The DOI matches its Crossref record; 72 of the 73 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Facilitated Communication Since 1995: A Review of Published Studies
Abstract
Previous reviews of Facilitated Communication (FC) studies have clearly established that proponents' claims are largely unsubstantiated and that using FC as an intervention for communicatively impaired or noncommunicative individuals is not recommended. However, while FC is less prominent than in the recent past, investigations of the technique's efficacy continue. This review examines published FC studies since the previous major reviews by Jacobson, Mulick, and Schwartz (1995) and Simpson and Myles (1995a). Findings support the conclusions of previous reviews. Furthermore, this review critiques and discounts the claims of two studies purporting to offer empirical evidence of FC efficacy using control procedures.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“The vast majority of studies using control procedures reached similar or converging general conclusions, i.e., responses of the patients/students were mostly influenced (consciously or unconsciously) by the facilitator, and FC was generally not efficient as a communication or educational tool.”
From Evidence of Authorship on Messages in Facilitated Communication: A Case Report Using Accelerometry (2021) · cites this paper as [5]
In the citing paper
“The vast majority of studies using control procedures reached similar or converging general conclusions, i.e., responses of the patients/students were mostly influenced (consciously or unconsciously) by the facilitator, and FC was generally not efficient as a communication or educational tool.”
From Evidence of Authorship on Messages in Facilitated Communication: A Case Report Using Accelerometry (2021) · cites this paper as [5]
In the citing paper
“Altogether, no firm nor definitive conclusion has been reached so far on the validity of FC.”
From Evidence of Authorship on Messages in Facilitated Communication: A Case Report Using Accelerometry (2021) · cites this paper as Mostert (5)
In the citing paper
“The controlled studies conducted so far have consistently documented that it is the facilitator, and not the person receiving support, who is generating the text in message-passing tasks”
From Authorship in Facilitated Communication: An Analysis of 11 Cases (2014) · cites this paper as Mostert, 2001
In the citing paper
“He reported that the only findings that were presented as providing support for FC came from uncontrolled studies, in which the facilitator had access to the requested information.”
From Authorship in Facilitated Communication: An Analysis of 11 Cases (2014) · cites this paper as Mostert (2001)
In the citing paper
“When Mostert (2001) completed a review of the FC research published between 1995 and 1999, he found no support for the validity of FC in controlled studies where message passing was used while the facilitator was masked.”
From Authorship in Facilitated Communication: An Analysis of 11 Cases (2014) · cites this paper as Mostert (2001)
In the citing paper
“The current study adds to the empirical research base, which has documented the authorship role of the facilitator in messages produced using FC (Mostert 2001(Mostert , 2010)).”
From Authorship in Facilitated Communication: An Analysis of 11 Cases (2014) · cites this paper as Mostert 2001
In the citing paper
“It is important to note that while Probst ( 2005) is a German language publication, all of the primary studies included in Probst (2005) were also included in three systematic reviews published in English: Felce (1994), Jacobson et al. (1995), andMostert (2001).”
From Facilitated Communication and Authorship: A Systematic Review (2014) · cites this paper as Mostert (2001)
In the citing paper
“However, major reviews of the extant literature in this area have concluded that the communications that are being attributed to the intellectually disabled FC users are in fact the result of inadvertent facilitator influence, because of the direct physical contact that is involved (Hastings, 1996; Jacobson et al., 1995; Mostert, 2001).”
From Hidden communicative competence: Case study evidence using eye-tracking and video analysis (2012) · cites this paper as Mostert, 2001
Citations
Cites
(1963) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 15,085
How to Design and Evaluate Research in Education
Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (1990) · Cited by 14,537
Meta-analysis in social research
(1982) · Evaluation and Program Planning · doi:10.1016/0149-7189(82)90011-8 · Cited by 3,896
Scientific Guidelines for Conducting Integrative Research Reviews
Cooper, H. M. (1982) · Review of Educational Research · doi:10.3102/00346543052002291 · Cited by 831
Applying educational research : a practical guide
Gall, J. P., Gall, M. D., & Borg, W. R. (1993) · Pearson/Allyn and Bacon eBooks · Cited by 715
Mullen, B. (2013) · Psychology Press eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780203771938 · Cited by 385
Review of developments in meta-analytic method.
