PECS

What is PECS?
Throughout this Wiki you may come across the acronym PECS to describe various apps, games or devices. This section explains what PECS actually is and how it is used.

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an approach that uses pictures to develop communication skills. It is appropriate for children and adults with a wide range of learning and communication difficulties including autism. PECS is generally easy to access, affordable to implement and scientifically supported as one of the most effective communication interventions.

PECS Stages
PECS is normally approached in the following phases:

Phase I Teaches students to initiate communication right from the start by exchanging a single picture for a highly desired item

Phase 2 Teaches students to be persistent communicators- to actively seek out their pictures and to travel to someone to make a request

Phase 3 Teaches students to discriminate pictures and to select the picture that represents the item they want

Phase 4 Teaches students to use sentence structure to make a request in the form of “I want ____.”

Phase 5 Teaches students to respond to the question “What do you want?”

Phase 6 Teaches students to comment about things in their environment both spontaneously and in response to a question

Expanding Vocabulary Teaches students to use attributes such as colors, shapes and sizes within their requests

PECS Accessibility
With an understanding of the stages and approach behind PECS it is possible for any parent to implement this at home, either by creating a physical board with pictures that the child can use or by utilizing one of the many available apps or games already available on devices like the iPad, iPhone or Personal Computers.