6533b861fe1ef96bd12c4e4e

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Authorship in Facilitated Communication: An Analysis of 11 Cases

Ulla OjalammiSaloviita TimoMarjatta Leppänen

subject

MalekehitysvammaisuusAdolescentkehitysvammatfasilitoitu kommunikaatioDevelopmental psychologyCommunication Aids for DisabledSpeech and HearingautismiIntellectual DisabilitymedicineHumansta516Autistic DisorderFacilitated communicationChildSmall cityCommunicationRehabilitationReproducibility of Resultsmedicine.diseaseAuthorshipTest (assessment)Writing skillsPictorial stimuliAugmentative and alternative communicationfacilitated communicationFacilitatorAutismFemalePsychology

description

Abstract. We studied the authorship of messages produced through facilitated communication (FC) for all users of FC in two comprehensive schools in a small city in Finland. The participants were 11 children with intellectual disabilities, including autism, all having used FC from 1 to 3 years. The test conditions involved open and blind information-passing tasks in which the participants were directed to write down the contents of written or pictorial stimuli. The results failed to validate FC as a method of communication for any participant or facilitator. An analysis of the messages produced under the FC condition revealed a large degree of facilitator influence on the content of the messages produced. Additionally, FC impaired the performance of the two participants who had previously demonstrated some independent writing skills. peerReviewed

https://doi.org/10.3109/07434618.2014.927529