The Comparative Study of Facilitated Communication (FC) and Soft Touching Assistance: To Confirm the Effectiveness as a Communication Method for Students with Physical and Multiple Disabilities

Abstract

2014年８月のNHK特集番組「君が僕の息子について教えてくれたこと」が2014年度文化庁芸術祭テレビ・ドキュメンタリー部門で東田直樹氏が大賞を受賞した。その映像では，話すことができない重度の自閉症者の書字のタイピングやポインティングによるコミュニケーションの様子が放送され，介助なしでのコミュニケーション・ボードのポインティングやキーボードによるパソコン入力でコミュニケーションする様子が映し出されている。しかし，それまでの長い，厳しい過程については余り知られていない。彼だけではなく，多くの音声言語はないが介助付コミュニケーション：Facilitated Communication，表出援助法，筆談援助法などと呼ばれる方法によってコミュニケーションができる事例がある。しかし，介助付きということで，介助者が書いたのか本人が書いたのかという真贋論争も幾度かあり，厳しい議論を呼んだ。本稿ではこれらの方法についての歴史を振り返り，自閉症だけでなく，肢体不自由，重複障害のある子どもたちの支援方法としての可能性と課題について考察した。The special TV program of NHK Education in August, 2014“ What you taught me about my son.” won the Grand Prize on the television documentary section at the Art Festival organized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in fiscal year 2014. The picture in the program showed that Mr. Higashida was non –verbal and had very severe disability of Autism, but able to communicate with pointing a communication board or typing letters on the key board to his PC. The picture showed just today’s situation of him, but it was not known that there was the long process with big efforts and anguish by him and his mother. There were many non-verbal children who can communicate with assisted method: Facilitated Communication (FC), Soft Touching Assistance and Assisted Writing Conversation Method, etc. However, there were very severe arguments about authenticity of these methods in terms of authorship, because boys and girls are not able to communicate without support. It was reviewed these methods in terms of historical review and possibilities of effectiveness for the support method for children with physical disabilities or multiple disabilities as well as autism