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Foster CA. Deej‐a Vu: Documentary revisits facilitated communication pseudoscience. BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/bin.1687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Craig A. Foster
- Department of Behavioral Sciences and LeadershipUnited States Air Force Academy Colorado Springs Colorado USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Green
- New England Center for Autism, E. K. Shriver Center for Mental Retardation, and Northeastern University
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Biklen D, Saha N, Kliewer C. How Teachers Confirm the Authorship of Facilitated Communication: A Portfolio Approach. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1177/154079699502000105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Facilitated communication has been characterized as an alternative to speech that involves providing physical and emotional support to individuals with severe communication impairments as they type or point to letters or pictures (Biklen, 1993). The method has been described as relevant for individuals who cannot speak, whose speech is extremely limited (e.g., echolalic, comprising a few words) and who cannot point independently and reliably (Biklen, Morton, Gold, Berrigan, & Swaminathan, 1992; Crossley 1992). Qualitative and controlled studies of the method demonstrate its usefulness for some individuals and that facilitators may influence the communication of some individuals. This qualitative study of seven speech and language teachers and classroom teachers working with 17 students, focused on how and on what basis the teachers determined for themselves that the words typed were authored by their students and not by them, the facilitators. The teachers provided and described evidence for 13 of the 17 students of message passing skills (i.e., typing information not known to their facilitators that could be verified as accurate). The teachers noted that 3 of these 13 and 4 of the total 17 achieved some independent typing beyond typing their names and the date. Sixteen of the 17 students were judged by their teachers to have confirmed their typing/communication ability by virtue of other features: unique physical characteristics in typing or pointing, personal themes, recurring phrases, and stylistic qualities. These features appeared in their individual work but not in others, even though several shared facilitators. These findings suggest the potential value of a communication portfolio approach to documenting individuals' abilities to communicate with facilitation.
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Picture Exchange Communication System and Facilitated Communication: Contrasting an Evidence-Based Practice with a Discredited Method. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1108/s0735-004x20160000029005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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Konstantareas MM, Gravelle G. Facilitated Communication. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2016. [DOI: 10.1177/1362361398024005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This study examined types of support in Facilitated Communication with 12 non-verbal individuals with autism. Literacy tasks of graduated difficulty that included letter identification, word comprehension, labelling and sentence completion were employed to address the possible presence of literacy under three conditions of support: physical, emotional and mental. Although full facilitator support resulted in high performance levels on all tasks, emotional and physical support alone yielded unintelligible or minimal output. Thus, contrary to proponents' claims as to the importance of physical and emotional support, facilitated output hinges crucially on facilitator-provided mental support. In this study this was true regardless of task difficulty and motor requirement complexity, arguing against the technique's relevance to overcoming motor or emotional problems and demonstrating literacy in individuals with autism.
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Schlosser RW, Balandin S, Hemsley B, Iacono T, Probst P, von Tetzchner S. Facilitated communication and authorship: a systematic review. Augment Altern Commun 2014; 30:359-68. [PMID: 25384895 DOI: 10.3109/07434618.2014.971490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Facilitated Communication (FC) is a technique whereby individuals with disabilities and communication impairments allegedly select letters by typing on a keyboard while receiving physical support, emotional encouragement, and other communication supports from facilitators. The validity of FC stands or falls on the question of who is authoring the typed messages--the individual with a disability or the facilitator. The International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) formed an Ad Hoc Committee on FC and charged this committee to synthesize the evidence base related to this question in order to develop a position statement. The purpose of this paper is to report this synthesis of the extant peer-reviewed literature on the question of authorship in FC. A multi-faceted search was conducted including electronic database searches, ancestry searches, and contacting selected authors. The authors considered synopses of systematic reviews, and systematic reviews, which were supplemented with individual studies not included in any prior reviews. Additionally, documents submitted by the membership were screened for inclusion. The evidence was classified into articles that provided (a) quantitative experimental data related to the authorship of messages, (b) quantitative descriptive data on the output generated through FC without testing of authorship, (c) qualitative descriptive data on the output generated via FC without testing of authorship, and (d) anecdotal reports in which writers shared their perspectives on FC. Only documents with quantitative experimental data were analyzed for authorship. Results indicated unequivocal evidence for facilitator control: messages generated through FC are authored by the facilitators rather than the individuals with disabilities. Hence, FC is a technique that has no validity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf W Schlosser
- Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, Northeastern University, & Otolaryngology and Communication Enhancement, Boston Children's Hospital , Boston, MA , USA
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von Tetzchner S. Understanding facilitated communication: Lessons from a former facilitator—Comments on Boynton, 2012. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1080/17489539.2012.699729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Calculator SN. Look Who's Pointing Now. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 1999; 30:408-414. [DOI: 10.1044/0161-1461.3004.408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/1998] [Accepted: 06/30/1999] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
This article focuses on three factors related to the use of facilitated communication (FC), all of which constitute possible reasons for caution by speech-language pathologists who are considering this technique for individuals with severe communication impairments. First, problems with the theoretical bases of FC are discussed, especially those attributing the success of this method to its ability to target individuals' underlying difficulties with apraxia, word finding, and social-emotional challenges. A case is made that there is insufficient evidence to support claims that FC overrides such problems. The notion of the method unlocking communication and related skills from otherwise competent individuals is also questioned. Next, the subject of candidacy is discussed. Special attention is called to the absence of criteria for initiating, maintaining, modifying, and terminating this approach. Finally, outcomes of the method are summarized. Discrepancies between qualitative and experimental investigations are summarized, along with some possible explanations for these differences. Suggested parameters for evaluating individuals' uses of FC are discussed, along with the continuing need for speech-language pathologists to make informed decisions concerning the role FC will play in their interventions with individuals who exhibit severe communication impairments.
