PECS
Picture Exchange Communication System
Educational Method for teaching diverse students with Autism
Phases of PECS
PHASE I
How to Communicate
Students learn to exchange single pictures for items or activities they really want.
PHASE II
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.
PHASE III
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.
PHASE IV
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.
PHASE V
Answering Questions
Students learn to use PECS to answer the question, “What do you want?”.
PHASE VI
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.
Some PICS Examples
Steps of PECS
What is PECS? (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2015, from http://www.pecsusa.com/pecs.php