"Helping" Autistic People to Speak

Wednesday, May. 10, 2006
A look at the controversial technique called facilitated communication
By Claudia Wallis

What's so controversial about FC? A preponderance of studies have found that the ideas being expressed are not those of the person with autism but rather those of the facilitator. In several studies, only a small percentage of FC users were conclusively shown to be expressing independent thoughts. In some studies where the facilitator and FC user were separated, given different sets of information and then asked questions about it, it was facilitator's information that was more often expressed in typing, though the facilitators are often unaware that they are leading, says James Mulick, professor of pediatrics and psychology at Ohio State University and co-author of research debunking FC.

Read full article at: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1192775,00.html

For information, resources and practical strategies visit:

www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com

www.AutismConcepts.com