Facilitated Communication in Children with Autis M BRIDGETTE KOVLER `23 Language is vital to the educational learning process and in forming meaningful connections through the conveyance of emotions, thoughts, and opinions. However, many non-verbal children with autism struggle to communicate with their loved ones and caregivers due to barriers in language expression. Parents are not able to celebrate the joyous feeling of bonding with their child through conventional means, and thus, turn to various methods to meet the needs of their child. In the 1990s, these methods included facilitated communication, the rapid prompting method, and a picture exchange communication system. Although these techniques were seen as effective in their time, later research suggested that they were merely pseudoscientific and flawed with regards to false authorship of messages and inconsistency in message conveyance. These older methods focused on children’s present communication needs and heavily relied on the aid of a facilitator, but communication interventions and therapies must be developed that take a more holistic approach in considering a child’s early language development, adaptability of use, and autonomy in order to be more effective. Evidence of efficacy in incorporating a more holistic approach is seen in methods such as the brief observation of social communication change, generalized pediatric communication therapy, and discrete trial training.
to images or letters on storyboards. On various occasions, facilitators accused parents and caregivers of child abuse through the use of facilitated communication because they had the authoritative advantage to do so. Rapid prompting method, on the other hand, requires the child to point to letters in order to spell words. In this case, the facilitator holds the letter board instead of the child’s hand. Tactile prompts are more prominent in the rapid prompting method, such as ripping papers or giving the child a writing utensil to point with (1). The rapid prompting method relies heavily on prompt dependency, which weakens the validity of the therapy technique by suggesting that the information being conveyed is not specifically aligned with the exact thoughts of the individual with disabilities. Both methods are flawed with regards to enhancing communication among non-verbal autistic children and therefore, new methods that take on a new, more integrative approach are required.
“...facilitated communication... poses potential flaws, such as false ownership and accusatory messages; it is difficult to identify if the facilitator is speaking for the child...”
Flaws of Facilitated Communication and Rapid Prompting Method Facilitated communication and rapid prompting method were utilized by parents of non-verbal autistic children in the effort to address their children’s needs, thoughts, and emotions. Facilitated communication involves storyboards, which do not require typical modes of communication, such as verbal language, facial expressions, and body language. However, this technique also poses potential flaws, such as false ownership and accusatory messages; it is difficult to identify if the facilitator is speaking for the child, as a facilitator supplements physical function by holding a child’s hand while the child presses keys on a keyboard to type messages or points
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MENTAL WELL-BEING
Brief Observation of Social Communication Change Core autistic symptoms progressively change over time, as indicated by alteration in verbal language communication. A study conducted by Janina Kitzerow, a researcher in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Frankfurt University Hospital, and her associates utilized a communication strategy called brief observation of social communication change (BOSCC) to assess early intervention techniques. This study selected 21 individuals with autism who were 46 to 69 months old and received one year of the Frankfurt early intervention program prior to the commencement of trials. This intervention program involved training parents and kindergarten teachers to enhance communication with young children. BOSCC consists of 16 behavioral items, which include social communication abilities and restrictive or repetitive behaviors. Clinicians scored the behavior items on a 0-5 scale. Video recordings of the children in social situations were taken before and after the one year of treatment. Two clinicians rated the children’s demonstrations of the be-
