgess et al. obtained
a meaningful, readable response for over one-half of the questions. Not
surprisingly, almost all of these responses were identical to the
information
that had been given to the participant. The participants were very
confident
that Jackie had been doing the communicating. Burgess at al. concluded
that the
facilitated communications were a result of automatic writing. Although
this
study does not completely discount facilitated communication, it does
cast
doubt on the claims that all facilitated communications come from the
communicator."
Cabay, M., 1994, A
controlled evaluation of Facilitated Communication with four autistic
children,
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 4, 517-527
Validation study with four
subjects; negative findings.
Calculator, S., 1992 ,
Perhaps the emperor has clothes after all; a response to Biklen, American
Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1, 2, 18-20
Notes FCT successes.
Questions rationale of the technique. Calls for further research.
Calculator, S., 1992,
Facilitated communication; Calculator responds, American Journal of
Speech-Language Pathology, 1, 2, 23-24
Carries on debate with
Biklen, seeking more information and questioning use of the term
apraxia.
Calculator, S., 1992,
Communication support for children with severe disabilities in regular
classrooms ; Life After Facilitated Communication, The Clinical
Connection,
6, 1-4
Calculator, S., 1993,
FC: In Search of the Perfect Artichoke, Communicating Together,
11, 4,
17-18
Discussion of the contrast
between failures of validation in ëexperimentalí methods and instances
of
confirmation in everyday use.
Calculator, S., 1995,
Facilitated Communication: The clinical and social phenomenon, ed.
Shane, H;
Review, ASHA, May, 58-59
Unfavourable review of Facilitated
Communication: The clinical and social phenomenon, ed. Shane, H.
Describes
it as biased.
In summary, I cannot
recommend this book to clinicians, researchers, educators or any other
group.
Individuals looking for an objective state-of-the-art report on FC will
not
find it in this book.
Calculator, S., &
Singer, K, 1992, Preliminary Validation of Facilitated Communication, Topics
in Language Disorders, 12, 5, ix
Report of experimental
validation of communication through facilitation in 4 out of 5 clients.
Calculator, S., &
Hatch, E., 1995, Validation of facilitated communication; a case study
and
beyond, _American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology_, 4, 49-58
Unsighted
(Report of experimental
validation of communication in single case study).
Call, C., Ellison, K,
& Hill, P., 1993, Facilitated Communication; Teaching Strategies
for the
Believer and the Skeptic, The Forum, Fall, 13-15
Practical guide, taken
largely from publications by Crossley.
Candelora, V., 1995,
Facilitated Communication; A scientific theory or a mode of
communication?
Should people with autism have a voice in court?
Review of legal argument in
American FC cases.
Cardinal, Don, 1994,
Researchers and the Press; a Cautionary Tale, The Chronicle of
Higher
Education, October 12, B3
An account of enduring
attacks by critics of FC, a brief account of experimental results, and
advice
for people dealing with the media.
Cardinal D.N., Hanson,
D., Wakeham, J., 1996, An Investigation of Authorship in Facilitated
Communication, Mental Retardation, 34, 4, 231-242
Experimental study of 43
subjects - the largest single study, incorporating as many trials as
all
previous studies.
Chazin, S., 1993, The
Secret Life of Arthur Wold, Readers Digest, March 1993, p.
96-101
Account of introduction of
FC to person diagnosed as intellectually impaired.
Chazin, S., 1994, The Secret
Life of Arthur Wold, Readers Digest (Australian edition), April
1994, p.
119-124
Reprint of Chazin, 1993.
Chideya, Farai, 1993,
The Language of Suspicion,
Account of court disputes
over abuse cases involving FC.
Clarkson, G., 1994,
Creative Music Therapy and Facilitated Communication; New Ways of
Reaching
Students with Autism, Preventing School Failure, 38, 2, 31-33
Abstract: A music
therapist recounts the case of a young man with autism who, after
several years
of music therapy, began to communicate with the therapist using
facilitated
communication. The author sees the combination of music therapy and
facilitated
communication as very promising for people with autism.
Comins, J., 1993,
Facilitated Communication - let your fingers do the talking, CSLT
Bulletin,
September, 10-11
Report for English SLT
audience quoting Bode, T., & Emerson, A. on FCT.
Cordes, H., 1996,
Kommunikationsfahigkeit autisticher Kinder und FC, Autismus,
42, 30-36
Cordes, R., 1992,
Facilitated communication - miracle or manipulation?, Trial,
28, 12, 92,
December
Unsighted
Cordes, R., 1994,
Facilitated communication at center of criminal case, Trial,
30, 3, 14,
March
Unsighted
Coughlin, E., 1994, A
New Path to Speech? Or an Illusion?, Chronicle of Higher Education,
March 9, A6-A9, A14
Account of disputes between
qualitative and quantative researchers over FCT. Reports successes from
Cardinal study.
Crews, W., Sanders, E.,
Hensley, L., Johnson, Y., Bonaventura, S., & Rhodes, R., 1995, An
evaluation of facilitated communication in a group of nonverbal
individuals
with mental retardation, Journal of Autism and Developmental
Disorders,
25, 2, 205-213
An experimental study of 8
students using FC.
Crossley, R., 1990,
Silent Witnesses; The Court System and People Who Use Non-Speech
Communication,
Our Voice, Disabled Persons International, September 1990
A discussion of the
difficulties faced by people using AAC in courtrooms, with particular
examples
given of FCT use.
Crossley, R., 1990,
Silent Witnesses; The Court System and People Who Use Non-Speech
Communication,
Talking Politics, v.1, no. 3, USA
A discussion of the
difficulties faced by people using AAC in courtrooms, with particular
examples
given of FCT use.
Crossley, R., 1991,
Facilitated Communication Training, Communicating Together, 9,
2, 20-23
A basic outline of the
method, including details of hand function impairments.
Crossley, R., 1991, Getting
the Words Out: Facilitated Communication Training, Education
Quarterly,
Number 2, August 1991, 7-9
A brief account of FCT for
teachers.
Crossley, R., 1992,
Getting the words out: Case Studies in Facilitated Communication
Training, Topics
in Language Disorders, 12, 4, 46-59
Accounts of the training
and achievements of clients using FCT with diagnoses of autism, Down
syndrome,
and cerebral palsy. A basic text.
Crossley, R., 1992,
Lending a hand - a personal account of facilitated communication
training, American
Journal of Speech-Language Pathology , 1, 3, 15-21
An account of the
development of the FCT technique in Australia, covering work with Anne
McDonald
(see Annie's Coming Out), the opening of DEAL Communication
centre, and
the extension of the use of the technique to people with autism and
other
people diagnosed as having intellectual impairment.
Crossley, R., 1993 ,
Facilitated Communication; Some Further Thoughts, Communicating
Together,
11, 1, 14-16
Commentary on and
corrections to articles by Archer (1992), Von Tetzchner (1992), and
Waller
(1992) (see Journals) in Communicating Together, 10, 4.,
together with a
plea for balance.
Crossley,
R., 1993, Flying
High on Paper Wings, Interchange,
April 1993
A report on the FCT scene
in
Interchange is the
magazine of the World Rehabilitation Fund's International Exchange of
Experts
and Information in Rehabilitation (IEEIR), and copies are available
from IEEIR
(see Address List)
Crossley,
R., 1993, Getting the Words Out, Network, 3, 1, 12
A basic account of FCT for
a
Crossley, R., 1993,
Canít speak doesnít mean canít think, Down Syndrome News, 17,
2, 20-21
An account of the
applicability of FCT to people with Down Syndrome.
Crossley, R., 1993,
Preliminary Validation of facilitated communication; A correction, Topics
in
Language Disorders, 13, 4, xv-xvi
A correction of that part
of Calculator & Singer (1992) that draws on the distorted data of
Cummins
& Prior (1992)
Crossley, R., 1993,
Literacy and Facilitated Communication Training, Communicating
Together,
11, 2, 16-17
Emphasizes the importance
of acquiring literacy skills.
Crossley,
R., 1993, Responding, Communicating Together, 11, 4, 19-20
Responds to Shane, 1993, Facilitated or ëFactitiousí
Communication, and
(for expanded version, see
Sharing to Learn, 1994, in Monographs)
Crossley, R., 1994,
Facilitated Communication; an answer, The Skeptic, 14, 4, 53-55
A response to and rebuttal
of Joseph, 1994.
Crossley, R., 1994,
Finding the Source - but not turning off the light, Communication
Outlook,
16, 4, 9-15
A
response to and rebuttal of Bligh, Kupperman & Klco, 1994
Crossley, R., in press,
Eventually Weíll Know; Facilitated communication training and esoteric
phenomena, Australian Journal of Human Communication Disorders
Crossley,
R., 1995, letter, Communication Outlook, Spring, 4
A response to and rebuttal
of Bligh, Kupperman & Klco, 1994, Policy Statements Issued on
Facilitated
Communication,
Crossley, R., 1997, Remediation
of
communication problems through facilitated communication training;
a
case study, European Journal of Disorders of Communication, 32,
1, 61-69
Case study of speaking
person with severe language disorder remediated by facilitation.
See also commentaries by
Adams, Dockrell & Sterling, Rosenbloom, and Derbyshire in the same
issue
and Crossley's response -
Crossley, R., 1997, Response
to
Commentaries, European Journal of Disorders of
Communication,
32, 1, 83-88
Response to Adams, Dockrell
& Sterling, Rosenbloom, and Derbyshire.
Crossley, R., &
Remington-Gurney, J., 1992, Getting the words out; Facilitated
Communication
Training, Topics in Language Disorders, 12, 4, 29-45
A basic text. Gives history
of DEAL Communication Centre, describes methods, sets out hand function
impairments, and discusses validation.
Cumley, G., &
Beukelman, D., 1992, Roles and responsibilities of facilitators in
augmentative
and alternative communication, Seminars in Speech and Language, 13, 2,
111-119
Brief mention. Discusses
wider definition of ëfacilitationí, and notes FCT as one form of
facilitating
AAC communication.
