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Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)

SUPPORTING EXPRESSION

What is PECS?

• System of teaching children who have autistic spectrum disorders how to communicate

• Teaches children to be ACTIVE partners in communication exchange- to spontaneously initiate requests!

• Child is taught to take a symbol to an adult to ask for something they want

• Behavioural approach with set instructions over 6 Phases of learning (of increasing complexity)

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PECS also…

• Encourages communication between peers

• Supports development of turn taking

• Gives the child a communication system to use- helps child feel less frustrated and more in control of environment- so calmer and happier

• And…studies have found using PECS also had the unexpected outcome of helping children speak

Who with?

Pupils with ASD:

• Child has to be interested in at least 8 different objects/activities.

• This includes children who have some words but do not use them consistently or in a communicative manner.

• Who are not using language to communicate. It is only one possible strategy out of many.

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How to Communicate
Students learn to exchange single pictures for items or activities they really want.

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Distance and Persistence
Still using single pictures, students learn to generalize this new skill by using it in different places, with different people and across distances. They are also taught to be more persistent communicators.

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Picture Discrimination
Students learn to select from two or more pictures to ask for their favorite things. These are placed in a communication book—a ring binder with Velcro strips where pictures are stored and easily removed for communication.

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Sentence Structure
Students learn to construct simple sentences on a detachable sentence strip using an “I want” picture followed by a picture of the item being requested.

Attributes and Language Expansion
Students learn to expand their sentences by adding adjectives, verbs and prepositions.

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Answering Questions
Students learn to use PECS to answer the question, “What do you want?”.

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Commenting
Now students are taught to comment in response to questions such as, “What do you see?”, “What do you hear?” and “What is it?”. They learn to make up sentences starting with “I see”, “I hear”, “I feel”, “It is a”, etc.

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