Knowing alternative therapies is an advantage to find new ways to deal with various conditions. That is why we are focused on offering a good number of techniques capable of dealing with a large number of health problems. In this sense, below, we bring you everything you need to know about the communication provided .
Information of interest on the communication provided
Basically, the facilitated communication is addressed to autistic children with deficiencies in their motor skills that prevents them, in some way, from communicating orally and in writing with ease.
This type of communication is based on the premise that these autistic children have greater limitations to communicate, because communication and language skills are restricted by their impediments.
In this way, in the communication provided, there is the figure of a facilitator, who is the person who, in the middle of a therapy, guides the child's hand with autism, so that they point out all the words that make up a message that is written on a board.
Bases of therapy
This therapy is based on the belief that the unexploited skills that these children possess in terms of language and communication can be stimulated .
Studies against therapy
However, the popularity of the facilitated communication collapsed, because over the years, several studies showed that the answers or advances obtained did not belong to the child, but were the result of the facilitator.
All these studies were focused on verifying that the child did not write the texts, but in addition to this, the research also corroborated that this type of communication not only did not have beneficial results, but also had negative aspects that harmed, encouraging the abandonment of systematic work. .
Among the studies that marked clear opposition against the communication provided, the following stand out: New York Department of Health or technological advances that also acted against the main foundations of such therapy.
This is so because with adaptive technology the figure of the "facilitator" becomes totally unnecessary. It would be something that means that today any autistic child with motor limitations can perfectly manipulate devices adapted to any type of special requirement .
And there are even devices that are controlled with minimal movement, allowing any individual to be independent in the activities they perform without the intervention of a guide.
However, all these advances are not limited to the arrival of technology, long before there were mechanical aids that made it easier for people to move their limbs.
Differences with other therapies
On the other hand, many people often confuse the controversial “facilitated communication” with another type of treatment, called “alternative augmentative communication”.
But these are different concepts, for example, augmentative communication is only responsible for facilitating people with some type of impediment to speak, a medium, such as symbols, or any other high-tech.
However, alternative augmentative communication in itself is not considered as a treatment, but is a complementary part of treatments aimed at facilitating oral communication in people or children with some special requirement.
Finally, although the communication facilitated today is outdated, and all its consequences have been exposed to the public domain thanks to various studies, for many years it was a therapy of great popularity, which was defended or argued in several films . So it depends on each one if you want to try this therapy or not.
Seen in ABA Autism, by Pedro, editor of the Great White Brotherhood