Cummins, R., 1992,
Facilitated Communication - A critical evaluation, Victorian
Humanist,
31, 4, 6-11
Transcript of an address to
the Victorian Humanist Society.
Cummins, R. & Prior,
M., 1992, Autism and Assisted Communication; A Response to Biklen, Harvard
Educational Review, 62, 2, 228-241
A response to Biklen, 1990,
Harvard Educational Review.
The article misrepresents
quoted material, misunderstands the principles of facilitation, and is
satisfactorily answered by Biklen, 1992, Harvard Educational Review
(see Journals)
Danforth, S., 1997, On
What Basis Hope? Modern Progress and postmodern possibilities, Mental
Retardation, 35, 2, 93-106
An examination of the
rhetoric used in the debate over facilitated communication. Not
particularly
concerned with 'facts' - indeed, uses the term 'truth' in inverted
commas
throughout. Interesting.
Dayan,
J., &
Minnes, P (in Press), Ethical Issues in the use of Facilitated
Communication
techniques with people with autism, Canadian Psychology
de Jonge, D., 1995,
Communication - It's all in the way you move, Australian
Communication
Quarterly, 15
Brief discussion by worker
on Queensland FC project. Discusses impulsivity, initiation, etc.
Derbyshire, P., 1997,
Facilitated Communication Training: Comments from a head teacher, European
Journal of Disorders of Communication, 32, 1, 83
A response to Crossley,
1997.
Adds little.
See also Crossley's response.
Dillon, K., 1993,
Facilitated Communication, Autism, and Ouija, Skeptical Inquirer,
17, 3,
281-287
Magazine of the American
Skeptics organization. A comparison between FCT and the use of Ouija
boards.
Dillon is both a professor
of psychology and the parent of an autistic child.
Dillon, K., Fenlason,
J., & Vog., D., Belief in and use of a questionable technique,
facilitated
communication, for children with autism, Psychological Reports,
August
5, n1 p459
A study conducted under
a consistent assumption of the falsity of FCT.
Dockerell, J., &
Sterling, C., 1997, The Contribution of Psychology to Understanding the
Remediation of Communication Problems Through Facilitated
Communication, European
Journal of Disorders of Communication, 32, 1, 75-81
A response to Crossley,
1997.
Criticises case study method.
See also Crossley's response.
Donellan, A., 1993, Some
Implications of Facilitated Communication, Down Syndrome News,
May, 48
As long as children and
adults labelled 'retarded' are willing to engage in facilitated
communication
and appear to co-operate and gain from it, they should be encouraged to
do so.
Donellan, A., 1995,
Murphy's Law Revisited, American Journal of Mental Retardation,
100,
432-435
Severely critical review of
Facilitated Communication; The Clinical and Social Phonomenon,
Ed. Shane
H.
Donellan, A., 1996, A
Comment on Spitz's Comment, American Journal of Mental Retardation,
101,
1, 100-103
Comment on Spitz's comment
(qv) on Donellan, 1995.
Donellan, A., Sabin, L.,
Majure, L., 1992, Facilitated communication; beyond the quandary to the
questions, Topics in Language Disorders, 12, 4, 69-82
Survey of FCT literature,
description of some FCT observations. Recommends proceeding with FCT
while
continuing research.
Duchan, J., 1993, Issues
Raised by Facilitated Communication for Theorizing and Research on
Autism, Journal
of Speech and Hearing Research, 36, 1108-1119
Notes discrepancies between
results reported from studies relying on naturally occurring
facilitated
interactions and studies relying on controlled experimental conditions.
Relying
on a collaborative view of communication the article proposes that both
outcomes
can be valid, and that FC users are sometimes competent and at other
times
incompetent, depending on the conditions of the evaluation.
Duchan, J., 1993, My
life before and after facilitated communication, The Clinical
Connection,
7, 1,1-3
Duchan, J., 1995, The
Role of Experimental Research in Validating Facilitated Communication;
A Reply,
Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 38, 1, 206-210
Reply to comments on
Duchan, 1993. Discusses test qualitative and quantitative test
methodology.
Dwyer, J. 1996, Access
to Justice for People with Severe Communication Impairment, Australian
Journal of Administrative Law, 3, 2, 73-119
Magisterial survey of legal
precedents involving FCT up to early 1996.
Eberlin, M., & Ibel,
S., in submission, The Source of Messages Produced During Facilitated
Communication with a Boy with Autism and Severe Mental Retardation; A
Case
Assessment
Account of a validation
exercise using message passing and picture naming.
Eberlin, M., &
McConnachie, G., 1993, Facilitated Communication; Employing research
results to
develop ethical practice guidelines, The Forum, Fall, 9-12
Attacks FCT as
unscientific; claims no single case of communication established; on
this basis
discusses ethical issues.
Eberlin, M.,
McConnachie, G., Ibel, S., & Volpe, L., 1993, 'Facilitated
Communication':
A failure to replicate the phenomenon, Journal of Autism and
Developmental
Disorders, 23, 3, 507-529
Account of a remarkably
poorly planned experiment involving psychologists teaching themselves
FCT,
attempting the technique with a number of clients, and concluding from
their
failure to establish communication that the technique and not their use
of it
is ineffective.
Edelson, S., Rimland,
B., Berger, C., & Billings, D., Evaluation of a Mechanical
Hand-Support for
Facilitated Communication, Journal of Autism and Developmental
Disorders,
28, 2, 153-157
Account of an unsuccessful
attempt to develop a mechanical hand support device that would enable
FC users
to communicate independently. Appears to attempt to use the
failure of
the device to cast doubt on the previously validated communication of
the users
(see Berger 1994a, 1994b). Misquotes Oppenheim (1974).
Eliasoph, E., &
Donnellan, A., 1995, A Group Therapy Program for Individuals Identified
as
Autistic Who are Without Speech and Use Facilitated Communication, International
Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 45, 4, 549-560
Elks,
Martin, 1990, Lessons from Annieís Coming Out, Interaction, 4, 1, 7-17
A discussion of the
implications of the book Annieís Coming Out (Crossley &
McDonald,
1984) for the institutional model of professionalism.
Interaction is the
magazine of the Australian National Council on Intellectual Disability
(see
Address List).
Emerson, A., 1994,
Facilitated Communication, Communication Matters, 8, 1, 20-23
A solid account of FCT for
English AAC professionals.
It seems particularly
important that Facilitated Communication is understood and used by
professionals within the field of AAC to ensure its careful and ethical
introduction.
Farkus, Paul, 1992,
Thoughts About Myself and My Autism, Communicating Together,
10, 4, 15
Communication from an FCT
user on the nature of autism.
Felce, D., 1994,
Facilitated Communication; Results from a Number of Recently Published
Evaluations, British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 22, 4,
122-127
Report of early negative
experimental studies.
There is no basis for
encouraging more widespread implementation of FC at the moment.
Ferguson, D., &
Horner, R., 1994, Negotiating the facilitated communication maze, Mental
Retardation, 32, 4, 305-307
Commentary on Levine, Shane
& Wharton (1994). Suggests that communication and authorship are
complex
issues; calls for more data.
Fried-Oken, M., Paul,
R., & Fay, W., 1995,Questions Concerning Facilitated Communication;
Response to Duchan, Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 38,
1,
200-202
Response to Duchan, 1993.
Denies that any evidence exists for the validity of FC.
Frook,
J., 1995, Be tender with me, Family Circle, 2/21/95, 84-85
& 120
Account of communication
breakthrough.
Gabel, S., 1993,
Intelligence Testing; Western Ontology and Control of Perceived
Deviance, Disability
Studies Quarterly, 13, 3, 30-32
Advocates discarding
intelligence testing as an institutionalized tool of oppression. Notes
that FCT
claims affect the validity of IQ claims.
Gamradt, J., Huebner,
R., Klund, J., & White, P., 1994, Description of Case Studies
on
Facilitated Communication, Trace Reprint Series,
Gamradt, J., Huebner,
R., Klund, J., & White, P., 1994, Condensed Final Report from
Case
Studies on Facilitated Communication, Trace Reprint Series, Trace
Center,
Madison
Gamradt, J., Huebner,
R., Klund, J., & White, P., 1994, Summary and conclusions from
Case
Studies on Facilitated Communication, Trace Reprint Series, Trace
Center,
Madison
Partial reprints of larger
document. Reports experimental study with six participants. No clear
successful
communication; one participant improved behaviourally. Abuse allegation
involved. Recommends that potentially useful practices be extracted
from FC for
further exploration within other programs.
Gepner, B. (1998). La
Communication facilitÈe favorise-t-elle la socialisation et la
communication
des personnes autistes ? Report to the French Ministery of
Health,
May.
Gepner, B. (2001a).
Impact thÈrapeutique de la communication facilitÈe chez 12 personnes
autistes.
RÈsultats díune Ètude longitudinale. Neuropsychiatrie
de líEnfance et de líAdolescence, 49, 301-312.
Gonzales-Crussi, 1994,
Ian knows More Than He Says, New York Times Book Review,
Review of Out of Silence
(Martin, 1994 - see monographs)
Goode, G., 1994,
Defining facilitated communication in and out of existence; the role of
science
in the facilitated communication controversy, Mental Retardation,
32, 4,
307-311
Commentary on Levine, Shane
& Wharton (1994). Opposes Levine's proposed moratorium.
Gorman BJ, 1999,
Facilitated communication: rejected in science, accepted in court-a
case study
and analysis of the use of FC evidence under Frye and Daubert. Behav
Sci Law
1999;17(4):517-41
Abstract: This article traces the phenomenon of
facilitated
communication (FC) from its introduction to the
Gould, J., 1993,
Facilitated Communication; an Overview, Communication, 27, 2,
9-15
An account for an English
audience of Facilitated Communication based on the Geneva Centre
conference on
FC in
Green, G., 1993,
Response to "What is the balance of proof for or against facilitated
communication? AAMR News & Notes, 6, 3, 5
Green, G., 1994,
Facilitated Communication; Mental miracle or sleight of hand? Skeptic,
2, 68-76
Extended attack on FCT as
lacking evidence. Writing for a non-refereed publication Green allows
herself
to be usually inaccurate.
