06/07/2026
Please see my response to the Washington Poste article. Typer community, please add your comments to their comment section to ask for a more accurate balanced reporting.
There is a large body of research demonstrating positive results for Assisted Communication (AC) methods. Thank you to WP for highlighting success stories; however, more could be done to present a balanced perspective. As an Occupational Therapist working in this field for over 25 years, it is disheartening to hear the same misinformation repeated without acknowledging the newer information.
The studies that claimed "influence" in the 1990s relied on outdated methodologies and made inaccurate assumptions. There remains a great deal of misinformation surrounding these methods, while much of the research demonstrating their value goes unmentioned.
Skeptics often claim that there is only one way to test the validity of communication, relying on the same outdated approaches used in the 1990s. What those so-called "message-passing" tests actually demonstrated is that they are a highly unreliable way of assessing communication. Professional skeptics and media outlets need to stop promoting the misguided and unscientific notion that there is only one acceptable way to evaluate AC.
Many individuals who initially learned to type through Facilitated Communication and other AC methods have gone on to become independent typers and highly accomplished individuals. These individuals consistently report that even when they required some level of coaching, they were still effectively communicating their own thoughts and intentions.
Researchers find typers communicating novel information that their communication partners could not have known when communication is studied in natural environments. Apraxia and nervous system dysregulation need to be better understood. Researchers should include best practices that involve the community.
Yes, it is likely possible for individuals with harmful intentions to cause harm. We do not remove fundamental rights because there is a possibility of abuse; instead, we create safeguards while preserving access
Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new autism panel is championing a controversial communication method popular among parents of severely autistic people. Critics warn of abuse — and fake “telepathy.”
