Draft:James T. Todd
Submission declined on 10 April 2026 by Nighfidelity (talk).
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Comment: Not sure how he's notable. Please see WP:NPROF and explain how he might. Nighfidelity (talk) 14:16, 10 April 2026 (UTC)
James T. Todd | |
|---|---|
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Kansas (BA, BA, MA, PhD) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Psychology |
Sub-discipline | Behaviorism, history of psychology, autism interventions |
| Institutions | Eastern Michigan University |
Notable works | Modern Perspectives on John B. Watson and Classical Behaviorism (1994) Modern Perspectives on B.F. Skinner and Contemporary Behaviorism (1995) |
James T. Todd is an American psychologist and professor of psychology at Eastern Michigan University (EMU). He is known for his research on the history of psychology, particularly behaviorism, and for his work debunking pseudoscientific interventions for autism, especially facilitated communication and the rapid prompting method.[1] Todd has served as an expert witness in multiple court cases involving facilitated communication, including the high-profile Anna Stubblefield sexual assault trial.[2]
Education and early career
[edit]Todd earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in human development from the University of Kansas in 1981, followed by a Master of Arts in human development in 1986 and a Ph.D. in human development and child psychology in 1990, studying under Edward K. Morris.[3] Before pursuing his doctorate, Todd worked for seven years as a radio engineer at KANU, the University of Kansas public radio station, and taught electronics, mathematics, and computer programming at Kansas City Area Vocational Technical School and General Motors.[4]
Academic career
[edit]Todd joined Eastern Michigan University in 1990. He served as head of the psychology department from 1999 to 2003 and also served as associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.[4] During his tenure as department head, EMU approved its first Ph.D. program (in clinical psychology).[3]
Todd is the secretary-treasurer of the Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan (BAAM), a state affiliate of the Association for Behavior Analysis International.[1] He authored the BAAM Resolution on Facilitated Communication in 1998, which has gathered approximately 450 signatories from scientists and practitioners worldwide.[3]
Research
[edit]Todd's research interests include the history and philosophy of radical behaviorism, the experimental analysis of schedule-induced behavior, animal models of exposure therapy, and the analysis of pseudoscientific interventions for developmental disabilities.[1]
Together with his doctoral advisor Edward K. Morris, Todd co-edited two volumes on the history of behaviorism: Modern Perspectives on John B. Watson and Classical Behaviorism (1994) and Modern Perspectives on B.F. Skinner and Contemporary Behaviorism (1995), both published by Greenwood Press.[5][6]
Facilitated communication
[edit]Much of Todd's recent work has focused on critiquing facilitated communication (FC) and the rapid prompting method, interventions for autism that he and other researchers consider scientifically discredited.[7] In 2014, he co-authored a paper with Scott Lilienfeld and Howard C. Shane documenting the continued use of FC despite scientific evidence against its validity.[7]
Todd has described facilitated communication as "the single most scientifically discredited intervention in all of developmental disabilities."[2] In 2024, he called Syracuse University's continued promotion of FC a "major embarrassment," stating that "no ethical clinician would foist pseudoscience on that kind of population."[8]
Expert witness work
[edit]Todd has served as an expert witness in multiple court cases involving facilitated communication. He has testified for the defense in cases where individuals were falsely accused of abuse based on messages produced through FC, and for the prosecution in cases where FC was used to falsely claim consent.[1]
In 2015, Todd was the final witness for the prosecution in the trial of Anna Stubblefield, a former Rutgers University philosophy professor convicted of sexually assaulting a man with severe cerebral palsy.[2] Todd testified about the scientific evidence against the validity of facilitated communication, which Stubblefield had used to claim the victim could communicate and consent.[9] Stubblefield was convicted and initially sentenced to 12 years in prison.[10]
Todd also testified for the defense in the Wendrow case in Michigan, where a family was falsely accused of rape based on allegations made through facilitated communication.[11]
Policy work
[edit]Todd has been involved in autism-related policy work in Michigan. He worked to develop and pass Michigan's autism insurance reform laws and was a co-author of Michigan's behavior analysis licensing bills.[4] Following passage of the autism insurance mandate in 2012, Todd was quoted in Crain's Detroit Business discussing the challenges of implementing the new coverage.[12]
Selected publications
[edit]- Todd, James T. (2015). "Old horses in new stables: Rapid prompting, facilitated communication, science, ethics, and the history of magic". In Foxx, Richard M.; Mulick, James A. (eds.). Controversial Therapies for Developmental Disabilities: Fad, Fashion, and Science in Professional Practice (2nd ed.). Routledge.
- Todd, James T. (2012). "Rapid Prompting". In Volkmar, Fred (ed.). Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer.
- Todd, James T.; Pietrowski, Jennifer L. (2007). "Animal models of exposure therapy: A selective review". In Richard, David C. S.; Lauterbach, Dean (eds.). Handbook of Exposure Therapies. Academic Press.
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "James T. Todd". Eastern Michigan University. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
- 1 2 3 New, Jake (5 October 2015). "Rutgers professor convicted of sexually assaulting a disabled man". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Facilitate This: Part I of a Two-Part Interview with Dr. James Todd". Association for Science in Autism Treatment. 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Facilitated Communication". National Council on Severe Autism. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
- ↑ Todd, James T.; Morris, Edward K., eds. (1994). Modern Perspectives on John B. Watson and Classical Behaviorism. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0313277085.
- ↑ Todd, James T.; Morris, Edward K., eds. (1995). Modern Perspectives on B.F. Skinner and Contemporary Behaviorism. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0313296116.
- 1 2 Lilienfeld, Scott O.; Marshall, Julia; Todd, James T.; Shane, Howard C. (2014). "The persistence of fad interventions in the face of negative scientific evidence: Facilitated communication for autism as a case example". Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention. 8 (2): 62–101. doi:10.1080/17489539.2014.976332.
- ↑ Hendricks, Mandy (20 February 2024). "How facilitated communication persists at Syracuse University". The Daily Orange. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
- ↑ "Rutgers Professor Found Guilty of Sexually Assaulting Disabled Man" (Press release). Essex County Prosecutor's Office. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
- ↑ "Former Chairwoman of Rutgers Philosophy Department Sentenced to 12 Years" (Press release). Essex County Prosecutor's Office. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
- ↑ "News". Behavior Analysis Association of Michigan. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
- ↑ Greene, Jay (16 April 2012). "With autism bill approved, now comes the hard part for parents: Finding autism therapists". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
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