A Passion To Believe: Autism And The Facilitated Communication Phenomenon (Essays in Developmental Science) [Hardcover]

Diane Twachtman-cullen (Author)

Book Description

Series: Essays in Developmental Science | Publication Date: August 28, 1997

“While the main purpose of this book is to report on my research, ultimately this book is about more than facilitated communication. It is about what I have come to call the FC culture—that sociopolitical phenomenon in which unanimity of thought and philosophy has created a class of believers whose ‘sacred’ mission is not only to advance the cause of facilitated communication but also to disparage the opposition. It is also about the far-reaching effects that occur when common practice disassociates itself from common sense and when ethics and responsibility fall victim to a passion to believe.”Thus begins A Passion to Believe, Diane Twachtman-Cullen’s critical assessment of facilitated communication. Employed as a technique for drawing out the so-called hidden language of nonverbal or expressively limited (typically autistic) individuals, FC has been highly controversial in the United States since its introduction in 1991. Proponents claim the technique frees even profoundly impaired clients of the constraints of disability and allows them to communicate effectively for the first time with their families and caregivers. Scientific experts disagree, citing contradictions between these claims and scientific evidence of the true nature of autism. Resistant to validation by scientific scrutiny and yet quick to introduce facilitated messages as evidence in courtroom claims of abuse by caregivers, FC advocates have generated a polarized debate in the disability community.In her investigation, Twachtman-Cullen plays by the rules of the FC community, employing meticulously documented qualitative, rather than quantitative, research methods to study facilitators and their clients at work. Through her participant observation and assessment, and using actual case studies and transcripts of FC sessions, she confirms the mounting evidence that results obtained through FC are insupportable. In her detailed portraits, heartbreaking scenarios emerge of fervent facilitators and frustrated clients. Moreover, she demonstrates the harm that FC can inflict when unconscious facilitator influence distorts the intentions of the client, creates false hope in families, and leads to false charges of abuse and neglect by caregivers. Her findings will be of interest to anyone concerned with the care of the disabled as well as those interested in the psychology of belief and the struggle between science and pseudoscience.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Diane Twachtman-Cullen is executive director of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Consultation Center in Cromwell, Connecticut. She is a licensed speech-language pathologist and a communication disorders specialist.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press (August 28, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813390982
• ISBN-13: 978-0813390987
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,692,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Devastating and brilliant, January 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Passion To Believe: Autism And The Facilitated Communication Phenomenon (Essays in Developmental Science) (Hardcover)

Twachtman-Cullen's meticulously researched and impeccably objective case studies of "facilitated communication" go beyond demonstrating the messages produced to be the handiwork of the "facilitators" themselves. With great sensitivity and respect for the people with autism involved - indeed, greater sensitivity and respect than is shown by the "facilitators", despite their rhetoric about trust - she documents the way in which the methods and practices of the "facilitators", such as ignoring clear verbal and non-verbal signals which might conflict with the facilitated "messages", in fact frustrate and abuse their clients, producing aggression, anxiety, attempts to escape, and even self-injurious behaviour.

This book should be read and heeded by everyone connected with the autism field, not only for its dazzling expose of FC, but also for its insight into the way in which a fanatically-defended ideology can end up riding rough-shod over the basic human rights of the people it purports to be helping. People with autism deserve better than being used as human Ouija boards.

1.0 out of 5 stars A Passion to Disbelieve, January 3, 2011

By 

H. James "SLP" (Pleasant Valley, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Passion To Believe: Autism And The Facilitated Communication Phenomenon (Essays in Developmental Science) (Hardcover)

This is a very shallow investigation of Facilitated Communication and represents an out-dated (thank goodness!) view of the behavior of autistics as "what you see is all there is". I used FC with many students in the early 90's and found that when a student walked away from me it didn't necessarily mean he/she didn't want to continue. In fact one boy jumped up and ran off, and when I followed him and asked him why he left in the middle of a sentence, he typed, "I WAS JUST SO EXCITED" and was very willing to continue our conversation.
I have continued to use FC with some individuals for 20 years, and for those whose communication is accepted it has made an enormous difference in the quality of their lives. For those who are not permitted to use FC in their living environments (some group homes and institutions do not allow its use), the frustration and disappointment are palpable. These people complain of loneliness and boredom, frustration and anger at not being seen and treated as intelligent individuals.
This method of communication deserves at the very least to be examined more carefully. Skeptics need to go to the source and see for themselves how people who use FC function as the people they are -- real people with hopes and dreams, people who care about others, people with opinions. Communication is such an important part of all of our lives. Without the most careful scrutiny, we cannot afford to turn away from something that can make a person's life worth living. Twachtman-Cullen's observations don't come close.

11 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Inaccurate, biased , and self-satisfied., January 29, 1998

By 

C. Burgoyne (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Passion To Believe: Autism And The Facilitated Communication Phenomenon (Essays in Developmental Science) (Hardcover)

Twatchman's book has various errors of fact that could have been checked, but its serious flaws are more basic. Her viewpoint comes out most clearly in the section where she points out that people using facilitated communication often produce output inconsistent with their previous assessments. How do FCT people account for that? she asks, and seems to think she has made a point. The answer is, of course, that assessments made without being able to communicate with a person would be expected to differ from assessments made with a person who could communicate, and the fact that she cannot see this elementary point points to her basic mind-set. She believes that psychological assessments are infallible, however they are done. She believes that what has been done in the past is infallible, that we already know all we need about (say) autism, and that no new concepts are conceivable or permissible. Writing from this standpoint it is hardly surprising that she misinterprets almost everything about the cases she purports to record. The book is illogical, biased, and an example of 'scientism' rather than scientific thinking. Anybody who can't pick ten internal contradictions in the first chapter has no business calling themselves a sceptic.