Developed by Andy Body PhD and Lori Frost MA, SLP/CCC

Background

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) was developed almost 20 years ago to help children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities to initiate and develop functional communication skills.

While the system is primarily used with individuals who either do not use speech or speak with limited effectiveness, PECS is successfully used worldwide with children and adults with a wide range of communicative, developmental, cognitive and physical difficulties.

PECS does not require complex or expensive materials. It has been developed to be used across a variety of settings by educators, families and care providers.

PECS begins with teaching a student to exchange a picture of a desired item with a “teacher”, who immediately honours the request. Verbal prompts are not used, thus building immediate initiation and avoiding prompt dependency. The system goes on to teach discrimination of symbols and then puts them all together in simple "sentences." In the most advanced Phases, individuals are taught to comment and answer direct questions. Many preschoolers using PECS also begin developing speech.

Candidates for PECS

1. Does the person have a functional communication system currently in place? That is, can the person make his/her wants/needs known to others?

2. Do others understand the messages he/she tries to communicate consistently; including those he/she interacts with infrequently?

3. Are the language structures the person currently uses as complex and sophisticated as they need to be? In other words, are the messages this person conveys sufficient to cover all of the specifics that may be important for him/her?

4. Under what conditions does this person communicate? Spontaneous, responsive or imitative? Any functional communication system would include the skills of spontaneous communication and communication in response to a variety of questions?

If your answer to any of these questions is “NO” then an individual is a likely candidate for PECS, given he or she has the motor skills to exchange a picture.

For more information, please visit the PECS website

Preparing for PECS

Learning environments in which individuals are likely to develop functional communication skills will enhance and encourage communication:

*  Create opportunities for communication

*  Expect, but do not pre-empt, communication

*  Determine current communicative skills

*  Identify a set of potent reinforcers and establish a reinforcer hierarchy

*  Gather reinforcers

*  Prepare materials:

Ring binder

Laminated pictures backed with Velcro dot

Velcro strips in insert pages and cover of folder

Sentence strip

Book carry strip

* Frequently check preferences

© from the PECS Training Manual = 2nd Edition

Available support

Teachers and support staff at Patricia Avenue School have attended workshops and are using PECS with their students during their class programmes. Professional advice and guidance is available to parents and caregivers from Speech Language Therapists and Teachers at school, about each of the steps involved in the PECS programme. Resources are also available from the school.