Facilitated Communication, Ethics, and Harm: An Ethical Deep Dive (part 2 of Former Facilitator Interview)

How to Respond to S2C Supporters with Empathy, Not Combat

TOPIC SUBMISSION FORM: https://forms.gle/5AUvprN4Xtr8yxQD9 ACCESS FREE THREE MONTHS OF PATREON HERE: https://www.patreon.com/ttislp/redeem/90231 Apparently, the online debate between S2C supporters and SLPs is getting pretty dang heated. So,on this follow-up to my last episode on ableism, I reflect on how SLPs and other helping professionals can respond to conversations about S2C with more compassion, emotional awareness, and care vs. jumping straight to debate or research citations. I emphasize the importance of understanding that many parents are coming to these conversations from a place of hope, stress, grief, and deep desire to understand their child. I try to offer a trauma-informed lens for navigating online discussions and real-world conversations alike, with attention to how stigma, systemic neglect, and caregiver exhaustion can shape the way families engage with communication methods. I, of course, also discuss the role of authorship testing, autonomy, and evidence-based practice ('cause I can't help but info-dump about those things), while emphasizing that being thoughtful and empathetic does not mean abandoning professional standards. This episode is for SLPs, educators, AAC providers, and other helping professionals who want to hold space for complexity, avoid escalating conflict, and support families in ways that are grounded, humane, and respectful. About: The Trauma-Informed SLP website (Also includes my Work Cited [https://www.trauma-informed-slp.com/works-cited] page.) Our email [tic.slp.podcast@gmail.com] YouTube Playlist for Late-Diagnosed Neurodivergents [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYz1kSw-M0sDXYFsdRx28EaSIzyV2H80K] Follow us on all the things! https://linktr.ee/TTISLP [https://linktr.ee/TTISLP]

Does being skeptical of Spell-to-Communicate (S2C) make you ableist?

TOPIC SUBMISSION FORM: https://forms.gle/5AUvprN4Xtr8yxQD9 ACCESS FREE THREE MONTHS OF PATREON HERE: https://www.patreon.com/ttislp/redeem/90231 In this episode, I unpack why questioning facilitated communication variants is not the same as being ableist. I talk through the difference between respecting lived experience and still asking for authorship testing, independent access, and evidence-based practice when communication support is involved. I also reflect on the tension between advocacy, bias, and the real need to protect vulnerable people from harm while still honoring autonomy and dignity. This conversation is especially relevant for speech-language pathologists, OTs, educators, and other helping professionals navigating autism acceptance and the ethics of supporting nonspeaking communicators. If you work with autistic clients, use AAC, or want a more nuanced take on the facilitated communication debate, this episode offers a grounded perspective for thinking critically without losing sight of compassion. About: The Trauma-Informed SLP website (Also includes my Work Cited [https://www.trauma-informed-slp.com/works-cited] page.) Our email [tic.slp.podcast@gmail.com] YouTube Playlist for Late-Diagnosed Neurodivergents [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYz1kSw-M0sDXYFsdRx28EaSIzyV2H80K] Follow us on all the things! https://linktr.ee/TTISLP [https://linktr.ee/TTISLP]

New SLPs: Imposter syndrome and the impact of SLP Influencers

TOPIC SUBMISSION FORM: https://forms.gle/5AUvprN4Xtr8yxQD9 ACCESS FREE THREE MONTHS OF PATREON HERE: https://www.patreon.com/ttislp/redeem/90231 Have you ever seen an SLP influencer's post and immediately felt like everything you’re doing is wrong?  In this episode, I react to a CF-SLP who’s overwhelmed by all the “this is harmful” and “you’re doing it wrong” takes—and unpack what’s actually going on (e.g., algorithms & rage bait, burnout, research moving at a snail’s pace). We get into: * Why therapy isn’t as black-and-white as the internet makes it seem * How to ground yourself using trauma-informed principles (without spiraling) * How to support clients without piling on shame—yours or theirs * Why feeling unsure doesn’t mean you’re a bad clinician No perfect checklists here—just a more realistic, human way to think about your work. If you’re deep in imposter syndrome or having anxiety around your entire clinical existence after scrolling… you’re not alone. And you’re probably doing better than you think. About: The Trauma-Informed SLP website (Also includes my Work Cited [https://www.trauma-informed-slp.com/works-cited] page.) Our email [tic.slp.podcast@gmail.com] YouTube Playlist for Late-Diagnosed Neurodivergents [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYz1kSw-M0sDXYFsdRx28EaSIzyV2H80K] Follow us on all the things! https://linktr.ee/TTISLP [https://linktr.ee/TTISLP]

Facilitated Communication, Ethics, and Harm: An Ethical Deep Dive (part 2 of Former Facilitator Interview)

