@Whizper2me first off, i am an AAC device user, i have a learning /processing disability, and yes aac can beset up for folks with all kinds of motor and movement issues, and all the proof to valid communication points to aac devices, all the evidence of the ''facilitator '' based stuff shows its not a valid or sound method, hell, its been debunked a number of times. and i have seen it myself when i spent more time in the disabled communities, so do not assume im not disabled or im not a aac user i been a signer and aac user formany years, as im a visual kenesthetic thinker / learner, the singing and the device gives me visual and auditory feed back that helps me process and organize and express my thoughts, but no one is prompting or guiding me, it is 100 percent my mind , and part of being a ''sel;f advocate' is being heard and valid and entitled to my opinion and my experiences

W h a t ? Damn

Here's a few more to really hit home the point: Boynton, J. (2012). Facilitated Communication-what harm it can do: Confessions of a former facilitator. Evidence Based Communication Assessment and Intervention, 6(1), 3-13. Hemsley, B., Bryant, L., Schlosser, R. W., Shane, H. C., Lang, R., Paul, D., Banajee, M., & Ireland, M. (2018). Systematic review of facilitated communication 2014-2018 finds no new evidence that messages delivered using facilitated communication are authored by the person with disability. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 3, 239694151882157-. Howitt, D. (2021). The Case of Tito and Soma Mukhopadhyay: Factitious Heroism by Proxy, Factitious Heroism, and Revealing the Deception Thereof for the Future of Autism Treatment. Future Human Image, 16(16), 12-30. Travers, J. C., Tincani, M. J., & Lang, R. (2014). Facilitated Communication Denies People With Disabilities Their Voice. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 39(3), 195-202. “Attention: Myth Follows!” Facilitated Communication, Parent and Professional Attitudes towards Evidence-based Practice, and the Power of Misinformation Vyse, S., Hemsley, B., Lang, R., Lilienfeld, S. O., Mostert, M. P., Schlinger, H. D., Shane, H. C., Sherry, M., & Todd, J. T. (2019). Whose words are these? Statements derived from Facilitated Communication and Rapid Prompting Method undermine the credibility of Jaswal & Akhtar’s social motivation hypotheses. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 42.

I wonder this also. Don't get me wrong, it's tragically obvious that in most cases it's the "facilitator" doing the writing. However, I'm wondering if there are valid cases of some people who are physically impaired but otherwise high-functioning. For instance, sometimes there are accident victims who learn to communicate using a screen and eye movements or breathing straws. It's a shame this sham aspect might discredit rare circumstances in which it might actually be applicable.

I think the first case of it and any case in which the facilitation is genuinely just a hand underneath an elbow, that this works, those seem compelling enough and I wish those cases would also be tested. But any case in which the hand or forearm is being supported, whether the person being facilitated is mentally competent or not, the actual typing is always influenced mostly by the facilitator.

Contact me at golden.arthur@gmail.com

I think you are fine. This man is biased and is disregarding anyone who is successful with excuses. Do research and you will find multiple adults who have made amazing progress and will credit their ability to communicate independently or nearly independently with beginning with much more help with FC. Anything that can help can also hurt. People are fallible. That does not mean that the opportunity to communicate should be taken away from all non verbal or minimally verbal people.

scw73 There has not been one double blind study that has established F.C is real. Quite the contrary; all empirical research has debunked this for the farce that it is.

Elizabeth H Unfortunately, facilitators do not even know they are doing the typing themselves. It is a phenomenon that is explained by the power of one’s subconscious. Most facilitators mean no harm, but yes, they are typing it all themselves without even realizing it. Read the literature. FC has been proven to be fake many times. It’s been studied by neutral researchers who had no stake in the findings going one way or another. The data is very clear that this is fake. You must stop this. It is not real. Not real at all.

@@katvtay First of all, "double blind" study only applies to the physical sciences and is improperly used in connection with the social sciences. It is false information that "all" empirical research has debunked Facilitated Communication, no matter how often this false information has been repeated for over 40 years. For accurate information about FC, contact me at golden.arthur@gmail.com