
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) Manual
A manual for the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) for children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disorders
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder, Involves challenges with social interaction, speech, nonverbal communication, and repetitive restricted behaviors, Difficulty moving from one activity to another.
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
It is an alternative and augmentative form of communication where images are used to improve communication skills. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is designed to help children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disorders who have difficulties communicating. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) was initially designed for non-verbal children with ASD but has now been widely used to improve overall communication skills.
What is Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)?
This system was created by Bondi and Frost in the late 1980s as a result of their extensive experience working with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Bondi and Frost relied on the principles of applied behavior analysis in developing the PECS program.
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is designed as a form of positive reinforcement. The child shows the picture to get the desired thing, which can include individual pictures to more advanced stages that include complete sentences.
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) can help improve communication and social interaction with peers, It is usually used as an adjunctive intervention in combination with other interventions.
The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) can be used at home and at school to help children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disorders communicate requests and ideas through pictures, The child will have images of communication that he can use when he has desires that he wants to convey to others.
PECS helps reduce behavioral problems that are often the result of unmet needs, but over time the child will become less frustrated as his or her ability to communicate continues to improve.
The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) can help children ages 13 to 12, By improving communication skills in adolescents and adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disorders.
The six stages of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
The PECS system consists of six precisely defined stages, each stage building on the previous stage to form a complete form of communication.
The first stage of the system is learning how to communicate
Where pictures are used in exchange for the child’s needs and desires.
The second stage: increasing distance and insistence
Individual pictures are used to teach consistent communication across a variety of environments, situations and with other people to generalize the new skill.
The third stage is distinguishing between images
The goal of this stage is to train the child to distinguish between pictures through two or three pictures to obtain the desired reinforcer. And stay away from unwanted stimuli.
The fourth stage, Sentence building
The pictures on the front of the book should be reduced, and the word card (I want) should be added to the sentence strip, followed by the following pictures.
level five, Answer to the question (What do you want?)
The reinforcer and its picture are placed in the communication book in front of the child, then the trainer asks him: “What do you want?”
Sixth stage, comment
Pictures are used to answer questions and also for the child to form their own sentences. Adjectives and verbs can be added to sentences at more advanced stages.
How is PECS used by children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disorders?
Through the PECS system, pictures are used instead of words, which can help raise the level of independence and increase communication and social interaction with individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disorders. PECS can also be used with applied behavior analysis.
PECS is a form of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and is the least expensive intervention compared to many AAC methods such as, High-tech devices. The PECS system must also be implemented by a highly qualified trainer.
Whereas, in the first stage of the picture exchange system, it is based on teaching the automaticity of communication by training the child and giving the reinforcer’s picture to the partner (teacher or family member), They aim to satisfy a person’s basic desires to obtain things (demand reinforcers).
The second stage aims to teach the child to make more efforts by seeking the image to present his requests and communicate with different people. In the classroom, peers of children with ASD and other developmental disorders can be taught in small groups how to respond when using PECS to communicate effectively with each other. The PECS system can also be used at home and in individual sessions.
In the third stage, Children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disorders learn to distinguish between things they want and those they don’t want.
The fourth stage includes the use of sentence tape with things that are around the child and things that are not there.
During the fifth stage, The child will learn how to use the sentence bar and pictures to respond directly to others’ questions. The sixth stage aims to increase and improve the child’s vocabulary.
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
The PECS system is based on the approach used in applied behavior analysis, where positive reinforcement is used to bring about change in undesirable behaviors.
Applied Behavior Analysis is considered one of the best evidence-based interventions for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disorders. Applied Behavior Analysis is effective in improving long-term outcomes. One advantage of ABA is that the program is tailored to the child’s individual abilities. PECS can be included as part of ABA as both approaches can complement each other.
Pros and cons of Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
Studies on the effectiveness of PECS are limited. However, current studies suggest that PECS can improve long-term social communication skills in non-verbal children with ASD.
The initial argument about PECS was that it was only intended for individuals who did not use spoken language, as opposed to helping individuals use spoken language. Sign language is often tested before PECS as a form of non-verbal communication because there are limitations around the use of pictures – there must be a set of pictures for everything possible. A picture exchange communication system can help increase communication skills and reduce stereotypical behaviors such as hand flapping by up to 60%.
When a child is able to communicate effectively, he or she is less likely to engage in unwanted behaviors and also reduces the child’s emotional behavior toward others. PECS is generally considered low-cost and effective when used as part of a treatment plan designed for children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disorders.
Ref
Guide to Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) for Autism (wpengine.com)