Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) P.E.C.S. was developed by the Delaware Autistic Programme and was originally designed for autistic childr...
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) P.E.C.S. was developed by the Delaware Autistic Programme and was originally designed for autistic children who displayed no functional communication system. These children’s communication disorders were socially related i.e : they lacked intent to communicate.
The ultimate aim of PECS To teach children how to initiate communicative exchanges. To teach spontaneous, functional communication.
Basic principles of PECS
Children are taught to approach and give a picture of a desired item to a communicative partner in exchange for that item. Behavioural teaching techniques are used eg: prompting and fading of physical prompts. It has six progressive phases.
Who is PECS for?
Children with autism or other social communication difficulties. Children who have no verbal communication. Children who have not developed functional use of signs (ie:Makaton ). Children who do not have spontaneous communication.
Finally PECS is relatively easy and inexpensive to implement PECS requires initial assessment and planning time PECS requires significant amount of time and ‘man power’ to implement, particularly in the initial phases.
Phase 1 – the physical exchange: Use a low distraction area in which to initially teach PECS. Find out what the child is motivated by. This can be done by spending a few sessions exploring lots of different motivators with the child and keeping a log of what they like and what doesn’t interest them. Good PECS motivators should have a clear beginning and an end. (Wind-up toys or small pieces of food work well as children have to make more requests as the motivator runs out.) The child is taught to pick up, reach and release the picture in exchange for the desired item. The adult does not verbal prompt but entices by making sure motivator is clearly visible, they must take care not to give the motivator to the child until they have exchanged. The adult responds to the exchange by labelling the picture that has been exchanged to reinforce language, and then the item is immediately given to the child.
Phase 1 happens on a 1:1 table and the communicative partner opposite the child and the adult prompter behind the child. Throughout the process the prompter does not speak. The communicative partner is the speaker as they are the person the child is learning to initiate a communication with. The communicative partner constantly labels when an exchange takes place to reinforce the appropriate language to the child.
Phase 2- Expanding Spontaneity Children are taught to generalise the ‘Pick up, reach and release’ exchange by : 1. Increasing the distances: away from the table, on the other side of the classroom. Initially encourage child to seek out and communicate with the adult and then progressing to the child seeking out the picture in order to communicate with the adult. 2. Introducing new environments: encourage the child to communicate in different, sometimes noisy environments, not just the low distraction area where the skill was originally taught. 3. Exchanging with different people: encourage the child to exchange with new communication partners. Avoid them associating the communication with just one adult. Make the link that communication works with all people. 4. Attaching the symbol to the front of the communication book to develop a link between the symbol and book. Encourage ownership of their communication aid.
The requested items are still in full ‘enticing’ view of the child. You can hold them as you generalise distances and environments. Throughout this phase it is important again for the adult communicating with the child to reinforce the verbal label for the item they are requesting. The adult doesn’t encourage the child to label but simply shows the symbol, pauses slightly and labels the item.
Phase 3- Picture Discrimination: Child is taught to request items by: 1. Going to communication book. 2. Choosing the appropriate picture from a selection. 3. Going to an adult and giving them the picture.
The selection should include preferred and non-preferred / irrelevant pictures and items. We want children to recognise what they are exchanging and increase their symbol vocabulary. We don’t want children to assume all bits of paper passed to adults will get them motivating items! Start with a choice of two pictures first. Do NOT prompt ‘what do you want?’ DO entice i.e: play with the toy just out of reach or rustle the food packet. Encourage children to really initiate the request. Let them pull your clothes or tap you on the back to get your attention.
Phase 4- Sentence Structure
This phase focuses on teaching the child to request using a sentence starting “I want …..”
To start the “I want” is already on the strip. Having made their selection, the student adds the picture to the sentence strip and exchanges the whole strip. Once the child is exchanging in this manner you can move on to taking the “I want “ symbol off the strip and encourage the child to put both symbols on the strip and exchange in that way. In this phase teach the child to request items and activities not in their view i.e: provide choices in the book such as sand, puzzle and garden.
ii
I want
B
sand
biscuit
Again it is important to keep labelling the symbols possibly with little pauses now for the child to label if they want to. However avoid pushing for verbal communication as spontaneous and functional communication is the most important thing to achieve.
Phase 5 - Responding to “what do you want?”
The child is taught to spontaneously request a variety of items in response to the question “what do you want?” Items are now in their usual places, no longer in immediate view to entice. The “I want” symbol and several pictures are placed inside the communication book. The adult asks “what do you want?” The child selects the “I want” symbol and the picture of the desired item and puts them on the sequence strip.
Child is taught to appropriately answer “what do you want/ see/have?” Communication book with “I want “, “I have” symbols. Use familiar, less motivating items. Rewards in this are therefore more social : ”oh yes I see it too!”(tangible rewards can also be used to reinforce commenting)
