How Can a Parent Use Picture Exchange Communication for their nonverbal Child?

Autism and Technology
PECS book

What is Picture Exchange Communication System?

Picture Exchange Communication System, or PECS, is a communication system used by nonverbal children to express their needs, wants and feelings. It’s very similar to sign language in that it uses pictures as representations of things or concepts. We’ve covered how you can use PECS as a parent before but this post will focus more on how a parent can use PECS with their child so they can communicate better together.

How does it work?

The theory behind using PECS is that once your child understands the concept of exchanging pictures for a reward (like food), they’ll start making connections between symbols and real life objects. This helps them communicate better with others too! Your nonverbal child might use different cards with different meanings depending on who they’re talking to and what kind of relationship they have with them (e.g., mom vs dad).

PECS uses a series of pictures, cards or objects that a child can indicate to communicate.

Picture Exchange Communication System, or PECS, is a form of communication used primarily by children with autism. It uses photographs on cards or objects to help nonverbal children communicate their needs and wants.

PECS can be used to help your child communicate in the following ways:

To indicate what he or she wants (a toy, food item)

To request something (a drink from the refrigerator)

To initiate play with other children

How does it work?

The parent and child work together to create a PECS picture exchange book.

The child should be encouraged to make the pictures in the book and then use it when they want something.

If you have multiple children in the home, each one will need their own book so as not to confuse them with others’ wants or needs.

Parents can also use these books at school or daycare centers if they want your child with special needs to communicate with his/her teachers and peers.

Step 1. PECS teaches the child to hand a picture to another person.

The first step in using PECS is teaching your child how to give a picture to another person. This will help them learn how to communicate with others and encourage them to use the pictures in other ways as well.

To do this, place the picture on an object that you can hand over easily, like a book or toy. Then ask your child for the object. If they give it to you, praise them! Good job! You can do it again!

Next time try giving an even easier request—like asking for a snack or drink from their cupboard—and when they get up and get it themselves, praise them again! That was great work getting yourself some juice!

Step 2. The child learns to put two pictures together, side by side, and exchange them as one unit for an item/event/activity (Phase 2)

Next, you will want to teach your child how to put two pictures together, side by side and exchange them as one unit for an item/event/activity. This is called “pairing” or “completing the picture”.

For example, if your child wants a drink of water, have him put his two pictures side-by-side (one for water and one for cup). Show him how this makes both ideas come together into something that represents all three items: water in cup equals drink of water. You can use this same method when teaching your child about other things that he might need or want throughout the day like eating dinner or going outside to play.

Step 3. The child learns to put three pictures together and exchange them as one unit in order to convey a specific message (Phase 3)

In Phase 3, the child learns to put three pictures together and exchange them as one unit in order to convey a specific message (e.g., “I’m thirsty.”). The first two cards are chosen by the child, while the third card is selected by his or her parent/caregiver. This combination can be used to tell a story (I want to go outside.), ask for something that is not in front of him or her (Can I have an orange juice?, I want ice cream.), comment on something (That is a pretty flower.), or make requests such as asking for help with getting dressed or going out to play with friends. The communication tool also assists children who want to ask questions about what happened during the day at school: “How did you like your teacher today?”

Step 4. The child learns how to construct simple sentences using pictures (Phase 4)

When the child has learned how to create simple sentences using pictures, they can then learn how to construct longer strings of words. In this phase, you will teach them how to make a sentence by putting together pictures.

For example, here is a sentence that could be constructed using the pictures below: “I want to eat.”

When constructing the sentence above, it would look like this:

Eating – Food – Water – Drink

A nonverbal child can learn how to communicate using pictures and parents are a big part of the process of learning this method for communication.

Parents can assist a nonverbal child in learning how to use PECS by being supportive and patient. You should be encouraging, but only when you see your child working hard at it.

It’s important that parents understand that PECS is a very time consuming process for a nonverbal person, so don’t expect them to learn too quickly or easily.

A parent can also help their nonverbal child by using tools and tricks (i.e., visual schedules) as well as providing encouragement when needed during the process of learning this method of communication and behavior management.

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