Episode 220 - Facilitated Communication

ABA Inside Track

While science has researched the effectiveness of many augmentative and assistive communication methods, one disproven, pseudoscientific technique just keeps refusing to stay in the dustbin of history: Facilitated communication. This week, we go back to the 90s to review how facilitated communication stole the voices of people with disabilities, the research that originally kicked facilitated communication to the curb, and why it remains important to guard against FC’s seemingly never-ending resurgence. Plus, Rob fights city hall poorly.

Also, if you’ve never seen it, be sure to watch Prisoners of Silence, a documentary from 1992 that we all love and talk about a TON!

This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Travers, J.C., Tincani, M.J., & Lang, R. (2014). Facilitated communication denies people with disabilities their voice. Research and Pactice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 39, 195-202. doi: 10.1177/1540796914556778

Eberlin, M., McConnachie, G., Ibel, S., & Volpe, L. (1993). Facilitated communication: A failure to replicate the phenomenon. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 23, 507-530. doi: 10.1007/BF01046053

Montee, B.B., Miltenberger, R.G., & Wittrock, D. (1995). An experimental analysis of facilitated communication. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 28, 189-200. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1995.28-189

Roane, H.S., Kadey, H.J., & Sullivan, W.E. (2019). Evaluation of word recognition following typing produced through facilitated communication. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 52, 1107-1112. doi: 10.1002/jaba.587

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