What is PECS?

PECS teaches expressive communication skills using pictures. More than using pictures for visual support, PECS is a functional communication system that develops important communication and social skills.

PECS can be used by people of all ages with a wide range of abilities. PECS is successfully used with adults and children. It’s never too late to start PECS, all you need is a picture card and a fun item or activity. It can be used at home and school, and in conjunction with other approaches such as TEACCH, SCERTS and ABA.

PECS can be used anywhere that someone communicates. Often, it’s initially introduced at home or in schools, residential settings, outreach programmes and care homes. PECS can be successfully implemented by family members and professionals. It does not require expensive or complex equipment and overcomes disadvantages found with signing and other picture-based augmentative communication systems. Attendance at training is recommended.

PECS is a multidisciplinary approach, developed by a multidisciplinary team. In 1985, clinical psychologist Andy Bondy PhD and speech pathologist Lori Frost MS, CCC-SLP, developed the PECS protocol and implemented it with students at the Delaware Autistic Program. One reason for the continued success of PECS is the integration of theoretical and practical perspectives from multiple disciplines. PECS focuses on important and meaningful communication that is initiated by the learner rather than being dependent on questions or prompts from another person.

PECS focuses on communication that is relevant and motivating. Learners are taught to exchange pictures for things they want. For example, if they want a toy they will give that picture to another person who will then give them a toy. PECS teaches learners to initiate, as spontaneous communication is the goal. Using this ‘exchange’ format, skills that are critical to communication, such as spontaneously and independently approaching another person and interacting with them, are incorporated from the start.

PECS has a clear programme to follow, divided into six phases (see infographic below). Beginning with using single pictures to communicate their needs, learners are then taught to recognise and choose between a variety of pictures to construct increasingly complex sentences. The pictures and sentence strip are all stored in a portable communication book, attached with hook and loop fastener so they can be easily removed when the student wants to communicate.

PECS and speech development. The aim of PECS is to give the learner a functional communication system. However, an exciting finding has been the number of people who develop speech after more than one year using it. The findings from the Delaware Autistic Program provide grounds for optimism, with 76% of all PECS users acquiring speech as either their sole communication system or augmented by a picture-based system. It has also been successfully used by learners who have developed speech but may not be using it communicatively. Reassuringly, research also confirms that PECS does not delay or hinder speech.

The Six Phases of PECS