Green, G., 1997,
Facilitated Communication ñ nichts als leere
Versprechungen, Skeptiker, 10, 19-22
Green, G, & Shane,
H., 1993, Facilitated Communication; the claims versus the evidence, Harvard
Mental Health Letter, 10, 4-5
Attempted refutation of
Biklen's previous article in HMH Letter.
Green, G, & Shane,
H., 1994, Letter to the Editor, Chronicle of Higher Education,
Mar 23
Criticism of Coughlin,
1994.
Green, G, & Shane,
H., 1994, Science, Reason and Facilitated Communication, JASH,
19, 3,
151-172
Exhaustive attack on FCT.
Probably currently the standard critical review.
Hall, G., 1993,
Facilitator Control as Automatic Behaviour; a verbal behaviour
analysis, Analysis
of Verbal Behaviour, 11, 89-97
Assumes that all FC is
produced by facilitator and analyses facilitator behaviour as an
instance of
automatic verbal behaviour.
Halle, J.W., 1994, A
dispassionate (if that's possible) observer's perspective, Mental
Retardation, 32, 4, 311-314
Commentary on Levine, Shane
& Wharton (1994).
Editorial introduction to
special issue of JASH.
Hannick, S., Passone,
S. & Day, J. (2000). La communication facilitÈe pour les autistes:
ý
prendre ou ý laisser ? Une Ètude exploratoire. Neuropsychiatrie de
líEnfance
et de líAdolescence, 48, 269-275.
Harrington,
K., 1988, A Letter from Annie, Communication Outlook, 6, 4, 5-6
Gives the text of a letter
from Anne McDonald, co-author, with
Hastings, R., 1995, Does
Facilitated Communication free imprisoned minds? The Psychologist:
Bulletin
of the British Psychological Society, 9, 1, 19-24
Literature review. Relies
on Green and 'controlled studies'.
Heckler, S., 1994,
Facilitated Communication - A Response by Child Protection, Child
Abuse
& Neglect, 18, 6, 529-530
qq
Higginbotham, D.,
Sonnenmeier, R., & Duchan, J., 1993, The Impact of Technology on
Facilitated Communication, Technology and Disability, 2, 3,
68-78
Hill, D., 1991,
Facilitated Communication; Pilot work generates more questions than
answers, Communication
Exchange, 2, 1-3 & 9
Hill, D., & Leary,
M., 1992, Moving On; A Different Perspective on Behaviour in Autism, Childrenís
Mental Health, 5, 2, 12
Interpretation of the use
of FCT with people with autism based on a movement disorders
perspective. Later
expanded as Hill & Leary, 1993, Movement Disturbance (see
Monographs)
Hitzing, W., 1994, Reply
to Levine et al's "Plea to Professionals", Mental Retardation,
32, 4, 314-317
Critical commentary on
Levine, Shane & Wharton (1994).
Horner, R., 1994,
Facilitated Communication; Keeping it Practical, JASH, 19, 3,
185-186
Commentary on JASH articles
by Biklen & Duchan, 1994, & Green & Shane, 1994
Hostler, S., Allaire,
J., & Christoph, R., 1993, Childhood sexual abuse reported by
facilitated
communication, Pediatrics, 91, 6, 1190-1191
Report of two cases of
reports through FC of sexual abuse. The cases were not proceeded with.
Recommends
IDRP earphone tests.
Howlin, P., 1994,
Facilitated Communication - A Response by Child Protection, Child
Abuse
& Neglect, 18, 6, 529-530
qq
Hoyt,
R., 1993, In Defence of Howard Shane, Communicating Together,
11, 4, 23
Mr. Hoyt is a person with
communication handicap. In response to McDonald, A., 1993, Iíve
Only Got One
Life and I Donít Want to Spend It all Proving I Exist, Communicating
Together, he
gives a testimonial to Shaneís anti-institutional credentials.
Hudson, A., 1992,
Assessing the validity of facilitated communication, The Australian
Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 9, 2, 24-29
Outlines the methodology
used in Hudson et al, 1993, & Moore et al, 1993 (see Journals) and
calls
for ëa thorough evaluation of the theory underpinning facilitated
communicationí.
Hudson,
A., 1993, Assessing ëCarlaí, Communicating Together, 11, 4,
13-14
Discusses criticisms of his
assessment of FC user ëCarlaí (reported in Hudson, Melita, &
Arnold,
1993) made by
Hudson, A., Melita, B.,
& Arnold, N., 1993, Brief report; a case study assessing the
validity of
facilitated communication; A case study, Journal of Autism and
Developmental
Disorders, 23, 1, 165
Account of the asessment of
the validity of the communication through FC of a person diagnosed as
FC (in
fact 'Carla', the subject of a guardianship hearing). The assessment
involved
both subject and facilitator being fitted with earphones and given
variant
questions.
The testing techniques make
no allowance for the effects of aphasia under stress, disregard other
relevant
evidence as to 'Carla's' communication, and are unreliable and
inaccurate.
Huebner, R., Gamradt,
J., & Vanderheiden, G., 1994, Literature Review from Case
Studies on
Facilitated Communication, Trace Reprint Series,
Literature review
associated with Trace Project (see Gamradt, 1994).
Huebner R & Emery
L, 1998, Social psychological analysis of facilitated communication:
implications for education, Mental Retardation, 36 (4): 259-68
[Medline]
[Medline Abstract]
Facilitated communication was rapidly adopted and used with individuals
who
have severe communication disorders. An overview of the psychological
literature was provided here to support theoretical explanations for
this rapid
adoption. The literature suggests that cognitive biases, ambiguous
stimuli, and
biases in data may be associated with a tendency to adopt interventions
such as
facilitated communication. Psychosocial influences associated with
autism, the
helping relationship, and the professional career cycle may enhance a
readiness
to adopt alternative treatments. Social influences may create an
environment in
which fads arise. Suggestions were provided for students and
professionals in
the broad fields of rehabilitation and education on how to improve
their
participation in developing and monitoring innovative treatment
methods.
Jacobson, J., 1993,
Facilitated Communication; Practice to Research, The Forum,
Fall, 16-18
Discusses Wheeler et al
(1993) and Szempruch & Jacobson (1992); considers but dismisses
criticisms
of these studies; suggests spread of method due to low level of
scientific
literacy.
Jacobson, J.,
Eberlin, M., Mulick, J., Schwartz, A., Szempruch, J., & Wheeler, D,
in
press, Autism and Facilitated Communication; future directions, in
Matson, J.,
(Ed.), Autism; etiology, diagnosis, and treatment, Sycamore
Press,
DeKalb
Jacobson, J., &
Mulick, J., 1992, Speak for Yourself, or... I Canít Quite Put My Finger
On It!,
Psychology in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities,
17,
5-7, 3
Accepts Cummins and Prior's
(1992) purported data and comments on it.
Jacobson, J., &
Mulick, J, 1994, Facilitated Communication; better education through
applied
ideology, Journal of Behavioural Education, 14, 95-107
Jacobson, J., Mulick,
J., & Schwartz, A., 1995, A History of Facilitated Communication;
Science,
Pseudoscience, and Antiscience; Science Working Group on Facilitated
Comunication, American Psychologist, 50, 9, 750-765
Analysis of FCT suggesting
that the move in human services away from institutions staffed by fully
qualified professionals has left the field vulnerable to unscientific
cults
such as FCT.
Janzen-Wilde, M., Duchan,
J., & Higginbotham, D., 1995, Successful use of Facilitated
Communication
with an Oral Child, Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 38,
658-676
Case study of
6-year-old-child learning to use FC. Lannguage with FC was higher level
than
his speech. Evidence of independent communication was confirmed by the
achievement of communicative independence.
Johnson, I., 1988, When
the Pen is Mightier than the Word, Community Care, 28 July
1988, 24-26
An account of the
independent discovery of FCT in House M, a Danish unit for 14 adults
diagnosed
as having severe mental handicap.
Johnson, I., 1989,
Hellish difficult to live in this world: the unexpected emergence of
written
communication in a group of severely mentally handicapped individuals, Journal
of Social Work Practice, Vol.4, No.1, 13-30.
Extended account of
independent discovery of FCT in House M. Covers philosophy of 'total
communication', quotes extensively from residents' writings. An
important text.
Pia
Johnson,
I., 1993, Free Speech, Social Work Today, 7 January 1993
Brief report of FCT for
Johnson,
Brief account of discovery
of FCT in House M.
Jones, D., 1994, Autism,
Facilitated Communication, and Allegations of Child Abuse and Neglect,, Child Abuse & Neglect,
18, 6, 491-493
Joseph,
A., 1994, Facilitated Communication, The Skeptic, 14, 4
Article based on
Judt, W., 1991,
Facilitated communication ñ Unterstutzte Kommunikation,
Autismus, 32, 3-4
Kaiser,
A., 1994, The Controversy
Surrounding Facilitated Communication; Some Alternative Meanings, JASH,
19, 3, 187-190
Commentary on JASH articles
by Biklen & Duchan, 1994, & Green & Shane, 1994.
In
this brief response I focus on the meaning of the controversy itself
rather
than further analysis of the evidence supporting the claims for and
against the
validity and replicability of facilitated communication.
Kaiser, A., & Goetz,
L., 1993, Enhancing Communication with Persons Labelled Severely
Disabled, JASH,
18, 3, 137-142
Introduction to an issue of
JASH on this topic including Sabin & Donellan (1993).
Facilitated
communication provides one of the most challenging research problems we
have
faced.
Kehrer, H.,
1996, Kritische Gedanken zur FC,
Autismus, 42, 40-41
Kezuka E, 1997, The role
of touch in facilitated communication, J Autism Dev Disord 1997
Oct;27(5):571-593
Account of a Japanese
experiment where claims of telepathy using (organisationally unrelated)
FC
typing were checked mechanically, revealing the possibility of physical
signalling. Appears rather like similar case recorded in Speechless,
except
that there the experimenter did not leap to the conclusion that the
existence
of influence excluded the possibility of communication.
