Using the Picture Exchange Communication System (Pecs) With Children With Autism: Assessment of Pecs Acquisition, Speech, Social‐communicative Behavior, and Problem Behavior

Abstract

The picture exchange communication system (PECS) is an augmentative communication system frequently used with children with autism (Bondy & Frost, 1994; Siegel, 2000; Yamall, 2000). Despite its common clinical use, no well-controlled empirical investigations have been conducted to test the effectiveness of PECS. Using a multiple baseline design, the present study examined the acquisition of PECS with 3 children with autism. In addition, the study examined the effects of PECS training on the emergence of speech in play and academic settings. Ancillary measures of social-communicative behaviors and problem behaviors were recorded. Results indicated that all 3 children met the learning criterion for PECS and showed concomitant increases in verbal speech. Ancillary gains were associated with increases in social-communicative behaviors and decreases in problem behaviors. The results are discussed in terms of the provision of empirical support for PECS as well as the concomitant positive side effects of its use.

Student voices on social exclusion in general primary schools

“…The following issues were taken into account in the design of these interviews: (1) participants must fully understand what taking part in a study means, (2) the participants themselves must provide active consent, and (3) the study design must include techniques and methods which reflect the students' mental ages, to facilitate optimal conversation and student engagement (Charlop-Christy et al 2002;Kirk 2007;Kortesluoma, Hentinen, and Nikkonen 2003;Messiou 2012;Rose and Asher 2004).…”

“…The participants were then invited to discuss their own experiences. To make the scenarios more comprehensive for students with indications of attention difficulties or autism spectrum disorder, we used drawings to support the hypothetical scenario (Charlop-Christy et al 2002). Another reason to use supporting drawings is that drawings can stimulate the recollection of an experience (Salmon 2001).…”

Interactive visual supports for children with autism

“…We have seen in previous work that video can be a powerful tool for enabling caregiver communication and collaboration [17,19]. Additionally, pictures can support and enable new forms of communication between non-verbal children and their caregivers directly, based on evidence that non-verbal children can and do communicate via pictures already [8]. In these interventions, picture-based communication is enabled through heavyweight manual processes that often do not emulate ''real life'' images but instead use cartoons and other abstracted images, such as those supported by the Mocotos and vSked prototypes.…”

A Staff-Training Program to Increase Spontaneous Vocal Requests in Children With Autism

“…For Annie, the trend for spontaneous requesting levels only accelerated during naturalistic training after she received additional instruction to label the preferred items. These results tie into a growing body of literature that suggests that training staff to arrange the environment to present multiple opportunities to vocally request can directly impact this critical communication skill in children with autism (Charlop-Christy, Carpenter, LeBlanc, & Kellet, 2002;Goldstein, 2002;Jones, Feeley, & Takacs, 2007;Taylor & Harris, 1995). Before the onset of this study, the staff participants had been provided with training to use these procedures in the children's cubicles in self-contained special education classrooms.…”