The SLP Guide to ABA: Principles to Support Inter-Professional Collaboration on Autism Support Teams. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.

Baltimore, MD: Paul Brookes Publishing Company.

Originally designed to enable young children with autism lacking functional communication to initiate requests and to describe what they observed, the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) has been the subject of an ever-expanding body of research and development. Thirty-four peer-reviewed published reports on PECS are analyzed in this article with documentation of research questions, methodology, and results. Findings suggest that PECS is providing people around the globe who have no or impaired speech with a functional means of communication. Refinements in methodology and additional questions that might be addressed in future research are discussed.

Baltimore, MD: Paul Brookes Publishing Company. Pp. 279-302.

Perspectives on Language Learning and Education, 9, 13-16.

The Picture Exchange Communication System [PECS®) was first described in autism research literature in the early 1990s. Since that time, there have been almost 200 publications about the PECS protocol from countries around the world. The manualized PECS protocol has six key phases beginning with simple requests involving single icons, and building toward commenting, responding to other people's communication, and increased message length through picture combinations.1 We developed the protocol with very young children with autism spectrum disorder [ASDJ, but there are now publications involving adolescents and adults, as well as individuals with a wide variety of learning needs.

The SLP Guide to ABA: Principles to Support Inter-Professional Collaboration on Autism Support Teams. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.

Behavior Analysis and Technology, July.

Exceptional children: An introduction to special education (10th ed.) (pp. 302-303). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Autism/Asperger's Digest, June-July, 15-16.

Baltimore, MD: Woodbine House.

Autism Asperger's digest, 2003, Mar.-Apr., pp. 24-25, 31.

Baltimore, MD: Woodbine House

In E. Schopler & G. Mesibov (Eds.). Learning and Cognition in Autism. (pp. 311-333). New York: Plenum Pub. Co.

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an evidence-based AAC system that often is chosen as a first intervention for young children with complex communication needs who are not developing spoken communication. Speech language pathologists (SLPs) often plan to transition to a speech-generating device (SGD) for long-term use after students successfully progress through the PECS protocol. The minimum criterion for device selection and purchase should be appropriate and independent use of the SGD across environments. The transition process should begin with an assessment of the student's PECS skills so modifications can be made to facilitate the transition to the SGD. Teaching strategies that are part of the PECS protocol are used to teach spontaneous, efficient, and effective use of the SGD. Successful transition occurs when the student uses the SGD in social interactions similar to his use of PECS and when he or she has developed the skills that will ensure continued language growth.

Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 20, 114-120.Abstract : The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is used to systematically teach functional communication through an evidence-based protocol. As a low-tech AAC system, PECS differs from many treatment protocols in that the learner must give a picture or a sequence of pictures to a communicative partner, thus ensuring social approach and interaction. Students who have mastered Phase IV of the PECS protocol and use a large, categorized vocabulary and sentence structure are candidates for transition to a speech generating devise (SGD). When choosing the SGD, the transition team has an ethical responsibility to ensure that the PECS user does not lose current communication abilities, such as independent access, initiation and efficiency of interactions, and sentence structure and length across environments. With careful assessment of SGD features, the clinician can select a device to replicate current PECS skills and allow for language growth. The use of relevant training strategies from the PECS protocol will help the clinician ensure a successful transition to and use of the SGD.

The Behavior Analyst. 16, 123-128.

Functional communication skills are essential for all learners and must be promoted within all environments, including the home. During this time of home confinement, many families will need to look at opportunities for their children to use existing functional communication skills or even to acquire new skills. This article describes a set of 9 critical communication skills and provides a variety of examples of how families can improve the use of these important skills. Some of these involve speaker (expressive) skills, whereas others involve listener (receptive) skills.

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 associated 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. (http://www.proedinc.com)

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) was developed as a means to teach children with autism and related developmental disabilities a rapidly acquired, self-initiating, functional communication system. Its theoretical roots combine principles from applied behavior analysis and guidelines established within the field of alternative and augmentative communication. This approach has several potential advantages relative to imitation-based strategies (both vocal and gestural) and symbol selection strategies. The system begins with the exchange of simple icons but rapidly builds “sentence” structure. The system also emphasizes developing the request function prior to developing responding to simple questions and commenting. The development of requesting with a sentence structure also permits the rapid development of attributes more traditionally taught within a receptive mode. The relationship between the introduction of PECS and various other behavioral issues (i.e., social approach and behavior management) as well as its relationship to the codevelopment of speech are reviewed.

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an alternative/augmentative communication system that was developed to teach functional communication to children with limited speech. The approach is unique in that it teaches children to initiate communicative interactions within a social framework. This article describes the advantages to implementing PECS over traditional approaches. The PECS training protocol is described wherein children are taught to exchange a single picture for a desired item and eventually to construct picture-based sentences and use a variety of attributes in their requests. The relationship of PECS's implementation to the development of speech in previously non-vocal students is reviewed. (http://www.sagepub.com)

Baltimore, MD: Woodbine House.

In O.I. Lovaas (Ed.). Teaching Individuals with Developmental Disabilities: Basic Intervention Techniques (pp. 291-303). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed. [Book chapter].

Autism/Asperger Digest, 31, 24-25.Visually impaired (Braille, tactile symbols)

Professionals in the field of speech-language pathology (SLP) and applied behavior analysis (ABA) share a common goal in the treatment of communication disorders. The two fields, however, do not share a common language. Skinner's definition of verbal behavior and his classification of verbal operants provide interventionists with a valuable tool for classifying verbal behavior based on controlling variables. An understanding of the primary verbal operants and operants under multiple control are essential for planning efficient verbal behavior intervention. This paper presents a primer on B.F. Skinner's 1957 publication, Verbal Behavior, a description of the primary verbal operants, verbal operants under multiple control, and a discussion of using this taxonomy for writing precise communication goals for effective intervention.

This paper presents Skinner's (1957) analysis of verbal behavior as a framework for understanding language acquisition in children with autism. We describe Skinner's analysis of pure and impure verbal operants, and illustrate how this analysis may be applied to designing communication training programs. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a training program influenced by Skinner's framework. We describe the training sequence associated with PECS, and illustrate how this sequence may establish multiply controlled verbal behavior in children with autism. We conclude with an examination of how Skinner's framework may apply to other communication modalities and training strategies. (http://www.abainternational.org)

This report describes the introduction of the Picture-Exchange Communication System (PECS) to the Ann Sullivan Center, a program for developmentally disabled children and adults in Lima, Peru. PECS was developed in the Delaware Autistic Program, a public school program in the United States with a strong behavior-analytic orientation for children with autism. We will briefly describe PECS, its advantages with people with language disabilities, and our efforts to work with the staff of the Ann Sullivan Center to implement the system. (http://www.abainternational.org)

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