Klewe, L., 1993, An
Empirical Evaluation of Spelling Boards as a Means of Communication for
the
Multihandicapped, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,
23, 3,
559-566
Account of validation
exercise with 17 clients from Danish group described in Johnson, 1988,
and
Johnson, 1989. A longer account, in Danish, is given in Arendt-Neilsen,
1991
(see Reports).
It
is clear from these examinations that none of the patients were able to
communicate independently using spelling boards. It is also clear that
any
appearance of communication during the experiments came from the
facilitators
rather than the patients.
Kliewer, C., Citizen
in
the Literature Community: Children with Down Syndrome and the Written
Word,
Exceptional Children, Vol. 64, No. 2, Winter 1998, pp. 167-180
A paper discussing the
concept of literacy as the construction of shared meaning in specific
contexts.
In classrooms where this concept applies, students with Down syndrome
are
valued as symbolic beings and engage literacy as a communication tool.
This has
implications for reconceptualizing Down syndrome.
Researchers
have yet to sort out the facilitated communication controversy, but
Colleen
Madison noted that Lee's progressive
independence with controlled gestures and his ability to express
information
unknown to the support person served to assure the instructional
team and Lee's family that Lee's typed words were his own.
Kliewer, C., &
Drake, S., 1998, Disability, Eugenics and the Current Ideology of
Segregation -
A Modern Moral Tale, Disability and Society, 13(1):95-111
"Recently,
an amalgamation of articles have appeared in a wide range of
publications
linking together community and school inclusion and facilitated
communication
research as an unholy trinity of anti-empiricism eroding the disability
fields. The authors of these critiques suggest that there exists
a
scientific basis for state institutions, segregated learning and a
non-critical
acceptance of traditional interpretations of expressive ability on the
part of
people with disabilities. In this article we expose not science,
but an
ideology of segregated control behind those claims. This ideology
permeates the disability-related professions and is cloaked in the
language of
the natural sciences. We trace this use of the natural sciences
to the
eugenics movement of the early twentieth century and explore the legacy
of the
ideology of control as it impacts current understanding of disability."
Klonovsky, M., 1993,
Verschuttete Intelligenz ñ Austismus und ìgestichte Kommunikationî, Behinderte
in Famile, Schule und Gesellschaft, 16, 6, 55-58
Knox, L., 1996, The
Facilitated Communication Witchhunt, American Psychologist, 21, 986-987
A response to Jacobson,
Mulik & Schwartz, 1995 (q.v.).
Kohn, A., 1993, Court
refuses to bar method of testifying; standard set for facilitated
communication, New York Law Journal, 209, 62, 1, April 2
Report of In The
Matter of Luz P., Supreme Court of the State of
Konstantareas MM, 1998,
Allegations of sexual abuse by nonverbal autistic people via
facilitated
communication: testing of validity. Child Abuse Negl 1998
Oct;22(10):1027-41
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
The aim of the paper is to offer a comprehensive approach to
establishing the
validity of allegations of sexual abuse by nonverbal autistic children
and
adults produced through facilitated communication (FC). This approach
is
offered as an alternative to existing methodology that relies
exclusively on
the "message passing" task, and has been used to advantage in the
courts. METHOD: Three components to the battery are included: (a)
specialized
psychometric testing; (b) a variant of the message passing task; and
(c)
systematic analysis of the allegations themselves. Through the
juxtaposition of
the data from the different sources, conclusions can be reached as to
the
allegations' authorship. RESULTS: The results of a series of studies
addressing
the issue of validity of FC in general are briefly presented. Then a
case
presentation is offered to demonstrate how the technique can be
employed to
clarify allegations of sexual abuse. Elements of two other cases are
also
briefly discussed. CONCLUSIONS: Facilitated communication has been
heralded as
a breakthrough, allowing nonverbal people with autism to express
themselves. It
relies on manual guidance by a facilitator. Its proponents' resistance
to
allowing the technique's validation relying on the paradigm of normal
science
has resulted in its broad dissemination without support. In the case of
sexual
abuse allegations thus far the "message passing" task has been used
to assess their verity. The present methodology is offered as a more
comprehensive alternative to "message passing," with relevance to
other populations of nonverbal individuals.
Koppenhaver, D.,
Pierce, P., & Yoder, D., 1995, AC, FC and the ABCs: Issues and
relationships, _American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology_, 4, 4,
5-15
"The authors
suggest that knowledge from the fields of AAC and literacy be
integrated into
the research and practice of facilitated communication. This article
includes
an account of the experiences of one of the authors in a summer program
for
children with autism. Without the use of FC, the author was able to
discover
literacy skills in all individuals far in excess of what would be
expected on
the basis of their formal evaluation and school performance."
Krumm, J., 1993,
Facilitated Communication - A Familyís Story, New Hampshire
Challenge,
5, 4, 1-7
Case study of work with son
with Down syndrome.
FC
has been both a solution and a new challenge. It has allowed us to peek
into
the mind of a little boy and discover anew someone we thought we knew
very
well. By doing so, it calls us to reexamine all our old assumptions...
Krumm, J., 1993,
Facilitated Communication - A Familyís Story, Down Syndrome News,
17, 2,
22-23
Reprint
of article from New Hampshire Challenge
Kuchich, B., Stewart,
S., Davidson, G., McKay, C., & Rowat, E., 1992, Facilitated
Communication;
Some thoughts from the field, Communication Exchange, 2, 11-12
Lavin, J., 1993,
Breakthrough; The Brilliant Boy Inside,
Leung, B., & Clark,
C., 1995, Reader Response; "I'm Terrified!": One Parent's Perspective
on Facilitated Communication, JASH, 20, 2, 161-163
A parent's comments about
learning that her son was using FCT.
I
was overwhelmed... I was terrified! I also remembered experiencing all
the
'original' anguish, guilt and shame about having a child with
disabilities.
...strong negative reaction.... Basically, FC made me feel very
uncertain about
my basis for all my past as well as future decisions for Dusty.
Levine, K., Shane, H.,
& Wharton, R., 1994, What if...: a plea to professionals to
consider the
risk-benefit ratio of facilitated communication, Mental Retardation,
32,
4, 300-304
Argues that FC is too risky
to be employed except in the unlikely event of its being proven by
further
validation studies.
Professionals
now spending time and energy promoting FC should be encouraged to
redirect
their energy to validation studies and if these studies continue to
yield lack
of validity shouls shift the focus of this well-intentioned energy to
continued
exploration and development of independent augmentative communication
strategies...(304)
Levine, K., Shane, H.,
& Wharton, R., 1994, Response to Commentaries, Mental
Retardation,
32, 4, 317-318
Response to commentaries.
Levine, K., &
Wharton, R., 1995, Facilitated Communication; What Parents Should Know,
Exceptional
Parent, 25, 5, 40-51
Warns parents against use
of FC. In boxes, testimony of parents in favour, a parent who has been
involved
in an abuse case, and a staff member who did use FC but has since
decided she
was mistaken. Some errors; states, for example, that 'no articles
opublished in
peer-reviewed journals have offered support for FC.'
Lowry. M., 1994,
Behavioural Psychology Update - The Need to Validate Facilitated
Communication,
The Habilitative Mental Healthcare Newsletter, 30-33
A protocol for validation
of FC communications; less structured, and therefore less
objectionable, than
most, but still based on a considerable depth of ignorance.
Makarushka, M., 1991,
The Words They Canít Say, New York Times Magazine,
An early account of the
introduction of FCT to
Marafino,
K., 1993, Getting to Know Our Son, Down Syndrome News, 17, 2, 24
Case study of work with son
with Down syndrome.
Rick
began to type NOW IS THE TIME FOR... I was certain that I knew what he
intended
to say, and, given the lateness of the hour, I was relieved that the
last word
was going to be BED. Much to my surprise, Rick completed his message by
stating
NOW IS THE TIME FOR JUSTICE.
Marks, G., 1994,
"Armed Now with Hope...": the construction of the subjectivity of
students within integration, Disability & Society, 9,
1,71-84
Examines the way in which
labelling affects the meaning of integration policy. Focuses on the
views of
one communication-impaired student using FC.
I
really get sad knowing that there are kids who have intelligence like
weary olf
me. Tasks are made often awfully hard with Apraxia and they are worse
when
people say I cannot do the,. What I always ask is that we look more at
people
and less at the worse aspects of their disability.
Marsh, A., 1992,
"Herb, Hillery, I have so many things to tell you, Syracuse
University
Magazine, March
Case study of boy with
autism.
McDonald, A., 1993 , Don't
Put the Cart Before the Horse, Communication Outlook, Summer
1993, 10
Ms McDonald is the
co-author of Annie's Coming Out (see Monographs) and this
article gives
an account of her experiences with psychologist's mistaken assessments
of her
intelligence. Makes a strong plea for communication rights.
Without
legally enforceable rights, people without speech will be at the mercy
of
decision makers who can arbitrarily decide to disallow communication.
McDonald, A., 1993, Iíve
Only Got One Life and I Donít Want to Spend It All Proving I Exist, Communicating
Together, 11, 4, 21-22
Response to Shane, 1993,
Facilitated or ëFactitiousí Communication (see below, Articles). A FC user presents details of the
communication validation exercises that she has successfully completed.
These
words do not exist. I do not exist. Howard Shane has said that FC is
factitious, that no-one using FC has ever validated their
communication, and
consequently that the personalities presented to the world through FC
do not
exist. Howard Shane must be right; he is an AAC professional...
McDonald, S., &
Bien, A., 1992, Now I can tell mom I love her, Woman's World, June 14,
51
McDonald,
T., 1993, Communication; More Than Just Words, Network, 3, 1, 37
McLaughlin, E.N &
Minnes, P.M. (1996). Attitudes towards persons with autism: Lessons
from
facilitated communication. International Journal of Psychology,
31, 60.
McLean, J., 1992,
Facilitated Communication; Some Thoughts on Biklen and Calculatorís
Interaction, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1,
2, 25
Comments on articles by
Calculator (1992) and Biklen (1992) in American Journal of
Speech-Language
Pathology.
