Facilitated communication

Facilitated communication (FC) is a method that purports to help people with speech or expressive problems to point to spell out words and sentences. The goal of the method is to enable the person to use an augmentative communication device independently. Usually, the facilitator holds the person's hand, wrist or arm in his hand, prompting the patient to pick out letters on a letterboard or keyboard. The facilitator prompts the client to point to letters and puts slight pressure back on the hand, wrist or arm as the client points toward the communication device.

External links

• General:
• Facilitated Communication Training: An Annotated Bibliography
• Facilitated Communication Training Standards
• QIM Tunes (Book)
• Samuel Gridley Howe Library Bibliographies: Facilitated Communication (PDF)
• Historical issues in intervention research: hidden knowledge and facilitating techniques in Denmark (abstract)
• Cautions Related to the Clinical Use of Facilitated Communication (PDF)
• Report of the MADSEC Autism Task Force, pages 35-41 (PDF)
• Infant Motor Dyspraxia as a Predictor of Speech in Childhood Autism (PDF)
• Facilitated Communication and Autism
• Issues raised by facilitated communication for theorizing and research on autism (abstract and links to comments)
• Exchange of Opinion on the Risks and Benefits of FC
• Essay reviewing the debate on FC and exploring ethical ramifications
• "Prisoners of Silence": Frontline show on FC aired October 19, 1993
• Response to Frontline show by FC proponents
• "Autism Is A World": Documentary on FC user Sue Rubin (now an independent typist) which aired on "CNN Presents"
• Empirical evaluations:
• Abstracts:
• Szempruch & Jacobson (1993)
• Eberlin et al. (1993)
• Eberlin et al. (1994)
• Smith et al. (1994)
• Regal et al. (1994)
• Simon et al. (1994)
• Heckler (1994) (also links to comments)
• Vazquez (1995)
• Crews et al. 1995)
• Weiss et al. (1996)
• Beck & Pirovano (1996)
• Howlin (1996)
• Bomba et al. (1996)
• Bebko et al. (1996)
• Kezuka (1997)
• Edelson et al. (1998)
• Konstantareas (1998)
• Perry et al. (1998)
• Summaries:
• Borthwick & Crossley (1999)
• Wheeler et al. (1993)
• Sheehan & Matuozzi (1994)
• Cardinal et al. (1996)
• Full articles:
• Montee et al. (1995)
• Position statements:
• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (1993)
• American Psychological Association (1994)
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (1994)
• Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan (BAAM) (1998)
• TASH (1994)