TOPIC SUBMISSION FORM: https://forms.gle/5AUvprN4Xtr8yxQD9 ACCESS FREE THREE MONTHS OF PATREON HERE: https://www.patreon.com/ttislp/redeem/90231 In this episode, Janyce and Kim continue their conversation about the old and new forms of facilitated communication (e.g., letterboards, spelling-to-communicate, rapid prompting method) and telepathy claims in non-speaking autistic people. Together we unpack how subtle cueing, ideomotor effects, and sleight-of-hand style dynamics can create the powerful illusion of independent communication—even for well-intentioned, reflective professionals and parents. They also explore false abuse allegations, high-control group tactics around FC, what real authorship testing looks like, and why independent AAC access and consent, autonomy, and presuming competence have to stay at the center of ethical practice. We also discuss critical differences in how training SLPs use certain terminology (e.g., independent, neurodiversity-affirming) vs. how facilitators are co-opting the terms and redefining them. This episode is geared toward speech-language pathologists, OTs, educators, psychologists, and caregivers of non-speaking children and adults who want to stay trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming, and evidence-based while avoiding practices that can unintentionally cause serious harm. FIND AND CONTACT JANYCE HERE: https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/ [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/]  About: The Trauma-Informed SLP website (Also includes my Work Cited [https://www.trauma-informed-slp.com/works-cited] page.) Our email [tic.slp.podcast@gmail.com] YouTube Playlist for Late-Diagnosed Neurodivergents [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYz1kSw-M0sDXYFsdRx28EaSIzyV2H80K] Follow us on all the things! https://linktr.ee/TTISLP [https://linktr.ee/TTISLP] Janyce's References: * Four in the Bedroom: https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/four-in-the-bedroom-lamentations-or-exploitation-of-non-speaking-individuals [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/four-in-the-bedroom-lamentations-or-exploitation-of-non-speaking-individuals] * Abdication Patterns in Individuals Being Facilitated:: https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/abdication-patterns-in-fced-individuals-a-review-of-bebko-perry-and-bryson-1996 [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/abdication-patterns-in-fced-individuals-a-review-of-bebko-perry-and-bryson-1996] * James Randi (Magician/Skeptic): https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/a-magician-cannot-dispute-fc-or-can-he [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/a-magician-cannot-dispute-fc-or-can-he] * Types of Facilitator Behaviors (Across FC/S2C/RPM): https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/an-fc-primer [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/an-fc-primer] * Discouraging Speech in S2C: https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/an-inside-look-at-s2c-we-actually-discourage-them-from-using-their-speech-while-they-are-spelling [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/an-inside-look-at-s2c-we-actually-discourage-them-from-using-their-speech-while-they-are-spelling] * ABA vs. FC (in terms of cueing): https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/aba-vs-fc-what-aba-knows-about-autism-instructional-needs-and-the-harmful-effects-of-inadvertent-cues [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/aba-vs-fc-what-aba-knows-about-autism-instructional-needs-and-the-harmful-effects-of-inadvertent-cues] * Tracy Kedar (mother/facilitator/author of "Ido in Autismland") having an awareness that physical touch was drawing criticism from school personnel, so she "developed" a form of FC that didn't rely as much on physical touch: https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/clever-hands-skepticism-and-ido-in-autismland [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/clever-hands-skepticism-and-ido-in-autismland] * Critiques of FC Movies (including "The Reason I Jump"): https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/movies [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/movies] * Critiques of the Telepathy Tapes: https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/podcasts [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/podcasts] * Claims of superhuman powers by the Telepathy Tapes folks (including seeing and diagnosing medical conditions in other people): https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/review-of-joe-rogans-interview-with-telepathy-tapes-host-ky-dickens-the-stuff-of-conspiracy-theories-fantasy-and-urban-legends-part-4 [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/review-of-joe-rogans-interview-with-telepathy-tapes-host-ky-dickens-the-stuff-of-conspiracy-theories-fantasy-and-urban-legends-part-4] * Support for FC/Telepathy in the early 1990s by Donnellan and Haskew of the University of Wisconsin: https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/haskew-and-donnellans-bizarre-take-on-fc [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/haskew-and-donnellans-bizarre-take-on-fc] * A cost analysis of RPM (it's expensive!): https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/rpm-and-dirfloortime-at-what-cost [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/rpm-and-dirfloortime-at-what-cost] * Portia Iversen's book "Strange Son" that recounts Soma Mukhopadyay's story and the introduction of RPM into the U.S. (Also, I don't think I mentioned it, but Soma failed two impromptu authorship tests) https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/truth-will-out-review-of-portia-iversens-strange-son [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/truth-will-out-review-of-portia-iversens-strange-son] * https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/strange-science-in-iversens-book-strange-son [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/strange-science-in-iversens-book-strange-son]

Facilitated Communication, Ethics, and Harm: An SLP Interviews a Former Facilitator (Part 1)