McNaughton, S., &
Lindsay, P., 1992, Facilitated Communication; A good way to travel, a
runaway
train, or both? Communicating Together, 10, 4, 2
Notes that FCT should be
used as a technique within a wider AAC strategy and calls for caution.
McNaughton, S., &
Lindsay, P., 1993, Editorial Communicating Together, 11, 4, 2
Calls again for caution.
McPhail, P., 1992, Facilitating
Technology with FC, Communicating Together, 10, 4, 17
Describes the use of FCT in
computer-aided learning.
Maurer, N, 1995,
Facilitated Communication: Can Children with Autism Have a Voice in
Court?
A legal study of FCT cases
and legal principles.
Given
the particular vulnerability of children with autism... the risks of
ignoring
FC allegations are simply too great.
Minnes, P., 1992,
Facilitated Communication; an overview and directions for research, Journal
on Developmental Disabilities, 21, 1, 57-67
Minnes, P., 1993,
Facilitating Communication about facilitated communication, Journal
of
Autism & Developmental Disorders, 24, 2, 416-419
Letter suggesting that the
factual and rational approach taken by skeptical professionals has
caused
estrangement with parents using FCT.
A
first step could be for individuals on both sides to consider and
explore
together the beneficial effects of the process of interaction involved
in
facilitated communication regardless of the messages being communicated.
Montee, B.,
Miltenberger, R., & Wittrock, D., 1995, An Experimental Analysis of
Facilitated Communication, Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis,
28, 189-200
An experimental study of
seven adults diagnosed as mentally retarded. Detected facilitator
influence.
...the
clients typed the correct answer only when the facilitator had access
to the
same information, never typed the correct answer when the facilitator
had no
information or false information, and typed the picture or activity
presented
to the facilitator when it was different from the one experienced by
the
client.
Moore, S, Donovan, B.,
Hudson, A., Dykstra, J., & Lawrence, J., 1993, Brief report;
Evaluation of
eight case studies of facilitated communication, Journal of Autism
&
Developmental Disorders, 23, 3, 541-552
Validation testing
organized by
Moore, S, Donovan, B.,
Hudson, A., 1993, Brief report; Facilitator-Suggested Conversational
Evaluation
of Facilitated Communication, Journal of Autism & Developmental
Disorders, 23, 3, 531-539
The Moore et al experiment
(above) was followed by a follow-up experiment using message-passing
tests.
This may have been a feasible test procedure if it had occurred first;
coming
after the previous experiment stress was intolerable. Some ethical
questions
arise as to the continuing testing of a user who had asked that the
test be
stopped.
Morton, M, 1992, Not
being able to speak doesnít mean I canít tell; Facilitated
Communication and
Disclosures of Abuse, JNRCCSA News, 1, 4, 6 & 12
A discussion of allegations
of abuse made through FCT.
Morton, M, 1993, Not
being able to speak doesnít mean I canít tell; Facilitated
Communication and
Disclosures of Abuse, ABA Juvenile & Child Welfare Reporter,
12,
42-44
A discussion of allegations
of abuse made through FCT.
Mostert MP ,
Facilitated communication since 1995: a review of published studies. J Autism Dev Disord 2001
Jun;31(3):287-313
Previous
reviews of Facilitated Communication (FC) studies have clearly
established that
proponents' claims are largely unsubstantiated and that using FC as an intervention for
communicatively impaired or noncommunicative individuals is not
recommended.
However, while FC is less prominent than in the recent past,
investigations of
the technique's efficacy continue. This review examines published FC
studies
since the previous major reviews by Jacobson, Mulick, and Schwartz
(1995) and
Simpson and Myles (1995a). Findings support the conclusions of previous
reviews. Furthermore, this review critiques and discounts the claims of
two
studies purporting to offer empirical evidence of FC efficacy using
control
procedures. .
Mulick, J., Jacobson,
J., &
A complaint that
psychologists are not being supported by other professions in their
attacks on
FC
There
has been no adequate controlled veridical support for any of the
crucial claims
made by FC proponents. We are aware of no demonstration that complex
and
meaningful linguistic performance, independent of possible facilitator
influence, has been obtained from people who had been diagnosed
severely or
profoundly mentally retarded using valid methods by qualified
diagnosticians.
... Very little criticism has been voiced within developmental
disability
services... Many seem to view FC as the greatest breakthrough of all
time...
there has not been an aggressive and visible reaction by professional
and
scientific societies in medicine... and neuroscience...
Suggests that reports of
parents favouring FCT are explicable through their being 'in denial'.
This
explanation seems rather too convenient for the people whose diagnoses
are
being questioned.
Myers, J., 1994, The
Tendency of the Legal System to Distort Scientific and Clinical
Innovations -
Facilitated Communication as a case study, Child Abuse & Neglect,
18, 6, 505-513
Children require
protection, and every effort should be made to resolve questions about
the
reliability of facilitated communication. Until those questions are
answered,
however, FC should remain in the classroom, not the courtroom.
Myles, B., Quinn, C.,
& Simpson, R., 1994, Student Demonstration of skill acquisition
through
facilitated communication, Focus on Autistic Behaviour, 9, p.7
Discusses the use of FCT as
an instructional technique with students with autism.
Research
results suggest that facilitated communication may have potential for
developing fundamental academic skills in students with severe
disabilities.
Nagy, C., 1993,
Einige Gedanken zum Streit um die ìGestutzte Kommunikationî (FC), Autismus,
35, 13-16
Nagy, C., 1994,
Facilitated Communication ñ sind die Sorgen berechtigt?, Autismus,
37,
9-10
Nagy, C., 1996,
ZuProf. Kehrerís Artikel ìKritische Gedanken zur FCî, Autismus,
42,
41-45
Nagy, C., 1996,
Gestutzte Kommunikation; Konzept und Erfahrungen, Geistige
Behinderung,2,
160-170
Niemi, J.,& K”rn”-Lin, E., 2002, Grammar and lexicon in
Facilitated Communication: A linguistic authorship analysis of a
Finnish case.
Mental Retardation 40: 347-357.
Niemi, J.,& K”rn”-Lin, E., 2003, Four Vantage Points to
the
Language Performance and Capacity of Human Beings: Response to
Saloviita and
Sariola. Mental Retardation, 41, 5, 380ñ385.
Ogletree,
B., Hamtil, A., Solberg, L., & Scoby-Schmelzle, S., 1993,
Facilitated
Communication; illustration of a naturalistic validation method, Focus
on
Autistic Behaviour, 8, 1-10
Olney, M., 1995,
A qualitative study
examining the nature of the communication through facilitation between
the
author and a person with autism who had some disordered speech.
I
discovered that typing with facilitation gave Marc the ability to
express
complex ideas and emotions, something he was unable to do with his
spoken and
nonverbal communication skills.
Oswald, G.P., 1994,
Facilitator influence in facilitated communication,
Journal of behavioural education, 4, 2, 191-200
Perry, A., Bryhson, S.,
& Bebko, J., 1998, Brief report: Degree of
facilitator influence in facilitated communication as a function of
facilitator
characteristics, attitudes, and beliefs. Journal of Autism and
Developmental
Disorders, 28, 1, 87-90
Pierce, C., &
Tweedie, G., 1992, Facilitated Communication and Preschoolers; Our
experience, Communicating
Together, 10, 4, 13
An account of the use of
FCT in a preschool.
Prior, R., &
Cummins, M., 1992, Questions About Facilitated Communication and
Autism, Journal
of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 22, 3, 331
Critique of Australian use
of FCT. Overlaps with Cummins & Prior (1992). Misstates fact,
attributes to
FCT proponents views they do not hold, and fails to consider any data
inconsistent with the author's preconceptions.
Prior, R., &
Cummins, M., 1992, Questions About Facilitated Communication and
Autism, Communication
(
Reprint
of Prior, R., & Cummins, M.., 1992, above
Regal, R., Rooney, J.,
& Wandas, T., 1994, Facilitated Communication; an experimental
evaluation, Journal
of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 3, 345-355
Experimental study of 19
subjects assessed as developmentally disabled. All subjects failed to
demonstrate communication.
Results
failed to validate facilitated communication for the group as a whole,
any
individual facilitator, or any of the subjects. ....extraordinary
caution
[should] be accorded any claims of communication that are the sole
product of
FC.
Reichel,
H., 1993, An interview with
An interview with Crossley
on practice points.
Remington-Gurney, J.,
1991, Facilitated Communication in
Remington-Gurney,
J., 1992, Katieís Story, Communicating Together, 10, 4, 16
Case study of one autistic
girl's use of FCT.
Immediately
Katie's negative behaviours diminished and only reappeared once or
twice in
really difficult situations ó personal or otherwise.
Remington-Gurney, J.,
Facilitated Communication - the
Account of FCT project in
It
is unfortunate that some FC users who have successfully completed
validation
tasks in naturalistic and semiformal settings are viewed with
considerable
scepticism in their residential and educational settings and are denied
access
to facilitated communication. Cultural attitudes qand media portrayal
of
negative aspects of FC undoubtably contribute to such outcomes.
Richer, J., 1994,
Facilitated Communication - A Response by Child Protection, Child
Abuse
& Neglect, 18, 6, 531-537
Rosenbloom, L., 1997, A
Neurological Commentary, European Journal of Disorders in
Communication,
32, 1, 81-83
Commentary on Crossley,
1997.
Suggests that while case study subject used to have neurological
problems these
must have been resolved prior to her using FC, which then provided a
psychological prompt. See also Crossley,
1997 (2)
in response.
Sabin, L., &
Donellan, A., 1993, An Ethnographic Study of the Process of Facilitated
Communication, Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe
Handicaps,
18, 3, 200-211
Description of the use of
qualitative research methods to investigate FCT as used with two
students in a
mainstream school.
The
need at this point in time is for continued effort in understanding
what the
process of facilitated communication involves and the mechanisms that
explain
its success.
Sacks, O., 1994, A
Neurologistís Notebook - An Anthropologist on Mars, New Yorker,
LXIX,
44,
Brief (and inaccurate)
mention of FCT in an article on autism.
