Picture Exchange Communication System(PECS)

based on PECSBondy & Frost, 1994 &2002

Presented by:Medley Sapp, MEd.

Sharon Jasperson, Technical Assistant

The Important Info:Restrooms

Restaurants

IntroductionsNameSchoolProgramGrade levelExperience with PECS

Participation Expectation• Participate in all activities

and discussions throughout the day.

• Be respectful and attend to colleagues’ input.

• Silence cell phones and no texting.

• Share questions, grow as a professional, and have fun learning more about PECS in the classroom.

Information about the Assistive Technology Department

• Website:• http://ccsd.net/departments/assistive-

technology-services

PECS: Developed by Andy Bondy and Lori Frost

Blends the fields of Applied Behavioral Analysis and Speech Language Pathology

http://www.pecs.com/Pyramid Products

Fact or Myth?Schedules are PECS.

Choice boards are PECS.

Visual Prompts/Cues are PECS.

Pointing to a pictures is PECS.

Discrimination is a prerequisite to start PECS

PECS can only be used with students with autism

What is PECS?The Picture Exchange Communication

System is a communication training system that teaches a means of functional communication within a social context (Bondy & Frost, 1994).

Goal is to develop SPONTANEOUS INITIATION AND COMMUNICATION.

(PCS are Picture Communication Symbols)

Why PECS vs. Other Systems?PECS requires a student to give a picture

to a communicative partner (requesting)with a concrete outcome (reinforcement) (Bondy & Frost, 1994).

Other picture systems such as picture pointing focus on labeling rather than requesting(Carr, 1982;Powers&Handelman,1984 in Bondy & Frost,

1994). Picture pointing systems may be good for typically developing

children that are intrinsically motivated and reinforced socially. For students with “autism”, concrete reinforcers are often required as they are generally not motivated by social praise.

Why PECS vs. Other Systems? CON’T

PECS does not require prerequisite imitation or motor skills which may be required for picture pointing or sign language systems (Bondy & Frost, 1994)

When is PECS Appropriate?Student is not using functional

communication.Student is using functional

communication but cannot be understood by unfamiliar listeners.

The student does not initiate communication.

To increase mean length of utterance.To increase vocabulary.

So, How do I get Started?REINFORCERS

The only prerequisite for implementing PECS is knowing the reinforcer.

Every child is unique and is motivated and reinforced by different items and social rewards.

To address individual needs and tastes give reinforcement assessments regularly to have access to powerful reinforcement when teaching the various phases of PECS.

Informal Reinforcer Assessment

Look at what student is trying to getAsk family about child’s preferencesFormally develop a reinforcer hierarchy:

- Most desired- Moderately preferred- Tries to avoid

Assess at different times of the day

Reinforcer First Strategy

Group Work: List of Reinforcers

Formal Assessment of Reinforcers

Select an assortment of reinforcers ( see handout)

Put the reinforcers out within the child’s reach and see what he selects. Repeat procedure with different items.

Display the items the child has selected in the previous steps. See which of these items he reaches for first.

This should be your STRONGEST reinforcer. Begin here

PECS Group, 2010

Reinforcer First Strategy

Students know what they will get when they make the request.

PECS Group, 2010

Determine Symbols to be used

ObjectsPhotographsPicture Icons (Pogoboards)Line DrawingsWords

Organizing PCS ItemsBlocks/objects in “shoe box” for

student useBlocks/objects in “shoe box” for staff

use File pictures Tempo Loop fabric on the wall (for

students to pick, replace, or staff to replace lost PCS

PCS Storage

Understanding the Phases of PECS

• Teach one phase at a time.

• Sequential progression through each phase is the best predictor of success in a student initiating communication, commenting, and requesting that will last a lifetime.

Bondy and Frost, 2002

Phase IPhase I teaches students HOW to

communicate.

Goal=INITIATION; The student MUST go first.

PHASE I: Teaching the Physically Assisted Exchange

Requires 2 people: Communicative Partner and Prompter.

NO verbal prompts. Present one picture at a time (NO BOOKS OR

SENTENCE STRIPS ARE USED).Conduct training across the day, not at

one time or in one place.Use different reinforcers.Modify symbol/picture to match motor

skills (Block example: Jas/Timoteo)

PHASE I CON’TCommunicative

PartnerEntice the studentR+ student exchange

(w/item) within 1/2 secondPair social praise w/R+Time open hand (student

reaches for comm. partner)

Physical PrompterWait for student

initiation (Reach for object)

Physically prompt student: pick up, reach, release

STUDENT Pick up Reach

Release

Picture of Phase I Example

PHASE I ERROR CORRECTION“Backstep” error correction is used

when the student makes an error in the task.

Example: student picks up picture and drops it before putting in communicative partner’s hand. Physical prompter goes back to the last step performed correctly and prompts from that point through end of task.

Phase I PCS Travel

Things to RememberThe child initiates the training sequence not

the silent partner.Do not conduct training in one session.

Trials should be spread out throughout the entire.

Change trainers right from the beginning so student does not communicate with only one person

Change reinforcers as often as possible so student does not come satiated or get tired of the reinforcer.

