A review of of the website Facilitatedcommunication.org

Written by: Jamaun Willis, MEd, BCBA Endicott College Facilitated communication (FC) is a controversial technique used to assist individuals with severe communication impairments, such as those with autism or other developmental disabilities, in engaging with those around them. With FC, a facilitator provides physical support to the individual by holding their hand or arm, supposedly…

ASAT Sponsors Special Issue of Evidence-based Communication Assessment and Intervention on Facilitated Communication and its Variants: Evidence in Context

David Celiberti, PhD, BCBA-D Association for Science in Autism Treatment Communication is a powerful and necessary skill set, particularly for individuals with autism who may face significant challenges in expressing themselves. Fortunately, there are numerous interventions that can help with effective communication; however, not all communication methods are equally valid and scientifically supported. Some methods,…

Focus on the Treatment Team: Speech-Language Therapy

Kate McKenna, MEd, MSEd, MS, BCBA Association for Science in Autism Treatment Lindsay Bly, MS, CCC-SLP Melmark History The science of speech-language pathology in the United States had its roots in the study of elocution, what we now call articulation, for rhetoric debate, and theatre, which had risen to prominence in 18th century England. Several…

Description of the Treatment Team

Kate McKenna, MEd, MSEd, MS, BCBA David Celiberti, PhD, BCBA-D Association for Science in Autism Treatment Individuals with autism often receive services from multi-disciplinary teams. Treatment teams work in partnership with the individual and their family. The members of a team, and their specialties, may depend on the individual’s current level of functioning, the nature…

Social Thinking: Is There Science Behind That?

Catherine L. McHugh, MA, BCBA, LBA, Stacha C. Leslie, MEd, BCBA, LBA, and Thomas Zane, PhD, BCBA-D Department of Applied Behavioral Science, University of Kansas One of the major diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is deficits in social communication (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022). Research and clinical practice highlight numerous…

A review of ABAI’s Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Between Behavior Analysts and Speech-Language Pathologists

Mi Trinh, BA, Carolina Arguello, BA, and David Celiberti, PhD, BCBA-D Association for Science in Autism Treatment In November 2020, The Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) shared a resource titled “Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Between Behavior Analysts and Speech-Language Pathologists.” This document was developed by Trina D. Spencer, PhD, BCBA-D, Lina Slim, PhD, BCBA-D, CCC-SLP,…

Toward Meaningful Outcomes in Teaching Conversation and Greeting Skills with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Hood, S. A., Luczynski, K. C., & Mitteer, D. R. (2017). Toward meaningful outcomes in teaching conversation and greeting skills with individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 50(3), 459-486. doi:10.1002/jaba.388 Reviewed by: Julia L. Ferguson, MS, BCBA and Mary Jane Weiss, PhD, BCBA-D, Applied Behavior Analysis Doctoral Program, Endicott College Why…

What is Functional Communication Training?

My student Molly is nonvocal. Whenever I assign independent worksheets, Molly will often refuse to work by ripping up the assignment, throwing her pencil, or putting her head down. There are also times when the students are working and I have to take a phone call or am helping another student, and she screams. I…