Views of Facilitated Communication

What's the Point?

duchan{at}acsu.buffalo.edu

Facilitated communication (FC) has generated considerable debate, with the main concern being whether the facilitators (often speech-language pathologists) are physically influencing what is being expressed by the communicator. FC has placed speech-language pathologists in an ethical bind, having to weigh the risks of denying their client the right to effective and efficient communication against the risk of using an approach that has not held up under the rigors of controlled scientific studies. The dilemma is further complicated by the different ways FC has been described. Those who describe it in social participation terms are more positive concerning its potential than those who see it in terms of information processing. In this article, views of FC are outlined. A way out of the dilemma is suggested through the development of clinical practice guidelines. Such guidelines should include protections of both clients and clinicians and should be built on both social participation and information processing views of FC.

KEY WORDS: facilitated communication, clinical practice guidelines, ethical practices, theories of communication

Submitted on November 20, 1998
Accepted on June 30, 1999

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