Library

A working library, in progress.

A curated bibliography of research, books, films, and primary sources on supported, neuromotor-informed communication. This is the list we'd hand a thoughtful clinician, journalist, parent or educator to get started.

Open the searchable research matrix →

Primary sources plus plain-language summaries, filterable by section, topic, year, and score.

Eye-tracking and brain imaging

An emerging line of work uses gaze tracking and neuroimaging to examine where nonspeaking communicators' attention goes during message production, and what neural systems are engaged.

  1. Eye-tracking evidence of target-anticipatory gaze in letterboard users

    Jaswal, V. K., Wayne, A., & Golino, H. (2020). Eye-tracking reveals agency in assisted autistic communication. Scientific Reports, 10, 7882.

    Reports that nonspeaking autistic letterboard users looked at target letters significantly before pointing to them — a pattern that is difficult to reconcile with strong-form facilitator-authorship accounts.

  2. Replications, critiques, and methodological extensions

    Subsequent commentary and re-analysis literature, 2020–present.

    Active conversation across psychology, communication sciences, and disability studies. The empirical question is open in a way the older verdict treats as closed.

Motor planning, apraxia, and autism

A long literature on motor differences in autism that the 1990s critique of FC mostly predates, and that today's neuromotor framing draws on.

  1. Motor signs across autism subgroups

    Bhat, A. N. (2020). Is motor impairment in autism spectrum disorder distinct from developmental coordination disorder? Physical Therapy, 100(4).

    Large-sample evidence that motor differences are central, not incidental, to many autistic profiles.

  2. Praxis deficits in autism

    Mostofsky, S. H., Dubey, P., Jerath, V. K., et al. (2006). Developmental dyspraxia is not limited to imitation in children with autism spectrum disorders. JINS, 12(3).

    Foundational work documenting praxis deficits beyond imitation in autistic children.

  3. Motor learning principles applied to communication

    Maas, E., Robin, D. A., Austermann Hula, S. N., et al. (2008). Principles of motor learning in treatment of motor speech disorders. AJSLP, 17(3).

    The principles of motor learning literature that responsible supported-typing practice increasingly draws on.

Civil rights, ADA, and effective communication

Policy and legal sources establishing the framework within which supported communication is, among other things, a civil-rights question.

  1. Effective communication under Title II of the ADA

    28 C.F.R. § 35.160. U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division.

    Public entities must take appropriate steps to ensure communications with people with disabilities are as effective as communications with others.

  2. Auxiliary aids and services definition

    28 C.F.R. § 35.104.

    Defines the categories of aids and services covered, including qualified interpreters and 'other effective methods of making aurally delivered information available.'

Historical primary sources

The foundational texts for understanding how facilitated communication arose, spread, and was contested.

  1. Crossley, R. & McDonald, A. (1980). Annie's Coming Out.

    Penguin Books Australia.

    Crossley's account of her early work with Anne McDonald, dramatized in the 1984 film of the same name.

  2. Biklen, D. (1990). Communication unbound.

    Harvard Educational Review, 60(3).

    The paper that introduced facilitated communication to a wide U.S. audience.

  3. Position statements (ASHA, APA, AAIDD)

    Various, 1990s–present.

    Worth reading in the original, alongside the more recent evidence they do not engage with.

First-person writing by nonspeaking authors

The single best entry point into the conversation. Read what nonspeaking people are saying about their own experience.

  1. The Reason I Jump

    Higashida, N. (2007 / English 2013). Random House.

  2. How Can I Talk If My Lips Don't Move?

    Mukhopadhyay, T. R. (2008). Arcade Publishing.

  3. Underestimated: An Autism Miracle

    Handley, J. B. & Handley, J. (2021). Skyhorse Publishing.

  4. I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust

    Foti, V., Foti, A., & Goff, L. (2023). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Documentaries and films

Long-form video work that has shaped public understanding of supported communication.

  1. Spellers (2023)

    Created by Dawnmarie Gaivin and Dana Johnson; produced by Pat Notaro III. Documentary feature.

  2. This Is Not About Me (2021)

    Directed by Jordan Melograna. About nonspeaking advocate Jordyn Zimmerman.

  3. Wretches & Jabberers (2011)

    Directed by Gerardine Wurzburg. Following two nonspeaking autistic adults (including Pascal Cheng) internationally. Trailer and full film at WretchesandJabberers.org.

  4. My Voice: One Man's Journey to Overcome the Silence of Autism

    Documentary about Matt Hayes — a powerful first-person account of finding communication.

  5. Autism Is a World (2004)

    Directed by Gerardine Wurzburg. Profile of Sue Rubin, narrated by Julianna Margulies.

  6. Annie's Coming Out (1984)

    Directed by Gil Brealey. Dramatization of Rosemary Crossley's early work.

  7. Videos & documentaries collection

    Curated film and video library maintained by The Wellspring Guild.

Essays and field perspectives

Longer-form pieces from clinicians and practitioners working inside AC every day. Useful context alongside the peer-reviewed literature.

  1. Facilitated Communication: A Contested History, An Evolving Future — Reclaiming and Rehabilitating the Term

    Damiao, G. (OT). Essay.

    Galilee Damiao argues that FC should be understood not through outdated 1990s claims but through the lens of individualized communication access, an evolving evidence base, and the lived experience of those who use these methods successfully every day. The essay reviews the methodological flaws of the early critical studies, the alternative ways autonomy and effectiveness can be evaluated (longitudinal documentation in natural environments, information conveyed that was unknown to the partner, consistency of style across multiple trained partners, alignment of eye gaze and affect, spontaneous opinions that diverge from the partner, functional outcomes in education, employment, and self-advocacy), and frames the question, ultimately, as a human-rights issue.

Network organizations and partner sites

Organizations working in adjacent and overlapping space, whose materials we draw on and link to throughout.

  1. The Wellspring Guild

    Education, advocacy, and resources for Facilitated Communication — including videos, books, and organizations lists.

  2. Spellers Freedom Foundation

    Advocacy, education, and access work growing from the Spellers community.

  3. Communication 4 All

    Free educational platform (C4A Academy) for families, schools, and clinicians.

  4. I-ASC

    International Association for Spelling as Communication — training and credentialing for S2C practitioners.

  5. United for Communication Choice

    Civil-rights advocacy on access to AAC and supported communication.

A note on citations: this library is curated for thoughtful entry into the conversation, not exhaustive. Where we cite peer-reviewed work, we encourage reading the original sources alongside the position statements that disagree with them. If you have a source you'd like us to consider, please reach out through our contact form.