• Augmentative and Alternative Communication
• Floor Time
• Joint Action Routines
• Music Therapy
• Naturalistic Language Strategies
• Picture Exchange Communication System
• World of Play

Picture Exchange Communication System: Introduction

Many young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) do not use words or even imitate sounds the way typically developing children do. Instead these children sometimes pull their parents' arm to guide them to what they want without looking at them or making a sound. They may also appear to be unaware that they can let another person know what they want by looking at them, vocalizing, or gesturing. This difficulty in acquiring and using communication skills in a social context is one of the hallmarks of autism spectrum disorder.

It is critical that children learn a system of communicating as early as possible. When a child does not make very many sounds, does not use sounds or words to tell people things, or does not imitate sounds, it is very difficult to communicate. This can be frustrating for the child as well as the adults who care for him. Sometimes teaching a simpler way to communicate makes it easier for the child to let people know what they want. Sign language and picture boards are two types of augmentative communication systems that are sometimes taught to people who are unable to speak. Another augmentative system is the Picture Exchange Communication System, or PECS, as it is commonly known.

The Picture Exchange Communication System (Bondy & Frost, 1994) is designed to teach children with limited functional communication skills to initiate interacting and communicating within a social context.

PECS was initially developed at the Delaware Autistic Program for preschool children with autism, related pervasive developmental disorders and other communicative disorders. After trying a number of communication training programs, including teaching motor and/or imitation skills, sign language, and picture point systems, program staff noted that the students still had no reliable way of making their basic needs and wants known. Many children still did not initiate the communication exchange. The frustration over not being able to communicate or having their message misunderstood often resulted in acting-out behaviors.

This realization led to the development of PECS, which emphasizes communicating within a social context resulting in a more clearly understood message. PECS is based on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) (The reader may wish to review the module on ABA for further explanation of some of the behavioral terms.) Over time PECS has been modified and successfully implemented with older children and adults with disabilities, including those with ASD. It can also be utilized in combination with other communication systems.

A 1994 study of the use of PECS with 85 nonverbal preschool children with autism found that after six months 95% of the children had learned to use the picture symbols for communicating and 76% used a combination of speech and picture symbols to make requests and label items (Bondy & Frost, 1994). Other studies have documented the value of using PECS as a way to develop spontaneous communication to initiate with others (Schwartz, Garfinkle, & Bauer, 1998). Specifically, more appropriate nonverbal communicative skills, such as reciprocal eye gaze and communicative gestures, increased in some individuals.

Basic Principles of PECS

PECS is designed to address the needs of children with significant communication deficits. From the very beginning the focus is on the child initiating a request for something they want within a social context. Therefore, training begins by teaching the child to give a picture of a desired item to a communicative partner in exchange for that item. Time is not spent on training the child in prerequisite skills before intervention in communication begins. The only skill the child needs in order to begin training using PECS is reaching for something that she desires. While speech is not directly taught, use of PECS does not inhibit the development of speech and may facilitate development of speech and language for some children.

The training phases in PECS are clearly defined and procedures for implementation are not complex. However, effective implementation of PECS does require that someone with working knowledge of the program is involved in implementing the program with a student.

Intent of this topic

This topic is not intended to replace professional training by Pyramid Educational Consultants, Inc on PECS. It may be used to supplement training for parents and paraprofessionals working with a child or youth with ASD. PECS should always be implemented under the supervision of a trained professional.

Lecture Content

The lesson is broken down into a sequence of sequential phases:

• Phase 1: The Physical Exchange
• Phase 2: Increasing Spontaneity
• Phase 3: Discrimination Training
• Phase 4: Building Sentence Structure
• Phase 5: Answering “What do you want?”
• Phase 6: Commenting in Response to a Question
• Other Communicative Functions

Individuals of all ages can benefit from PECS. Besides, the system can be utilized at home, school and in the community. Let’s begin by looking at the training components!