Bangert‐Drowns, R. L. (1986) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.99.3.388 · Cited by 327
Communication Unbound: Autism and Praxis
Biklen, D. P. (1990) · Harvard Educational Review · doi:10.17763/haer.60.3.013h5022862vu732 · Cited by 303
Jacobson, J. W., Mulick, J. A., & Schwartz, A. A. (1995) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.50.9.750 · Cited by 211 · cited 4×
“This review examines published FC studies since the previous major reviews by Jacobson, Mulick, and Schwartz (1995) and Simpson and Myles (1995a).”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialDiagnosis and classification in autism
Waterhouse, L. H., Morris, R. D., ALLEN, D. A., Dunn, M. A., FEIN, D. A., Feinstein, C., Rapin, I., & Wing, L. (1996) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/bf02276235 · Cited by 138
Facilitated communication : the clinical and social phenomenon
Shane, H. C. (1994) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 82
New Words: The Communication of Students with Autism
Biklen, D., & Schubert, A. (1991) · Remedial and Special Education · doi:10.1177/074193259101200607 · Cited by 78
Williams, D. R. (1994) · Cited by 77
Further Comment: Autism and Assisted Communication: A Response to Biklen
Cummins, R. A., & Prior, M. R. (1992) · Harvard Educational Review · doi:10.17763/haer.62.2.p86j205360177322 · Cited by 76
Bebko, J. M., Perry, A., & Bryson, S. (1996) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/bf02276233 · Cited by 65
Contested words, contested science: unraveling the facilitated communication controversy
(1997) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.35-1206 · Cited by 64
Getting the words out: Facilitated communication training
Crossley, R., & Remington-Gurney, J. (1992) · Topics in Language Disorders · doi:10.1097/00011363-199208000-00004 · Cited by 64
(1996) · PubMed · Cited by 63
Getting the words out: Case studies in facilitated communication training
Crossley, R. (1992) · Topics in Language Disorders · doi:10.1097/00011363-199208000-00005 · Cited by 63 · cited 4×
“The most recent and prominent example of the widespread adoption of a suspect intervention in autism has been Facilitated Communication (FC), first proposed by Crossley in Australia (see Biklen, 1990; Crossley, 1992; Gorman, 1998; Green, 1992; Hudson, 1995) and brought to the United States by Biklen (e.”
BackgroundInfluentialBiklen, D. P., Morton, M. W., Gold, D., Berrigan, C., & Swaminathan, S. R. (1992) · Topics in Language Disorders · doi:10.1097/00011363-199208000-00003 · Cited by 60
AN EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF FACILITATED COMMUNICATION
Montee, B. B., Miltenberger, R. G., & Wittrock, D. (1995) · Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis · doi:10.1901/jaba.1995.28-189 · Cited by 56 · cited 1×
“310 Mostert Test Phase With the naive facilitator present, the experimenter asked the subject questions about the story. The subject answered via facilitation with the naive facilitator. Referee was present. The questions were transcribed and an exact record of what the subject typed via FC was preserved. Weiss et al.…”
MethodScience, Reason, and Facilitated Communication
Green, G., & Shane, H. C. (1994) · Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps · doi:10.1177/154079699401900302 · Cited by 53
“I Am Intelligent”: The Social Construction of Mental Retardation
Biklen, D. P., & Duchan, J. F. (1994) · Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities · doi:10.1177/154079699401900303 · Cited by 53
Nonconscious Movements: From Mystical Messages To Facilitated Communication
Spitz, H. H. (1997) · Cited by 50
An Examination of the Role of the Facilitator in “Facilitated Communication” 1
