Facilitated Communication Video Analysis

There are many different obstacles autism spectrum individuals have to overcome in their daily lives; social insecurities, eye contact, appropriate spatial awareness etc. But in most cases, their biggest hurdle is mostly their communication skills; it’s been shown that communication impairment is at the heart of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and that children with ASD can show a wide range of communication skills as discussed by Agius and Vance (2015). According to Agius and Vance, there is up to a 30% positive diagnosis of children with ASD who will forever remain nonverbal (no consistent verbal communication). With such a high percentage of ASD children it is recommended that their communication and learning needs are to be addressed by using the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), it has been shown as an effective intervention that addresses individuals with ASD and their learning and communication needs (Ogletree, Morrow-Odom, & Westling, 2015). PECS has helped children and young adults with ASD communicate with those around them; their teachers, peers, parents etc.

The video begins by introducing a revolutionary new possibility in the understanding of what autism is and how to approach those persons afflicted. Through a technique called "facilitated language" many autistic children were seemingly freed from the inability to communicate. Many were able

Bondy, A. S., & Frost, L. A. (1994). The picture exchange communication system. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 9(3), 1-19.

The name of the webinar was entitled The Autistic Brain. Temple believes that the diagnosis of autism is not important. A student should be given the services that they need to get them speaking and to help them become engaged in the world. The label can hold a student back because of all of the theory and diversity involved. Autism leads to uneven skills in the academic areas. The student may be great in math but behind in science. The student should be able to continue advancing in math and not be held back by his science deficit. When you hold students back you see behavior problems. Students on the spectrum should be taught life skills that focus on their strengths. If the student is good with taking things apart teach them about auto mechanics. Autistic students sometimes show sensory sensitivities. Temple says to try many different activities swinging, singing, vitamins, exercising to see what works for the individual student. If a child hates a certain sound (noise in the lunchroom) tape the sound and have the student turn the recording on at a low volume. This may help desensitize the student to the sound. She feels that some students are master manipulators. If the student throws a temper tantrum in the cafeteria then he should have consequences. Temple presents many valid points and offers suggestions to help the student become better engaged in their

Kyle is a high school student that has autism. The main topic of his discussion was why everyone should include autistic people. Kyle talked about how hard it is to be excluded from different things in his life because he is autistic. He gave three reasons as to why everyone should include autistic people. The first reason was evolutionary benefit of self-centered thinking. The second reason was diffusion of responsibility. The third reason was humanities distaste for deviance. The next person that spoke was Ryan Campbell. Ryan is also a young adult living with autism. He talked about what helps him because he is autistic. He mentioned that routines are very helpful to him. He also said that growing up different therapy support was needed, but support was also needed as an adult. Not everyone is the same. Each person with autism has different strengths and needs. Eye contact is extremely hard for him. The next person that spoke was Susan Oliver. Susan has personal experience with her son that has autism. Her son has an oral of movement difficulty where his mouth moves too fast for him to speak. He also has regressive autism. His case was the first regressive autism at Pittsburgh hospital. Regressive autism is when he loses a lot of his developmental skills fast. By the time he was diagnosed he lost almost all of them. He forgot how to use the restroom, how to eat, how to communicate, along with multiple other things. The next speaker was Bonnie Wilczynski. Bonnie has a son with severe autism. He is on the lower spectrum. When it came to finding a place for her son to go to after he turned twenty-one, no one would take him because of how severe his autism was. So, when things got tough, she ended up creating a place where people with severe autism could live. When she started out she only had her son there. Now she is fully booked and cannot take any more

To be an effective special educator, one must possess knowledge of several, various disabilities and also knows how they can affect children so differently. For instance, there is an increasing rate of children being diagnosed with Autism; as a result educators need to be familiar with the characteristics associated with the disease. Symptoms and how severe they may be can vary from child to child, but all autism disorders affect a child's ability to communicate and interact with others. According to Gina Kemp, Jeanne Segal, and Deborah Cutter, specialists in learning disorders and disabilites, most children with Autism will not be able to communicate with the world around them. They have poor social skills, avoid eye contact, and tend to choose self play over group interaction (Cutter, Kemp, & Segal). A special educator needs to know how to interact with these children to have any hope of abiding by the standards of the NCLB. There is no known cause for Autism, therefore, it is important for any special educator to continue in their research in order to successfully educate these children.

