A group of advocates working to oppose the use of a discredited communication technique used with autistic children have launched http://www.facilitatedcommunication.org. The site provides information about facilitated communication (FC) and resources for parents, educators, and members of the media. There are links to the available research on FC and its spin-offs, rapid prompting method and spelling to communicate, as well as a collection of the many policy statements opposing the use of FC released by professional organizations such as the American Speech-Hearing-Language Association and the American Psychological Association. Because FC claims to unlock the voices of previously nonspeaking people, it is often the vehicle for miraculous feel-good stories in the media, books, and films (see Benjamin Radford’s review of the film Unspoken in this issue). As a result, the new site includes a catalog of these media portrayals, complete with skeptical reviews. Importantly, the site is also a repository of cases of serious harm caused by facilitated communication, including many false claims of child abuse and actual instances of sexual assault. Finally, the site also includes a blog where regular authors and guest authors write about new developments in this ongoing problem.

“Our goal is to help educate people about the harms of this pseudoscientific practice, keep people appraised of current developments, and provide resources for individuals who are seeking to better understand the phenomenon,” Janyce Boynton, one of the organizers of the website told Skeptical Inquirer. “Many of the contributors—both acknowledged on the website and behind-the-scenes—have been affected personally or professionally by FC and bring rich and diverse perspectives to the effort.”