TOPIC SUBMISSION FORM: https://forms.gle/5AUvprN4Xtr8yxQD9 ACCESS FREE THREE MONTHS OF PATREON HERE: https://www.patreon.com/ttislp/redeem/90231 In this first part of a two-episode interview, trauma-informed speech-language pathologist Kim Neely speaks with Janice Boynton—artist, educator, and former speech clinician—about her firsthand experience using facilitated communication (FC) in the 1990s and her later decision to publicly speak out against it. Janyce shares how she became involved in FC during a period of rapid change in special education, inclusion, and communication practices, and how the training, messaging, and psychology surrounding facilitated communication shaped her beliefs at the time. We explore how FC was introduced in schools, why it initially felt compelling to helping professionals, and how concerns about authorship, cueing, and ethics emerged through research and real-world consequences. This episode examines facilitated communication through a trauma-informed lens—focusing not on blame, but on understanding how well-intentioned clinicians, educators, and caregivers can be drawn to approaches that promise access, competence, and connection. Topics include the history of FC, the evolution into newer facilitator-influenced techniques (such as spelling to communicate and rapid prompting methods), the role of “don’t test, presume competence” messaging, and the ethical implications for SLPs and other helping professionals. This conversation is especially relevant for speech-language pathologists, educators, AAC professionals, therapists, and students navigating evidence-based practice, neurodiversity-affirming care, and clinical decision-making in emotionally complex systems. Part two will continue the discussion with a deeper focus on ethical implications, current resurgences of facilitator-influenced methods, and how professionals can critically evaluate communication practices while maintaining compassion and humility. FIND AND CONTACT JANYCE HERE: https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/ [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/] About: The Trauma-Informed SLP website (Also includes my Work Cited [https://www.trauma-informed-slp.com/works-cited] page.) Our email [tic.slp.podcast@gmail.com] YouTube Playlist for Late-Diagnosed Neurodivergents [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYz1kSw-M0sDXYFsdRx28EaSIzyV2H80K] Follow us on all the things! https://linktr.ee/TTISLP [https://linktr.ee/TTISLP] Janyce's References: * Four in the Bedroom: https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/four-in-the-bedroom-lamentations-or-exploitation-of-non-speaking-individuals [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/four-in-the-bedroom-lamentations-or-exploitation-of-non-speaking-individuals] * Abdication Patterns in Individuals Being Facilitated:: https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/abdication-patterns-in-fced-individuals-a-review-of-bebko-perry-and-bryson-1996 [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/abdication-patterns-in-fced-individuals-a-review-of-bebko-perry-and-bryson-1996] * James Randi (Magician/Skeptic): https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/a-magician-cannot-dispute-fc-or-can-he [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/a-magician-cannot-dispute-fc-or-can-he] * Types of Facilitator Behaviors (Across FC/S2C/RPM): https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/an-fc-primer [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/an-fc-primer] * Discouraging Speech in S2C: https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/an-inside-look-at-s2c-we-actually-discourage-them-from-using-their-speech-while-they-are-spelling [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/an-inside-look-at-s2c-we-actually-discourage-them-from-using-their-speech-while-they-are-spelling] * ABA vs. FC (in terms of cueing): https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/aba-vs-fc-what-aba-knows-about-autism-instructional-needs-and-the-harmful-effects-of-inadvertent-cues [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/aba-vs-fc-what-aba-knows-about-autism-instructional-needs-and-the-harmful-effects-of-inadvertent-cues] * Tracy Kedar (mother/facilitator/author of "Ido in Autismland") having an awareness that physical touch was drawing criticism from school personnel, so she "developed" a form of FC that didn't rely as much on physical touch: https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/clever-hands-skepticism-and-ido-in-autismland [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/clever-hands-skepticism-and-ido-in-autismland] * Critiques of FC Movies (including "The Reason I Jump"): https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/movies [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/movies] * Critiques of the Telepathy Tapes: https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/podcasts [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/podcasts] * Claims of superhuman powers by the Telepathy Tapes folks (including seeing and diagnosing medical conditions in other people): https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/review-of-joe-rogans-interview-with-telepathy-tapes-host-ky-dickens-the-stuff-of-conspiracy-theories-fantasy-and-urban-legends-part-4 [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/review-of-joe-rogans-interview-with-telepathy-tapes-host-ky-dickens-the-stuff-of-conspiracy-theories-fantasy-and-urban-legends-part-4] * Support for FC/Telepathy in the early 1990s by Donnellan and Haskew of the University of Wisconsin: https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/haskew-and-donnellans-bizarre-take-on-fc [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/haskew-and-donnellans-bizarre-take-on-fc] * A cost analysis of RPM (it's expensive!): https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/rpm-and-dirfloortime-at-what-cost [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/rpm-and-dirfloortime-at-what-cost] * Portia Iversen's book "Strange Son" that recounts Soma Mukhopadyay's story and the introduction of RPM into the U.S. (Also, I don't think I mentioned it, but Soma failed two impromptu authorship tests) https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/truth-will-out-review-of-portia-iversens-strange-son [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/truth-will-out-review-of-portia-iversens-strange-son] * https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/strange-science-in-iversens-book-strange-son [https://www.facilitatedcommunication.org/blog/strange-science-in-iversens-book-strange-son]