Facilitated
communication... is based on the notion that if the hand or arm of a
nonverbal
autistic child is supported by a ëfacilitator,í the child may then be
able to
communicate by typing, or using an electronic communication or letter
board.
This technique was originally used, with considerable success, in
children with
cerebral palsy, in whom motor difficulties may make it impossible to
speak. But
autism is not simply a motor problem, like cerebral palsy; it is
infinitely
more complex. And yet the most extravagant claims have been made for
the powers
of FC in autistic people, too (that previously nonlinguistic children,
for
instance, have written entire autobiographies) and its proponents range
from
enthusiastic to evangelical. But rigorous testing suggests that, while
F.C. can
be useful for children with cerebral palsy or juvenile Parkinsoniansim,
its use
with autistic children is far more dubious, and that in many cases the
facilitator unconsciously guides the childís hand. ... It is possible
that even
such methods such as F.C. may provide the child with a huge amount of
attention
and structure that may be helpful.
The passage was removed for
book publication.
Saloviita, T., and Sariola, H., 2003,
Authorship in
Facilitated Communication: A Re-Analysis of a Case of Assumed
Representative
Authentic Writing, Mental Retardation, 41, 5, 374ñ379.
Schneiderman, H , 1994,
Letter to the editor: _Personal experiences with facilitative
communication_, Journal
of Child Neurology, 9, (3).
A father/pediatrician
recounts his own experiences in being a facilitator for his son and the
conversations they have had together. Includes some fascinating uses of
archaic
expressions by the author's son.
Schopler, E., 1991 ,
Informal evaluation of Crosleyís [sic] facilitated communication, Journal
of
Autism and Developmental Disorders, 21, 563
Schopler (editor of JADD)
reacted to Biklen's 1990 article not by approaching either Biklen or
Crossley
(whose name is in fact misspelt throughout) but by asking the opinion
of an
Australian speech therapist working in an adjoining state to DEAL. The
therapist reported on the case of Anne McDonald (see Crossley &
McDonald,
1980, Monographs), saying incorrectly that there was no evidence of
Anne's
communication. .
Schopler, E., 1991,
Correction to previous evaluation of facilitated communication, Journal
of
Autism and Developmental Disorders, 22, 4, 451
Ms McDonald having
contacted the therapist to tell her of the evidence, the therapist
wrote to
retract her comments on Ms McDonald. The exchange demonstrates an
unprofessional
eagerness on Schopler's part to publish without prior checking
derogatory
material about a named person with disabilities.
Schopler, E., 1992,
Editorial Commentary, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,
22,
337
...it
appears that "Facilitated Communication" has the potential of
becoming a useful though not new technique for some people with
autism...If the
rhetoric and media hype promoting "Facilitated Communication"
continues, it may well succeed in setting autism services back 40 years.
Schopler, E., 1996, New
Editorial Policy, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,
26, 1,
1-6
Brief mention of FC.
A
good example of an unsubstantiated ideology is the recent Facilitated
Communication (FC) phenomenon...
Schopler, E., 1996, Editorial
Preface, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 26, 1,
7-8
Discussion of 3 FC studies
published in the same issue.
Schubert A, 1997,
"I want to talk like everyone": on the use of multiple means of
communication, Mental Retardation 1997 Oct; 35(5):347-354
[Abstract]
This qualitative case study is a description of a young man with autism
who
communicated using speech, sign language, facilitated communication,
body
language, and his mother's conversational supports. Participant
observation, interviews,
and review of records were used to explore his current and past
communication
practices. These practices illustrate his preference for speaking and
the
complexity of choosing among communication means on an ongoing basis.
Although
the young man and his mother differed in their thinking about
communication,
they revealed a common goal: for Michael to participate in ordinary
life
activities as a member with a voice.
Scrivener, T., 1993,
Communication - a human rights issue, Community Living, January
1993,
18-20
Account of English work
with FCT.
....facilitated
communication is here and I believe it is a human rights issue. People
have the
right to communicate and say what they want.
Scrivener, T., 1993,
Facilitated Communication - Somebody inside with something to say, Community
Living, April 1993, 10
Short follow-up to previous
Scrivener article.
Imagine
how frustrating it must be for non-verbal people in adult literacy
classes
being taught how to write their name for years on end, and hiow to
count to
ten, when in fact their linguistic abilities could easily match the
tutor's.
Shane, H., 1993,
Facilitated Communication; Look before you leap, The Clinical
Connection,
7, 2,1-5
Shane, H., 1993 , The
Unpopular Position on Facilitated Communication, Down Syndrome News,
May, 47
What proponents of FC would
describe as a miracle, a breakthrough, and a triumph, I do not
characterize as
legitimate communication at all.
Shane, H., 1993, The
dark side of facilitated communication, Topics in Language Disorders,
13, 4, ix-xv
Attack on FCT as a
misallocation of resources and misdirection of individual programs.
Cites a
number of cases of misuse of FC, including one involving communication
with
god. Cites a number of unsuccessful legal cases mounted on the basis of
FCT
(and has in this area been overtaken by events).
Shane, H., 1993,
Facilitated or ëFactitiousí Communication, Communicating Together,
11,
2, 11-13
Criticism of FCT from an
AAC perspective.
Not one alleged competent
user of the technique has come forward to prove the technique is
genuine.
Shane, H., 1993, A
Response to Anne McDonald, Communicating Together, 11, 4, 22
An evasive answer to McDonald,
1993, Iíve Only Got One Life and I Donít Want to Spend It All Proving I
Exist, Communicating
Together.
In
light of my conclusions in the paper FC; Facilitated or
ëFactitiousí
Communication, it
would be illogical to direct a response to Anne McDonald.
Shane, H., & Kearns,
K., 1994, An examination of the role of the facilitator in 'facilitated
communication', American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology,
September, 48-54
Report of validation study
with one subject. The subject was unable to validate communication
through
facilitation.
...many
persons with no actual coursework or practicum experience in
communication
disorders are taking responsibility for communication instruction. This
practice sets an unacceptable standard for ASHA...
Sheehan, C., &
Matuozzi, R., 1996, Investigation of the validity of facilitated
communication
through the disclosure of unknown information, Mental Retardation,
34,
2, 94-107
Study of three subjects
undertaking message-passing validation. All three validated through
providing
information unknown to facilitators.
Out
of 720 communicative interactions, participants disclosed 77 incidents
of
unknown information. ... all were able to demonstrate genuinely
independent
communication through disclosure of specific information previously
unknown to
a facilitator, although much inconsistency was noted. Results suggest
that a
phenomenon as complex as facilitated communication eludes a cursory
explanation.
Schneiderman, H.,
1994, Letter to the Editor: Personal experiences with facilitative
communication, Journal of Child Neurology, 9, 3
A father/pediatrician
recounts his own experiences of being a facilitator for his son and the
conversations they have had together. Includes some fascinating uses of
archaic
expressions by the author's son.
Siegel, B., 1995, Brief
Report: Assessing Allegations of Sexual Molestation Made Through
Facilitated
Communication, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,
25, 5,
319-326
Experimental validation
study of two cases where people with severe communication impairment
were said
to have alleged abuse using FC. Concludes no valid communication.
The
claim that virtually all autistic and mentally retarded children who
are
exposed to FC can learn to communicate at levels above the level of
their prior
adaptive functioning spuriously implies that the concept of mental
retardation
as it is presently understood does not actually exist.
Sienkiewiecz-Mercer, R.,
1993, In Defence of Howard Shane, Communicating Together, 11,
4, 22
Ms Sienkiewiecz-Mercer is a
person with communication handicap. In response to McDonald, A.,
1993, Iíve
Only Got One Life and I Donít Want to Spend It all Proving I Exist, Communicating
Together,
reprints section from Ms Sienkiewiecz-Mercerís book I Raise My Eyes
To Say
Yes dealing with
help she got from Howard Shane (then regarded as a ëprogressiveí).
Silberfield, M., Corber,
W., Madigan, K., & Checkland, D., in press, Assessment of Financial
Competence in an Adult with
Case study of an FC user
with autism being assessed for competence to manage a financial
inheritance.
The person was found financially competent.
Silliman, E., 1992,
Three perspectives of facilitated communication; Unexpected literacy,
Clever
Hans, or enigma? Topics in Language Disorders, 12, 4, 60
Neutral discussion of the
possible explanations for early FC reports. Calls for more research.
Silliman, E., 1995,
Issues raised by Facilitated Communication for Theorizing and Research
on
Autism; Comments on Duchan's (1993) Tutorial, Journal of Speech and
Hearing
Research, 38, 1, 202-206
Analyses and cautions about
controlled experiment methodologies.
Two
erroneous assumptions seem to be operating in task selection [in
Wheeler et al,
1993]. The first is that naming a series of pictures is a simple
activity,
when, in fact, it is not. ... The second questionable assumption
concerns
defintiton of the social context of the activity.
Silliman, E., 1996,
Facilitated Communication Redux - Commentary on Wheeler, Jacobson,
Schwartz,
and Paglieri (1996), Journal of Speech and Hearing Research,
39, 1,
219-221
Commentary on Wheeler et al
(1996).
Simon, E., Toll, D.,
& Whitehair, P., 1994, A naturalistic approach to the validation of
facilitated communication, Journal of Autism and Developmental
Disorders,
24, 5, 647-657
Small partially successful
experimental validation. Stresses negatives, but recognises positives.
All
7 students were purported at the start of the study to be communicating
via
facilitation at levels far above what was previously thought possible
given
their level of intellectual ability. A large degree of facilitator
guiding was
revealed for each of the 4 facilitators. Minimal evidence of
facilitation was
found for 4 of the 7 students. One of the 7 students demonstrated
validated
facilitated communication on two trials.
Simon, E., Toll, D.,
& Whitehair, P., 1995, Keeping Faciliated Communication in
Perspective, Mental
Retardation, 338-339
Suggests oversight
procedure for FC. Qualifies findings in Simon, Toll and Whitehair
(1994) by
suggesting that previous success was due to 'olefactory cues'.