Shane, H. C., & Kearns, K. P. (1994) · American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology · doi:10.1044/1058-0360.0303.48 · Cited by 47
EFFECTIVENESS OF FACILITATED COMMUNICATION WITH CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH AUTISM
Simpson, R. L., & Myles, B. S. (1995) · The Journal of Special Education · doi:10.1177/002246699502800403 · Cited by 44
Facilitated communication: An experimental evaluation
Regal, R. A., Rooney, J. R., & Wandas, T. (1994) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/bf02172232 · Cited by 40
Implementing computerized language sample analysis in the public school
Miller, J. F., Freiberg, C., Holland, M.-B., et al. (1992) · Topics in Language Disorders · doi:10.1097/00011363-199202000-00008 · Cited by 40
(1996) · PubMed · Cited by 39
(1996) · PubMed · Cited by 38
Autism Orthodoxy versus Free Speech: A Reply to Cummins and Prior
Biklen, D. P. (1992) · Harvard Educational Review · doi:10.17763/haer.62.2.xl201r2m807840m2 · Cited by 36
Facilitated communication: The effects of facilitator knowledge and level of assistance on output
Smith, M. D., Haas, P. J., & Belcher, R. G. (1994) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/bf02172233 · Cited by 35
Bomba, C., O'Donnell, L., Markowitz, C., & Holmes, D. L. (1996) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/bf02276234 · Cited by 34
The Role of Touch in Facilitated Communication
Kezuka, E. (1997) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1023/a:1025882127478 · Cited by 33
Williams, J. E. (1994) · Psychology in the Schools · doi:10.1002/1520-6807(199407)31:3 · Cited by 30
Deaf murderers: clinical and forensic issues
Vernon, M., Steinberg, A. G., & Montoya, L. A. (1999) · Behavioral Sciences & the Law · doi:10.1002/(sici)1099-0798(199910/12)17:4 · Cited by 29
Crews, W. D., Sanders, E. C., Hensley, L. G., Johnson, Y. M., Bonaventura, S., Rhodes, R. D., & Garren, M. P. (1995) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/bf02178505 · Cited by 29
How Teachers Confirm the Authorship of Facilitated Communication: A Portfolio Approach
Biklen, D. P., Saha, N., & Kliewer, C. (1995) · Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities · doi:10.1177/154079699502000105 · Cited by 28
Successful Use of Facilitated Communication With an Oral Child
Janzen-Wilde, M. L., Duchan, J. F., & Higginbotham, D. J. (1995) · Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research · doi:10.1044/jshr.3803.658 · Cited by 28
Dykens, E. M., Goff, B. J., Hodapp, R. M., Davis, L., Devanzo, P., Moss, F., Halliday, J., Shah, B., State, M. W., & King, B. H. (1997) · Mental Retardation · doi:10.1352/0047-6765(1997)035 · Cited by 27
A case study: Follow-up assessment of facilitated communication
Simon, E. W., Whitehair, P. M., & Toll, D. M. (1996) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/bf02276232 · Cited by 23
Donnellan, A. M., Sabin, L. A., & Majure, L. A. (1992) · Topics in Language Disorders · doi:10.1097/00011363-199208000-00007 · Cited by 21
Facilitated communicators' performance on a task of receptive language
Beck, A. R., & Pirovano, C. M. (1996) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/bf02172272 · Cited by 20
Kerrin, R. G., Murdock, J. Y., Sharpton, W., & Jones, N. (1998) · Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities · doi:10.1177/108835769801300202 · Cited by 17
Validation of Facilitated Communication
Calculator, S. N., & Hatch, E. R. (1995) · American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology · doi:10.1044/1058-0360.0401.49 · Cited by 16
Three perspectives of facilitated communication
Silliman, E. R. (1992) · Topics in Language Disorders · doi:10.1097/00011363-199208000-00006 · Cited by 16
Perry, A., Bryson, S. E., & Bebko, J. M. (1998) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1023/a:1026023321945 · Cited by 15
