Facilitated Communication and Autism
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Ranking : 
Type(s) : Alternative and Augmentative Communication
Introduction
Facilitated communication is designed to help people with limited communication develop their pointing skills.
Someone else physically supports the the individual so that he can point to pictures, symbols, letters and/or words.
By doing this, the individual can demonstrate what he wants to communicate.
Opinion
There is a significant body of evidence to show facilitated communication is ineffective when used with people with autism.
There is also evidence it can lead to significant harm.
For these reasons we do not believe that it is an appropriate intervention for people with autism.
Further information
Please see the Advanced version of this page for more information about this intervention, including relevant research studies and details of how we ranked it.
Disclaimer
Please read our Disclaimer about this intervention.
Last Updated : 11/04/2012 Back to Top