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Yuille JC, Marxsen D, Cooper B. Training investigative interviewers: adherence to the spirit, as well as the letter. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LAW AND PSYCHIATRY 1999; 22:323-336. [PMID: 10457927 DOI: 10.1016/s0160-2527(99)00012-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- J C Yuille
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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Wheeler DL, Jacobson JW, Schwartz AA, Paglieri RA. Issues in facilitated communication: a response to Silliman (1995). JOURNAL OF SPEECH AND HEARING RESEARCH 1996; 39:217-219. [PMID: 8820713 DOI: 10.1044/jshr.3901.217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
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Vázquez CA. Failure to confirm the word-retrieval problem hypothesis in facilitated communication. J Autism Dev Disord 1995; 25:597-610. [PMID: 8720029 DOI: 10.1007/bf02178190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Two hypotheses were raised and empirically tested to account for the failure of previous controlled validation studies to find evidence of literacy in nonspeaking persons with autism using facilitated communication: (a) The naming tasks used in other studies have triggered specific "word retrieval" problems, or anomia, and (b) a perceptual problem, visual agnosia, prevents subjects from recognizing objects without touching them. Three nonspeaking autistic children who had used facilitation for at least 2 years were evaluated with four experimentally controlled tasks, over a period of 5 months. In descriptive and object handling tasks, and in a traditional picture identification task, subjects failed to type correct answers when facilitators were blind; one subject, however, occasionally engaged in signing and vocalizations that were context-appropriate. Results reflected a generalized language deficit, rather than isolated word-finding or perceptual difficulties, and were consistent with many previous studies revealing facilitator cuing. Questions are raised about inconsistencies in pseudo-correct scores, a measure of facilitator influence, reported here and in previous research.
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Affiliation(s)
- C A Vázquez
- Psychology Department, State University of New York, New Paltz 12561-2499, USA
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Fried-Oken M, Paul R, Fay W. Questions concerning facilitated communication: response to Duchan. JOURNAL OF SPEECH AND HEARING RESEARCH 1995; 38:200-210. [PMID: 7731210 DOI: 10.1044/jshr.3801.200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
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Montee BB, Miltenberger RG, Wittrock D, Watkins N, Rheinberger A, Stackhaus J. An experimental analysis of facilitated communication. J Appl Behav Anal 1995; 28:189-200. [PMID: 7601804 PMCID: PMC1279809 DOI: 10.1901/jaba.1995.28-189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
We evaluated the authorship of messages produced through facilitated communication by 7 adults with moderate or severe mental retardation and their facilitators. The clients had been reported to be communicating fluently through facilitated communication. We controlled the facilitators' access to information to be communicated in two evaluation formats, naming pictures and describing activities. In both formats we conducted three conditions: (a) the facilitator and client had access to the same information, (b) the facilitator did not have access to the picture or activity, and (c) the facilitator was given false information about the picture or activity. The results showed that 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. These results provide unequivocal evidence for facilitator control of typing during facilitated communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- B B Montee
- Psychology Department, North Dakota State University, Fargo 58105, USA
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Simon EW, Toll DM, Whitehair PM. A naturalistic approach to the validation of facilitated communication. J Autism Dev Disord 1994; 24:647-57. [PMID: 7814312 DOI: 10.1007/bf02172144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
By manipulating the facilitator's knowledge of a student's just-completed activity, facilitated communication ability and the extent of guiding were assessed. Seven students diagnosed with mental retardation and their facilitators participated in the study. 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.
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Dillon KM, Fenlason JE, Vogel DJ. Belief in and use of a questionable technique, facilitated communication, for children with autism. Psychol Rep 1994; 75:459-64. [PMID: 7809318 DOI: 10.2466/pr0.1994.75.1.459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
23 educators and therapists of children with autism were surveyed about their beliefs and use of Facilitated Communication, a technique previously shown to have questionable scientific validity. 65.2% or 15 use the procedure often or very often in their work with children. Some factors that appeared related to this choice were beliefs consistent with those of proponents of Facilitated Communication, less education, belief in the notion that individuals with autism were more intelligent than their behavior indicated, and lack of belief in science as a source of explanation of human behavior. It was concluded that supervisors need to be more informing about the scientific validity of techniques used by their employees.
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Affiliation(s)
- K M Dillon
- Western New England College, Springfield, MA 01119-9989
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Affiliation(s)
- E Starr
- MRC Child Psychiatry Unit, University of London, UK
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Myers JE. The tendency of the legal system to distort scientific and clinical innovations: facilitated communication as a case study. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 1994; 18:505-540. [PMID: 8087606 DOI: 10.1016/0145-2134(94)90004-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- J E Myers
- McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific, Sacramento, CA 95817
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Moore S, Donovan B, Hudson A. Brief report: facilitator-suggested conversational evaluation of facilitated communication. J Autism Dev Disord 1993; 23:541-52. [PMID: 8226586 DOI: 10.1007/bf01046055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- S Moore
- Health and Community Services, Victoria, Australia
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Bligh S, Kupperman P. Brief report: facilitated communication evaluation procedure accepted in a court case. J Autism Dev Disord 1993; 23:553-7. [PMID: 8226587 DOI: 10.1007/bf01046056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- S Bligh
- Center for Speech and Language Disorders, Elmhurst, Illinois
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