Facilitated communication: A response by child protection
Heckler, S. L. (1994) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/0145-2134(94)90003-5 · Cited by 15
Reading between the Lines: A Case Study on Facilitated Communication
Olney, M. F. (1995) · Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities · doi:10.1177/154079699502000106 · Cited by 15
Facilitated Communication for Children with Autism: An Examination of Face Validity
Braman, B. J., Brady, M. P., Linehan, S. L., & Williams, R. E. (1995) · Behavioral Disorders · doi:10.1177/019874299502100102 · Cited by 15
Creative Music Therapy and Facilitated Communication: New Ways of Reaching Students With Autism
Clarkson, G. (1994) · Preventing School Failure Alternative Education for Children and Youth · doi:10.1080/1045988x.1994.9944301 · Cited by 13
Facilitator influence in facilitated communication
Oswald, D. P. (1994) · Journal of Behavioral Education · doi:10.1007/bf01544112 · Cited by 12
Failure to confirm the word-retrieval problem hypothesis in facilitated communication
Vázquez, C. A. (1995) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/bf02178190 · Cited by 12
Educational Strategies in Autism
Harris, S. L. (1995) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4899-1286-2_15 · Cited by 11
Myles, B. S., Simpson, R. L., & Smith, S. M. (1996) · Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities · doi:10.1177/108835769601100105 · Cited by 11
Facilitated Communication and Children with Disabilities: An Enigma in Search of a Perspective.
Simpson, R., & Myles, B. (2017) · Focus on Exceptional Children · doi:10.17161/foec.v27i9.6849 · Cited by 9
What if...: a plea to professionals to consider the risk-benefit ratio of facilitated communication.
Levine, K., Shane, H. C., & Wharton, R. H. (1994) · PubMed · Cited by 9
Evaluation of a Mechanical Hand-Support for Facilitated Communication
Edelson, S. M., Rimland, B., Berger, C. L. J., & Billings, D. (1998) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1023/a:1026044716536 · Cited by 9
Disability and facilitated communication: A critique.
Hudson, A. P. (1995) · Advances in clinical child psychology · Cited by 9
AAC research: a multidimensional learning community
Beukelman, D. R. (1993) · Augmentative and Alternative Communication · doi:10.1080/07434619312331276431 · Cited by 8
Myles, B. S., Simpson, R. L., & Smith, S. M. (1996) · Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities · doi:10.1177/108835769601100306 · Cited by 8
Facilitated communication: Better education through applied ideology
Jacobson, J. W., & Mulick, J. A. (1994) · Journal of Behavioral Education · doi:10.1007/bf01560511 · Cited by 7
Article Commentary: In the Real World
Williams, D. R. (1994) · Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities · doi:10.1177/154079699401900307 · Cited by 5
Negotiating the facilitated communication maze.
Dl, F., & Rh, H. (1994) · PubMed · Cited by 5
Goode, D. A. (1994) · PubMed · Cited by 5
Facilitated Communication of Child Abuse
Zirkel, P. A. (1995) · Phi Delta Kappan · Cited by 4
Facilitated Communication: Keeping It Practical.
Horner, R. H. (1994) · Cited by 4
The Medieval Kingdom topology: Peer relations in kindergarten children
Bennett, A., & Derevensky, J. L. (1995) · Psychology in the Schools · doi:10.1002/1520-6807(199504)32:2 · Cited by 4
Article Commentary: Facilitated Communication: Keeping it Practical
Horner, R. H. (1994) · Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities · doi:10.1177/154079699401900304 · Cited by 3
A dispassionate (if that's possible) observer's perspective.
Halle, J. W. (1994) · PubMed · Cited by 3
Response to Commentaries on Risks of Facilitated Communication.