Simon, E., Whitehair,
P., & Toll, D., 1996, A Case Study: Follow-Up Assessment of
Facilitated
Communication, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,
26, 1,
9-18
Follow-up study of student
who validated communication in Simon, Toll, & Whitehair, 1994.
Found no
further validated FC. For no good reason the authors regard this as
disproving
the previous study.
It
is imperative that repeated validation of any communicative mode be
performed
routinely.
Simpson, R., &
Myles, B., 1995, Facilitated communication and children with
disabilities; an
enigma in search of a perspective, Focus on Exceptional Children,
27, 1
Extensive discussion of
qualitative/quantitative arguments around FCT.
We
are convinced that facilitated communication is not a miraculous
phenomenon or
a cure for disabilities. Nonetheless, it may be a potentially useful
communication tool for some individuals with disabilities.
Simpson, R., &
Myles, B., 1995, Effectiveness of Facilitated Communication with
Children and
Youth with Autism, Journal of Special Education, 28, 4, 242-239
Study of 18 young people
with autism:
Nine
of the students revealed literacy and communication potential...
However, five
of these nine students were known to posess these abilities prior to
the study.
Date revealed that students appeared to acquire skills over time.
Sj–holm, B., &
Sj–holm, M., 1994, Facilitated communication & treatment abuse, Journal
of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 4, 549
Hostile letter from
The
FC scandal threatens to undermine the credibility of the entire autism
field.
Smith, M. & Belcher,
R., 1993, Brief Report; Facilitated Communication with Adults with
Autism, Journal
of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 23, 1, 175
An account of a completely
fatuous attempt to use FCT with 8 subjects using a training technique
specifically condemned by all proponents of the method.
Trainers
of facilitated communication recommend an error prevention procedure of
'helping the student not to make mistakes. by pulling the student's
hand back
from a clearly wrong selection.' Since facilitators in this study could
not
distinguish between errors and random responding, subjects were not
prevented
from striking keys to which they pointed.
None of the subjects
produced typed output at a level above their verbal output; the authors
conclude that this demonstrates the unreliability of the method rather
than the
often stressed importance of the creation of client confidence through
error
prevention.
Smith, M. &
Belcher, R., 1994, Facilitated communication and autism; separating
fact from
fiction, Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 4, 66-74
Smith, M, Haas, P.,
& Belcher, R., 1994, Facilitated Communication - The effects of
facilitator
knowledge and level of assistance on output, Journal of Autism and
Developmental Disorders, 24, 3, 357-367
qq
Spake, A., 1992, It Is
Like Wishing I Could Be Normal, Washington Post Magazine, 31
May, 16-22,
26-28
Account of use of FCT in
Spake,
A., 1992, Breaking the silence, Teacher Magazine, 3, 9, 14-21
Spelman, J., 1992,
Facilitated Communication; the other side of the coin, The
Newsletter of
Western Center for Microcomputers in Special Education, Inc.
Spitz, H., 1996, Comment
on Donellan's Review of Shane's (1994) "Facilitated Communication;
The
Clinical and Social Phenomenon, AMJR, 101, 1, 96-100
Objects to Donellan having
been selected as reviewer; criticises Donellan's work, criticises
Donellan's
review.
Starr, E., 1994,
Facilitated Communication - A Response by Child Protection, Child
Abuse
& Neglect, 18, 6, 515-527
A partial review of the
experimental studies. Had access to JADD; cites IDRP, but refers to 3
tests
only and so must be relying on Cummins & Prior.
...Why
is it that the abuse alleged through FC always seems to be sexual in
nature?
The
mounting evidence against FC is convincing... On the other hand, it is
critical
that FC is not dismissed out of hand as a possible augmentative
communication
system for some nonverbal clients. It is equally critical, however,
that
enthusiasm for the method be tempered with professional judgement,
knowledge of
the literature, and verification that true communication is in fact
taking
place...
Sturmey, P., 2003, Typing in Tongues:
Interesting
Observations on Facilitated Communication Do Not Establish Authorship,
Mental
Retardation, 41, 5, 386ñ387.
Sundberg, M., 1993,
Selecting a response form for nonverbal persons; facilitated
communication,
pointing system, or sign language?
The analysis of behaviour, 11, 99-116
Szempruch, J., &
Jacobson, J., 1993, Evaluating Facilitated Communications of People
with
Developmental Disabilities, Research in Developmental Disabilities,
14,
253-264
Sometimes known as
Taylor, S., 1994,
Editor's introduction to the exchange of opinion on the risks and
benefits of
facilitated communication, Mental Retardation, 32, 4, 299-300
Introduction to series of
articles in MR.
Thios, S., 1993,
Facilitated Communication Update; the paradox continues, Psychology
in
Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, 19, 9-10
Thompson, T., 1993, A
reign of error; Facilitated communication, JFK Center Newsletter, Nashville
Throughout
the
Thompson, T., 1994,
Communication Unbound - Book Review, American Journal on Mental
Retardation,
98, 5, 670-673
Review
of Biklen, D., Communication Unbound
This
book is a political tract, not a scholarly research monograph.
Tetzchner, S. von, 1992,
Facilitation and Facilitators, Communicating Together, 10, 4, 8
An examination of FCT from
a purely theoretical standpoint.
If
a number of cases of facilitated communication turn out to be automatic
writing
by facilitators, which seems to be a plausible hypothesis... analyses
of the
thoughts they attribute to the disabled individuals ... may be a way to
gain
new insight into the people who work with severely disabled people.
Tetzchner, S. von, 1996,
Facilitated, automatic and false
communication; current issues in the use of facilitating techniques, European
Journal of Special Needs Education, 11, 151-166
Tetzchner, S. von, 1997,
Historical issues in intervention research; hidden knowledge and
facilitating
techniques in Denmark, , European Journal of disorders of
communication,
2, 1-18
Historical account of early
facilitation techniques in Scananavia, taken as interesting examples of
distorted
thinking by care workers. Interesting historical material covering the
work of
pioneering work of Else Hansen. Von Tetzchner overlooks the
possibility
that the discovery of 'facilitating techniques' may have occurred
indeendently
a number of times because it in fact offers efficacious communication.
The
context for interpreting the results of 'facilitating techniques' as
facilitated communication when it is in fact automatic writing does not
spread
easily.
V·zquez, C., 1993,
Facilitated Communication; A multi-task controlled evaluation, Journal
of
Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 3, 369-379
An important validation
study involving two individuals with autism. Demonstrates extreme
variability
of responses to testing, each subject validating communication in only
one out
of four testing sessions.
Using
a variety of tasks, this study provides evidence for genuinely
independent
communication from these particular subjects, as well as strong
evidence for
direct cueing between subject and facilitator.
V·zquez, C., 1995,
Failure to Confirm the Word-Retreival Problem Hypothesis in Facilitated
Communication, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,
25, 6,
597-610
Experimental study with 3
autistic children.
...the
failure to validate these subjectsí literacy is assumed to be the
result of
generalized deficits in language and cognition... rather than
perceptual
problems or narriowly defined difficulties in specific word retrieval.
Vicker, B., 1993,
Facilitated Communication Techniques; Can AAC Professionals Delay a
Pro-FCT or
Con-FCT Stance?, Communicating Together, 11,4, 15-16
An AAC professional points
out some of the complicating factors in investigations of the validity
of FC
communication.
I
do not have an emotional investment in FCT... My motive, instead, is to
share
some information about autism and to suggest that as AAC professionals
we need
to ask additional questions and to explore certain areas before we make
pro-con
decisions about FCT.
Vink,
R., 1993, Gesprekken voeren met behulp van de computer, Klik,
5, 15
Verslag wordt gedaan van
'facilitated communication' wat in de V.s. wordt toegepast. Dit is een
methode
voor mensen die niet in staat zijn normaal te communiceren.
Von
Tetzchner, S.:See Tetzchner, S. von
Waller, Annalu, 1992,
Some ideas on facilitated communication, Communicating Together,
10, 4,
18
A report of Doug Biklen and
I
see FC as just another technique which will allow some individuals to
communicate their true selves. As with any technique, the observations
made
cannot be generalized to all speech and language impaired people.
Instead, it
should be seen as just another tool.
Weiss, M., Wagner, S.,
& Bauman, M., 1996, A Validated Case Study of Facilitated
Communication, Mental
Retardation, 34, 4, 220-230
Study of boy with autism.
Demonstrated valid communication through FC.
This
case study adds to the small but growing number of demonstrations that
FC can
sometimes be a valid method for at least some individuals with
developmental
disabilities.
Wegner DM, Fuller VA,
Sparrow B., 2003, Clever hands: uncontrolled intelligence
in facilitated communication, J
Pers Soc Psychol. 85(1):5-19.
Wepil, E., 1993,
Kritische Ausinandersetzung mit der Methoee der sogenannten gestutzten
Kommunikation, Autismus, 36, 23-25
Whelan, M., 1992,
Autism; Breaking Through?, Childrenís Mental Health , 5, 2, 1
Discussion of implications
of FCT for work in the area of autism.
Wheeler, D., Jacobson,
J., Paglieri, R., and Schwartz, A., 1993, An Experimental Assessment of
Facilitated Communication, Mental Retardation, 31, 1, 49-60
Also known as O. D. Heck
study. Account of validation testing carried out with 12 people using
FCT. FC
users identified pictures only when the facilitator could see the same
picture;
conclusion drawn that communication was coming from facilitators. One
of the
major experimental supports of the 'facilitator influence' school. See
also
analysis by Crossley in Crossley, R., 1993, Flying High on Paper Wings
Wheeler, D., Jacobson,
J., Schwartz, A., & Paglieri, R., 1996, Issues in Facilitated
Communication
- A response to Silliman (1995), Journal of Speech and Hearing
Research,
39, 1, 217-219
A response to Silliman
(1995). Contains futher details about experimental method used in
Wheeler et al
(1993).
Whitehurst, G., &
Crone, D., 1994, Social Constructivism, Positivism, and Facilitated
Communication, JASH, 19, 3, 191-195
Commentary on JASH articles
by Biklen & Duchan, 1994, & Green & Shane, 1994.
..people
who call what they are doing science but who do not comport themselves
in a
manner that conforms with that system of belief and practice should
expect to
be treated as any infidel in the temple.