Autism is categorized by deficits in maintaining social relationships and difficulty communicating. The number of children being diagnosed with autism is steadily increasing. Therefore the need incorporate effective interventions that focus on the development of the individual child has become an imperative component for their success. The key for children with Autism to achieve academic and social success depends upon the collaborative effort that is shared among all parties involved: family, teachers, peers; mental health professionals and the community.

Autism and special education is a topic that will never go away. Over the years autism has been the topic of major debate, both locally and nationally. In 2005, Bob and Suzanne Wright start the non-profit organization Autism Speaks Inc. (www.autismspeaks.org). The Wrights were compelled to start this non-profit due to their grandchild being diagnosed with autism. Beginning with a twenty-five million dollar investment the organization is leading the way in autism awareness, research, and resources. Their non-profit is backed by numerous nationally recognized autism organizations. Autism Speaks Inc. is backed by three leading autism organizations, NAAR, the CAN, and the ACRE. Autismspeaks.org has an expansive library of helpful resources regarding autism, the foundation has an impactful mission statement, and they have a board of directors that includes individuals who have been diagnosed with autism.

Per the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), autism spectrum disorder or autism is defined as a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and social interaction. It is characterized by difficulty communicating, forming relationships with people, using language correctly and comprehending abstract concepts. It has the presence of restricted, repetitive behaviors. Many challenges exist in the use of

Facilitated Communication (FC) is a technique used by some caregivers in an attempt to help those with severe communication disabilities. Rosemary Crossley, the originator of FC, came up with this technique in the late 1970’s and it was originally used for individuals with cerebral palsy. A little over a decade later, FC made its way to the U.S. by way of Douglas Biklen and he extended it to autism. Biklen argued that we had it all wrong and that autism is primarily a motor, not mental, disorder. For that reason, many used FC, or supported typing as it is called today, as a means to communicate with autistic individuals who have severe communication disabilities. FC requires two people, the individual with autism and the facilitator.

The lecture “Life on the Spectrum: Living, Learning and Growing as an Autistic Person” presented by Howie Jordan was given on October 27, 2015 at USC Upstate. This speech was about the struggles one with autism faces on a daily basis and the adversity they must overcome. Jordan tells the audience about autism through his eyes and the lessons he has learned through his struggles. Lessons such as how to overcome bullying, physical and mental obstacles, and educational struggles. Jordan’s purpose is to shine light on the idea that a person with autism is just that, a person. No matter what disabilities one may have they are still human and deserve to be treated like one in every part of life.

Bryna Siegel is well respected in the autism community she holds a PhD in Child Development and a MA in Education from Stanford University and is author of four books on diagnosing and treating autism spectrum disorders. Her credentials alone established trustworthiness and creditability appealing to the ethos appeal she knows what she is talking about and I can trust exactly what is stating based on her educational and experience in the field. This book covers fundamentals of learning for individuals diagnosed on the autism spectrum disorder. In this book, she discussed the challenges individual on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face. The intended audience for this book was the parents and professionals seeking to find the best treatment for an individual on the spectrum based on learning styles. This book was easy to read and could be easily understood by whomever reads it. Bryna stated that effective treatment was based on individual’s needs. She claimed that, "in order to help individuals on the spectrum that we must identify social autistic learning disabilities" (Bryna). Which were identified as Autist learning disabilities of communication and autism learning disability and skills of daily living. Bryna mentioned methods such as Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapy which utilized discreet trials and training methods. I was quite impressed with the amount of knowledge this author expressed. This book had a lot of the logos appeal, she had a lot of facts and evidence which backed her claims. The book itself was very informative and effective with a serious educated

Seitler, Burton Norman PhD Intricacies, Complexities, and Limitations of Research on Autism Treatments: An Examination of Seven Treatment Approaches. Ethical Human Psychology & Psychiatry. 2011, Vol. 13 Issue 2, p155-168. 14p. DOI: 10.1891/1559-4343.13.2.155

To encourage the development of social skills students are encouraged to interact with one another throughout the day in a variety of methods, including partner work, small group activities, and large group activities. These teaching techniques enable autistic children to relate to their peers. As autistic children relate to their peers more they are more accepted and in turn continue to learn and acquire new and improved social skills.

The videos “Therapeutic Communication”, “Effective Listening”, and “Nonverbal Communication” created by Indiana University have the agreement that interviewers need to possess effective communication skill needed to conduct a proper interview. In order to have effective therapeutic communication the interviewer has to be aware of the different types of communication. The videos begins with an interview being conducted of a small group of students and experts on the matter giving concreate information and patient-based experience to answer questions.