This response to Green and Shane (EC 609 759) and Biklen and Duchan (EC 609 760) on facilitated communication (FC) with people having severe disabilities addresses the importance of evaluating FC from a variety of research traditions; of focusing on the practical issues of families, teachers, and clinicians; and of solving the issue of authorship.…

This response to Green and Shane (EC 609 759) and Biklen and Duchan (EC 609 760), which presented opposing views of facilitated communication (FC) with people having severe disabilities, focuses on science as viewed through positivist and constructivist lenses. The paper uses Biklen and Duchan's social constructivist approach to identify three…

Investigated adult English speakers' production of subject and object relative clause sentences using a picture/symbol-based augmentative and alternative communication (ACC) system with speech output. Most participants avoided the potential ambiguity that resulted from the absence of grammatical markers. Results indicate the combined effects of…

The diagnosis of autism, although a source of discussion and occasional controversy, has consistently included poor communication as an essential component. Both the text revision of the fourth edition of the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) and the 10th edition of the "International…

We examined the effects of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS; Frost & Bondy, 2002) on the manding (requesting) and speech development of school-aged children with autism. In study 1, two participants, Damian and Bob, were taught PECS within a delayed multiple baseline design. Both participants demonstrated increased levels of manding…

This article describes methods that have been developed to provide augmentative and alternative communication communicators with better access to narrative conversation. It begins by highlighting the need to provide access to conversational narrative for people with complex communication needs, arguing that this type of conversation plays an…

This discussion of facilitated communication (FC) focuses on implications of conflicting views of retardation, science, and truth. Discussion supports FC and considers the normative view and the competence view of individuals with mental retardation, positivist and experiential approaches to research in mental retardation, and responses to…

This study assessed the criterion validity of the photographic adaptive communication device (ACD) used in Oklahoma to interview individuals with developmental disabilities receiving services. The back-translation process identified photographs that were frequently incorrectly identified resulting in revision of the ACD for greater validity.…

This article notes the dilemma faced by facilitated communication (FC) practitioners who must choose between denying their client effective and efficient communication or use an approach that has not held up under controlled scientific studies. It notes that FC descriptions that focus on social participation are more positive than those that focus…

This study employed an intensive structured interview method with first-generation Chinese American family participants (n = 6) residing in the Los Angeles area to examine families' perceptions of disability and the role of schools in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions. As reported in other studies, parents (a) valued…

The article provides information on how to optimise the shared storybook reading interactions of children with little or no functional speech in order to facilitate their language development. Information on the benefits of early literacy experiences and shared storybook reading are reviewed as well as information on the shared storybook reading…

Two prototype voice output communication aids were implemented to compare methods of graphic symbol message formulation; one emulated current devices that require syntactical ordering of icons (Default) and the other used semantic frames (iconCHAT). Message constructions of eight typically developing children (7-10 years of age) using both…

Communication is accomplished in many ways--through gestures, body language, writing, and speaking. Most people communicate verbally, without giving much thought to the process, but others may struggle to effectively communicate with others. The ability to express oneself affects behavior, learning, and sociability. When children are unable to…

This paper examines the use of facilitated communication (FC) with individuals having communication disorders, in the context of the research on literacy development and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methodologies. (Author/DB)

In this systematic replication of a previous study (R. W. Schlosser, D. M. Blischak, P. J. Belfiore, C. Bartley, & N. Barnett, 1998), the effects of speech and print feedback on spelling performance were evaluated. Four children with autism and no functional speech were taught to spell words with a speech-generating device under 3 feedback…