Whitmarsh, A., 1996,
Facilitated Communication: The Need for Careful Assessment, Communication
Outlook, 17, 2, 5-10
Discussion of evaluation
procedures. Response to Bligh, Kupperman & Klco, 1994
We do need to be both
open-minded and especially careful when evaluating FC.
Williams,
D., 1994, In the Real World, JASH, 19, 3, 196-199
Commentary on JASH articles
by Biklen & Duchan, 1994, & Green & Shane, 1994. One of the
remarkably few comments by people with autism on the procedure. A
powerful and
perceptive analysis of communication in autism and the possible
difficulties in
testing for it.
It
is true that FC may forge new pathways where there had been a shadow or
permanent forfeit. It is true that FC may build awareness through
visual
feedback of what is expressed automatically or quicken the shifts in
self-other
awareness necessary for a semblance of social or communicative
interaction. It
is true that FC may help improve word-finding difficulties and other
functional
weaknesses in various other systems.
Williams,
D, 1995, Freedom of Expression, Communication, Summer, 10
Discussion of different
communication pathways in autism.
I
don't know that I can say that I support FC but I can say that I
support typing
and that I support cuing and prompting where it assists straying minds.
Woods, E., 1992, "i
not handicapped in my brainí, Clinical Management, 12, 3, 28-37
An account of FCT from the
physical therapy perspective (Clinical Management is the
magazine of the
American Physical Therapy Association).
Woods, E., 1992,
Michael's Road to Communication, Clinical Management, 12, 3,
38-42
Case study of FCT use with
a child with developmental delay.
Yoder, P., 1995,
Validity of Facilitated Communication Intervention; Response to Duchan,
Journal
of Speech and Hearing Research, 38, 1, 202-204
Response to Duchan, 1993.
Discusses qualitative and quantitative modes of evidence, favouring the
latter.
Zangari, C., Lloyd, L.,
& Vicker, B., 1994, Augmentative and Alternative Communication; An
Historic
Perspective, AAC Augmentative and Alternative Communication,
10, 27-59
Historical survey of AAC.
Covers FCT as a professional controversy of the 1990s, and gives a
number of
references. Cautious.
It
may take several years to determine the value of FC and whether FC will
play an
important role within the existing AAC armamentarium.
Zirk, P., 1995,
Facilitated communication of child abuse?, Phi Delta Kappan,
June, 76,
10, 815
(Abstract from Internet)
The case of Michael C., a 16-year-old autistic, is chronicled to
demonstrate
the conflicts inherent in the use of facilitated communication (FC) to
report
child abuse.
John
T. P. Callahan v. Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit No. 13, 22 IDELR
104
(E.D. Pa. 1994)..... Because the case was decided on a motion for
summary
judgment, the facts are presented here in the light most favorable to
the
plaintiff parents.
Braman,
Beverly Jean, 1995, Facilitated Communication: A Statewide Survey Of
The
Decision-Making Process And Criteria For Implementation,
Cesaroni,
Laura , 1996, Facilitated
Communication: An Exploration Of The Effect Of Child And Facilitator On
Communicative Interactions ,
Cvitkovic
L. E, 1997, A Study Of The
Usefulness Of Facilitated Communication With Autistic Individuals , Ma, University
Of
Duncan, J.
M., 1994, Adults with Autism and
Their Constructed Identities; A Qualitative Study (Facilitated
Communication),
Ph.D.,
Gravelle,
G. P., 1994, Facilitated
Communication and Autism; Prediction of Success and the Role of
Facilitator
Support, M.A.,
Kluth,
Paula Marie , 1998, The Impact Of
Facilitated Communication On The Educational Lives Of Students: Three
Case
Studies (Movement Differences), The
Kopnick,
N. M., 1995, Attitudes
Toward And Applications Of Facilitated Communication In Greater
Lehr,
Susan, 1994, Parents' Perspectives On
Living With A Child Who Uses Facilitated Communication,
Majure, L.
A., 1994, First Person Accounts
by Three Persons with Autism Using Facilitated Communication, Ph.D.,
Nicoll,, J. M., 1997, Using A
Single Subject Design To Assess The Validity Of Facilitated
Communication Under
Naturalistic Conditions (Literacy, Autism)
Olney,
M.F., 1995, A Controlled Evaluation
Of Facilitated Communication: Time And Task Sampling Approach To
Validation,
Phd ,
Ramsden,
J. A., 1994, Facilitated
Communication; Validity and Instruction, PhD,
Roberts,
Lynn Mary , 1996, Facilitated
Communication: Investigating Validity Using A Multiple Choice Game,
Robinson,
J. R., 1994, A Validation Test of
Facilitated Communication and a Comparison Test of Motivating
Conditions,
Ph.D.,
Sabin,
L.A., 1993, Facilitated Communication
in Family Life: One Family's Story (Autism, Quality of Life), Ph.D.,
Saha,
Shaswati Nina , 1996, How Educators
And Students Understand Inclusion, Facilitated Communication And Other
Related
Topics: An Observational Study ,
Schutzendorf,
R., 1995, Gestutze
Kommunikation bei ìGeistig Behindertenî, Universitat du Koln
Trapp,
Colleen Elizabeth , 1994, The
Experiences Of Parents And Professionals With The Technique Of
Facilitated
Communication, University Of
Twachtman,
D. D., 1994, The Role of the
Facilitator in Facilitated Communication; A Qualitative Study, Ph.D.,
Williams,
L. L. , 1993, The Influence of
Human Contact on the Output of Facilitated Communication (Autism), PhD,
Witte-Bakken,
Jan Karen, 1997, The Effects
Of Feedback On The Validity Of Facilitated Communication , The
University Of
See
also Dwyer,
Candelora,
& Zirk
Chase v. Chase (1993),
Findings of fact and conclusions of law, Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
Probate
and Family Court No. 91E0078, Attleboro District Court No. 9134 RO 639
Commonwealth v. Cappas,
1993, Memorandum and order, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Superior
Court no.s
92-2287-89, 92-2303-04
DSS ex. rel. Jenny S.
v. Mark S., 156 Misc 2d 393, 593 NYS 2d 142 (NY Fam. Ct. 1993)
A New York family court
held that a child with autism, who was an alleged victim of sexual
abuse, would
not be permitted to testify through facilitated communication because
the
technique is not generally accepted within the scientific community
(the Frye test)
The case is also abstracted
in Mental and Physical Disability Law Reporter, July-Aug 1993,
17, 4,
385
E.M.
v. Millville Board of Education, 849 F. Supp, 312 (D.N.J. 1994)
Special education
litigation; cited in Zirk's Phi Beta Kappan article, q.v. Does not
mention FC
by name, just as 'an alternative teaching methodology' whose use was
successfully negotiated by parents.
Hahn v.
Special education litigation
Special education litigation
In the Matter of Anne
Therese McDonald and In the Matter of the Public Trustee Act 1958,
Supreme
Court of Victoria,
In The Matter of Luz
P., 189 App. Div. 2d 274, 595 NYS 2d 541 (1993) Supreme Court of the State of New York,
Appellate Division
The
test for the court in these cases is a pragmatic one. Can the
interpreter, or
in this case the facilitator, effectively communicate with the witness
and
reliably convey the witness's answers to the court? A determiantion of
these
questions does not corequire expert testimony. To the contrary, the
proferred
facilitated communication lends itself to empirical rather than
scientific
proof.
In The Matter of M.
Z. , et al. 155 Misc. 2d. 564, 590 NYS 2d 390 (
John T. P. Callahan v.
Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit No. 13, 22 IDELR 104 (E.D. Pa.
1994).
Appeal of conviction for
sexual abuse with some evidence proffered by FC. Kansas Supreme Court
held that
Frye did not apply
to FC, which was a matter of fact for the determination of the jury. R.
v.
Health Commission of Victoria, ex parte Anne McDonald, Supreme
Court of
Victoria,
Laumaili
v S, 1994 NZFLR 413-422 (District Court, Judge Frater)
Held (making a declaration
that M was in need of care and protection) ... The validity of the
evidence
produced by facilitated communication was accepted, particularly having
regard
to the distinctive language used by M in her answers which was
consistent with
the language and style she used in her written work.
People
v. Webb, 157 Misc 2d. 474, 597 NYS 2d 565, (
Sackett
Video List
|
|
"Opening
the Door" - An Introduction to Facilitated Communication (1/2"
VHS, 30 minutes, 1992) This
broadcast quality videotape features three training modules: An
Introduction to the Technique and its Application: *Interviews
with *Peer
facilitators in the classroom *Parents
perspectives Facilitator
Tips *Information
and illustrations of how to get started Implications
and Validation *Two
children talking about what it is like to have autism *Parent and
professional perspectives on changes resulting from facilitated
communication. Distributed
by: Tel: (416) 322-7877; Fax: (416) 322- |
The
Electronic Telegraph
A father accused of
sexually abusing his autistic son, based on evidence gained from a
technique
likened to using a Ouija board, was cleared by a judge yesterday.
Dame Elizabeth
Butler-Sloss, President of the High Court Family Division, condemned
"facilitated communication" - a technique designed to allow children
with learning disabilities to spell out their thoughts on a keyboard -
as
"dangerous".
The 50-year-old businessman
from the south of England was accused of abusing his 17-year-old son,
who also
suffers epilepsy and has a mental age of less than two, after the
technique was
used by a worker at the special needs unit where he has lived since
1992.
It involves an adult
lightly supporting the hand of a child over a card with a keyboard and
the
words "yes" and "no" on it. The device, which led to
numerous sexual abuse court cases in
Dame Elizabeth said the
technique should not be used in courts to back up or dismiss claims of
abuse.
She said: "There is no evidence of child sexual abuse, no evidence that
the father or anyone else in the family is guilty of any abusing act.
Facilitated communication may be viewed with the greatest possible
caution
unless further evidence is provided.
"It would be wise that
the courts should pay the greatest possible attention to the advice of
the American
Psychological Association that information obtained by facilitated
communication should not be used to confirm allegations of abuse."