The Picture Exchange Communication System

Abstract

A variety of strategies have been used to help children with autism acquire functional communication skills. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a unique communication training program that was developed as a means of circumventing some shortcomings associatd with these strategies. A description of the steps within PECS is provided. Long-term group data have indicated that a large proportion of children started on PECS as preschoolers acquire speech. Individual and group data supporting the use of PECS are provided.

A Proof of a Conjecture of Bondy Concerning Paths in Weighted Digraphs

“…We give upper and lower bounds on the minimum possible weight of a heaviest cycle under these conditions. After obtaining the (upper bound) construction below, we discovered from Bondy that the construction had previously been obtained by T. Spencer [7].…”

A Review of the Efficacy of the Picture Exchange Communication System Intervention

“…Requesting has often been targeted in early instruction of individuals with developmental disabilities due to motivational considerations (Reichle and Sigafoos 1991). In relation to PECS, it is argued that individuals with autism in particular are less likely to be motivated by the social consequences of labeling or commenting (Bondy and Frost 1995) and more likely to be motivated by requesting and immediately obtaining a specific, typically concrete, desired item (Bondy and Frost 1994). Third, PECS systematically addresses the issue of spontaneity, which has often been reported as problematic in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (Chiang and Carter 2008;Koegel 2000).…”

A Comparison of Vocal Mand Training Strategies for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…In addition, unlike some scripted prompting or manual guidance procedures described in the literature (e.g., Bondy & Frost, 1994;McClannahan & Krantz, 2005), the video model did not require a second interventionist to implement the procedures with the child. From a practical perspective, this approach to early mand training may be beneficial in service settings where it is difficult to arrange for two interventionists to work with one child at the same time.…”

“…When teaching sign language mands to adolescents who were deaf, Hall and Sundberg (1987) used a behavior chain interruption procedure to contrive a motivating operation and prompted the mand with a model or physical guidance to establish a relation between the response and corresponding reinforcement. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS; Bondy & Frost, 1994) similarly offers a method for teaching nonvocal children with ASD to mand. When teaching mands using the PECS, a listener holds a preferred item in close proximity to a child.…”