Levine, K. (1994) · Mental Retardation · Cited by 1
Biklen, D. P., & Schneiderman, H. (1997) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.99.2.308
Research works printed but not linked: 11
- Ackerson, S. (1994). Facilitated communication: A communication breakthrough or breakdown? Beyond Behavior, 5, 13-16.
- Biklen, D. (1993). Communication unbound. New York: Teachers College Press.
- Gorman, B. J. (1998). Facilitated communication in America: Eight years and counting. Skeptic, 6, 64-71.
- Haskew, P., & Donnellan, A. M. (1993). Emotional maturity and well-being: Psychological lessons of facilitated communication, Madison, WI: DRI Press.
- Hitzing, W. (1994). Reply to Levine et al.'s “Plea to professionals.” Mental Retardation, 32, 314-317.
- Jacobson, J. W., Eberlin, M., Mulick, J. A., Schwartz, A. A., Szempruch, J., & Wheeler, D. L. (1994). Autism and facilitated communication: Future directions. In J. L. Matson (Ed.), Autism in children and adults: Etiology, diagnosis, and treatment (pp. 59-83). Pacific grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
- Margolin, K. N. (1994). How shall facilitated communication be judged? In H. C. Shane, (Ed)., Facilitated communication: The clinical and social phenomenon (pp. 227-258). San Diego, CA: Singular Publishing.
- Mostert, M. P. (1994). The more things change: New ideas, old directions? Beyond Behavior 5, 17-18.
- Shane, H. C. (Ed.). (1994). Facilitated communication: The clinical and social phenomenon. San Diego, CA: Singular Publishing.
- Wolfensberger, W. (1992, August/October). The facilitated communication craze: The cold fusion of human sciences. Training Institute for Human Service Planning, Leadership, and Change Agentry, 12, 39-46.
- Wolfensberger, W. (1994). The “Facilitation Communication” craze as an instance of pathological science: The cold fusion of human services. In H. C. Shane, (Ed.)., Facilitated communication: The clinical and social phenomenon (pp. 57-122). San Diego, CA: Singular Publishing.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Management of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Myers, S. M., Johnson, C. P., & the Council on Children With Disabilities (2007) · Pediatrics · doi:10.1542/peds.2007-2362 · Cited by 1,125
Internet survey of treatments used by parents of children with autism.
Green, V. A., Pituch, K. A., Itchon, J., Choi, A., O’Reilly, M., & Sigafoos, J. (2006) · Research in Developmental Disabilities · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2004.12.002 · Cited by 617
“Examples of treatments that lack empirical support include auditory integration training (Gillberg, Johansson, Steffenburg, & Berlin, 1997), facilitated communication (Mostert, 2001), and holding therapy (Tinbergen & Tinbergen, 1983).”
BackgroundFrom Cure to Community: Transforming Notions of Autism
Bagatell, N. (2010) · Ethos · doi:10.1111/j.1548-1352.2009.01080.x · Cited by 327
Wolff, S. (2004) · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s00787-004-0363-5 · Cited by 283
Lilienfeld, S. O., Ammirati, R. J., & David, M. (2011) · Journal of School Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2011.09.006 · Cited by 212
Metadata
- Authors
- Mostert, M. P.
- Affiliations
- Old Dominion University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Mostert, Mark P.
- Venue
- Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
- Published
- 2001-06
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 287-313
- ISSN
- 0162-3257 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-3432
- OpenAlex
- W1568480990
- Semantic Scholar
- e763a3620e59fd8bbf8c1862141d855dbf027d5a
- Cited by
- 175
- References
- 73
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 26.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Assistive Technology in Communication and Mobility
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
- Keywords
- facilitated communication, nonverbal communication, communication disorders, autism spectrum disorder, intervention efficacy, control procedures, research critique
- MeSH terms
- Autistic Disorder, Cognition Disorders, Female, Humans, Language Therapy, Male, Speech Therapy
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review