PECS Group, 2010

Practice Phase I

Phase I Troubleshooting

What happens if the child will not reach for the reinforcer ? Check the strength of the reinforcer.

What happens if the child quits handing the

reinforcer in the middle of training? Try to end the session with a successful training sequence.

What happens if the child can’t see the picture? Try larger pictures, adding color or tactile cards.

What happens if the child gets upset when I take a toy? Getting upset is an initiation to go through the training sequence very quickly and give the toy back.

PECS Group, 2010

Phase I Data

Phase ICriteria For Mastery

Independent exchange across 3-5 reinforcers with 2+ communicative partners in 2 different environments.

Phase I ReviewWhat type of prompts are used?What does the Communicative Partner say

when enticing?What does the Physical Prompter say?When is the Communicative Partner’s open

hand presented?How quickly is the reinforcer given to the

student?How many pictures are used?Is discrimination required?How many trainers are required?

Phase II: Distance and Persistence

Goal= Travel to the book and travel to the communicative partner; communicate in multiple places with multiple people.

Introduce communication book

Students carry communication books to all environments.

Compile pictures in book.

PHASE II: DISTANCE AND PERSISTENCE

Introduce communication book.2 Trainers (just in case!)No verbal prompts used.Teach variety of pictures but only one at

a time on front of the book.New skills is increasing distance to

communicative partner then increase distance from student to book.

PHASE II CON’TTrain across the day; student should

take the book everywhere they go. This requires 2 trainers.

Use a variety of communicative partners.

Use backstep error correction as needed.

Phase II Communication Book Picture Example

Phase II Picture Example

Practice Phase II

Phase II Troubleshooting

Student gets distracted while traveling: decrease the distance, find new, more powerful R+

Student is not able/allowed out of seat: teach the student to “call” the communicative partner (bell, Big Mack)

Carrying the book is difficult: use straps, backpacks, possible books located in all environments.

Phase II Data Sheet

Phase II Criteria for Mastery

Student should be able to cross a room to retrieve a picture and travel across the room to the communicative partner. Student should have 5-10 reinforcers.

Phase IIReview

How many trainers are required?How many pictures are used?What does the Communicative Partner

say while enticing the student?What does the Physical Prompter say

to the student?What is the goal of Phase II?

Phase IIIDiscrimination

Goal of Phase III=Student chooses among pictures on the communication book.

IIIA: Simple Discrimination: Highly preferred vs. distracter

IIIB: Conditional Discrimination: Two reinforcers.

PHASE IIIPresent 2 items w/pictures; one highly

preferred and one non-preferred or a distracter.

New skill is choosing “correct” picture; verbally R+ when student touches correct picture.

Physical prompter is not needed (Physical prompter

is used for initiation; not needed when initiation is spontaneous).Communicative partner may prompt using

4-step error correction.

PHASE III CON’TStudent chooses incorrect picture=

4-step error correction

If the student chooses the incorrect picture, give no social R+ and give the student the item, then go into 4-step error correction.

4-Step Error CorrectionSTUDENT GIVES INCORRECT PICTURE

Give item corresponding to picture. (“my turn”)1. Model or Show correct picture.2. Prompt; hold hand near correct picture, gesture. Verbal R+ but do not give item.3. Switch (“do this”)4. Repeat. 3 trials then errorless (take away distracter)

4-Step Error Correction

Practice Phase III A

Phase IIIA Data

PHASE III CON’T:DISCRIMINATION OF 2 R+ ITEMS; CORRESPONDENCE CHECK

Present book w/2 pictures of R+ items with the items.

Student requests.Communicative partner, instead of giving items

says, “take it”, “go ahead”, etc.)Student takes correct item = R+++Student takes incorrect item = block access and

go into 4-step error correction. (Model/show, prompt, verbal R+, switch, repeat)

4 Step Error Correction with 2 R+

Practice Phase III Correspondence Check

Troubleshooting Discrimination Challenges

Phase IIIB Data

Phase III MasteryStudent is able to discriminate from

a field of 5 pictures.

Final step in discrimination training is to teach the student to look inside of the book for a specific picture.

Final Step in Discrimination• Remove the pictures from the

outside of the book. Open the book and encourage the child to take a picture from there.

• When the student is proficient at thumbing through the book and finding a picture there is no longer a need to rotate the pictures.

• Organize the book so items are on pages by category. Tabs may be used to help organize categories and separate different pages of the book.

PECS Group, 2010

• When a child is correctly choosing between 5 pictures, teach the child to get the pictures from inside the book.

Phase III Review

How many trainers are required?What two pictures are used in Phase

IIIA?What two pictures are used in Phase

IIIB?What error correction procedure is

used in Phase III?

Phase III iPad app

Video

PECS and IEP’sIn accommodations/modifications;

student will use alternate communication system using pictures or other symbols.

Write specific goals: Upon seeing and wanting a particular item, and with a

picture of that item in reach, student will pick up the picture, reach to person holding the item, and release the picture into that person’s hand.

Download objectives from www.pecs.com

Pogoboardswww.pogoboards.comLook up school user and password @http://sssd.ccsd.net/assistivetech.html

Practice making Picture Communication Symbols to use with PECS.

Thank You for Coming!