A VALIDATED CASE-STUDY OF FACILITATED COMMUNICATION

The case of a 13-year-old boy with autism, severe mental retardation, and a seizure disorder who was able to demonstrate valid facilitated c ommunication was described. In three independent trials, short stories were presented to him, followed by validation test procedures with an uninformed facilitator providing physical support to the subject's ar m. In Trials 1 and 3, several specific answers were provided that clea rly indicated that the young man, not the uninformed facilitator, was the source of the information. Moreover, some responses seemed to impl y that the subject was employing simple inferential and abstract reaso ning. This case study adds to the small, but growing number of demonst rations that facilitated communication can sometimes be a valid method for at least some individuals with developmental disabilities.