Three nonspeaking children with autism who had used facilitated communication were evaluated with four experimentally controlled tasks. Findings suggested a generalized language deficit, rather than isolated word-finding or perceptual difficulties, and were consistent with previous studies revealing facilitator cuing. Questions are raised about…

This paper offers guidelines for professionals to follow in cases of sexual abuse accusations made by individuals with disabilities through the medium of facilitated communication. A case study of such accusations made by a child with autism illustrates application of the guidelines. (DB)

A survey of 43 Vietnamese Americans found respondents who had become more acculturated had greater hope for individuals with disabilities than first generation immigrants. Both groups embraced the practice of seeking services for a child with disability and were strongly predisposed to accept augmentative and alternative communication practices.…

The study employed a single-subject multiple baseline design to examine the ability of 9 individuals with severe Broca's aphasia or global aphasia to produce graphic symbol sentences of varying syntactical complexity using a software program that turns a computer into a speech output communication device. The sentences ranged in complexity from…

Research-based information is used to support the idea of the use of adaptations and accommodations for early childhood students who have varying disabilities. Multiple adaptations and accommodations are outlined. A step-by-step plan is provided on how to make specific adaptations and accommodations to fit the specific needs of early childhood…

The ability to narrate a story is fundamental to the development of overall communicative competence and involves the coordination of a variety of knowledge structures and linguistic abilities. In this study, the narrative discourse abilities of four children who use AAC are described in the context of five tasks designed to elicit a spectrum of…

As the world economy continues to evolve, businesses and industries must adopt new practices and processes in order to survive. Quality and cost control, work teams and participatory management, and an infusion of technology are transforming the way people work and do business. Employees are now expected to read, write, and communicate…

This review of the literature on facilitated communication (FC) with individuals having severe communication disorders focuses on three major issues: (1) the history and development of FC, with varying opinions on the purpose of FC; (2) criteria for selecting individuals as having potential to benefit from FC; and (3) findings and issues…

This brief paper describes automated language activity monitoring (LAM), an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methodology for the collection, editing, and analysis of language data in structured or natural situations with people who have severe communication disorders. The LAM function records each language event (letters, words,…

The use of facilitated communication by a 13-year-old boy with autism, severe mental retardation, and a seizure disorder is described. Several specific answers given to questions about short stories the facilitator was not familiar with indicated that, not only did the subject originate his own responses, he also demonstrated simple inferential…

This monograph reviews the literature on the efficacy and authenticity of facilitated communication (FC). Meta-analysis of published studies is used to examine FC as a communication tool, criteria for scientific evidence of FC's effectiveness, and the value of quantitative assessment. Other questions addressed include life-span issues and…

This commentary on Steven Heckler (EC 608 725) addresses use of facilitated communication (FC) by individuals with autism; respect for the child offered by FC, who actually is communicating; reasons why FC might improve communication by autistic children; possible reasons for the remarkable spelling and linguistic competence shown with FC; and…

This article examines various forms of communication systems for their "partner friendliness" and presents a model of different types of communication partners and their communication needs. Case examples illustrate how the forms of communication of two students who are deaf-blind were expanded to promote greater communication with a variety of…

This study examined the frequency and nature of augmented input that adult partners provided to 13 youth with moderate to severe mental retardation as they began to use the System for Augmenting Language. Analyses revealed differences in the frequency and in the manner and style with which home and school partners provided augmented input.…

A study tested the quality and intelligibility, as judged by several listeners, of four users' electrolaryngeal speech, with and without filtering to compensate for perceptually objectionable acoustic characteristics. Results indicated that an adaptive filtering technique produced a noticeable improvement in the quality of the Transcutaneous…