Douglas Biklen
Encyclopedia
Douglas Paul Biklen is an American educator best known for promoting the controversial theory of "facilitated communication
", an augmentative and alternative communication
technique for people with communication impairments, particularly autism
.
Biklen learned of the theory of facilitated communication (FC) in Melbourne
, Australia
and exported it to the US. According to this theory, some individuals whose communication is hindered by dyspraxia
can communicate with the aid of a facilitator, who supports the patient's hand while he or she types words on a keyboard. However, critics claim that what the client types is actually produced by the facilitator. In all controlled studies where clients and facilitators are given different information, the client types the name of the object seen by the facilitator, not the clients.
Biklen co-produced the 2004 film Autism Is a World
, directed by Geraldine Wurzburg. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
. He also produced the film "My Classic Life as an Artist: A Portrait of Larry Bissonnette" at Syracuse University.
Biklen has worked at Syracuse University
since 1969 and founded the university's Facilitated Communication Institute in 1992. In August 2005, Biklen was promoted to dean of the School of Education. The appointment was criticised by the Commission for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1123231329116721.xml&coll=1 and by some members of the special education research community http://spedpro.org/2005/10/31/dismay-over-syracuse-appointment-of-dean/.
Facilitated communication
Facilitated communication is a process by which a facilitator supports the hand or arm of a communicatively impaired individual while using a keyboard or other devices with the aim of helping the individual to develop pointing skills and to communicate...
", an augmentative and alternative communication
Augmentative and alternative communication
Augmentative and alternative communication is an umbrella term that encompasses the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or writing for those with impairments in the production or comprehension of spoken or written language...
technique for people with communication impairments, particularly autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
.
Biklen learned of the theory of facilitated communication (FC) in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and exported it to the US. According to this theory, some individuals whose communication is hindered by dyspraxia
Dyspraxia
Developmental dyspraxia is a motor learning difficulty that can affect planning of movements and co-ordination as a result of brain messages not being accurately transmitted to the body...
can communicate with the aid of a facilitator, who supports the patient's hand while he or she types words on a keyboard. However, critics claim that what the client types is actually produced by the facilitator. In all controlled studies where clients and facilitators are given different information, the client types the name of the object seen by the facilitator, not the clients.
Biklen co-produced the 2004 film Autism Is a World
Autism Is a World
Autism Is a World is a short subject documentary film written by Sue Rubin, a woman with autism who learned to communicate via facilitated communication, produced and directed by Gerardine Wurzburg and co-produced by the CNN cable network. It was nominated in the 77th annual Academy Awards for...
, directed by Geraldine Wurzburg. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject
This is a list of films by year that have received an Oscar together with the other nominations for best documentary short subject. Following the Academy's practice, the year listed for each film is the year of release: the awards are announced and presented early in the following year.-1940s:*1941...
. He also produced the film "My Classic Life as an Artist: A Portrait of Larry Bissonnette" at Syracuse University.
Biklen has worked at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
since 1969 and founded the university's Facilitated Communication Institute in 1992. In August 2005, Biklen was promoted to dean of the School of Education. The appointment was criticised by the Commission for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1123231329116721.xml&coll=1 and by some members of the special education research community http://spedpro.org/2005/10/31/dismay-over-syracuse-appointment-of-dean/.
External links
- Syracuse University page
- Facilitated Communication Institute, Syracuse University
- Transcript of Frontline episode "Prisoners of Silence", October 19, 1993
- Response to Frontline show by FC proponents