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PECS Overview: A Clear Picture Understanding the Use and Benefits
Developed by: Andy Bondy, Ph.D. and
Lori Frost, MS, CCC/SLP
Presented by: Donna Banzhof, M.Ed, BCBA
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
May not be reproduced.
___________________________________ Objectives
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Introduction to Pyramid Educational Consultants
Overview of the Pyramid Approach to Education
Understand the 6 Phases of the PECS protocol
Discuss criteria for modality transitioning
Analyze some common “Myths and Misconceptions” associated with PECS
• Review researched benefits of PECS
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Pyramid Educational Consultants
• Founded in 1992 by Lori Frost and Andy Bondy ___________________________________ – To provide training to professionals and families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
– To ensure high‐fidelity implementation of PECS
___________________________________ • Exclusive home of PECS® (Picture Exchange Communication System®) and the Pyramid Approach to Education®
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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___________________________________ ___________________________________ Pyramid Educational Consultants
• Currently has 14 offices around the world ___________________________________ – US, UK, France, Greece, Canada, Japan, Spain, Germany, Poland, Romania, Australia, Brazil, Korea, Portugal
• Internationally acclaimed workshops and consulting services
• Provide training to teams (professionals and parents)
___________________________________ – Designing educational and vocational programs
– PECS
___________________________________ • Provide on‐site and distance consultation – private and public schools
– to families in homes and the community
– agencies
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1 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduced. ___________________________________ Brief history of PECS
___________________________________ • Began in DE 1985
• First started with children on the spectrum
• Protocol is based on B.F. Skinner’s Verbal Behavior (1957)
• Has been researched for the past 20 years
• Today PECS is implemented worldwide across ages and diagnostic categories 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ How widespread is PECS?
___________________________________ • 135 published articles to date on various topics about PECS
– E.g Speech, Adults, SGD
___________________________________ • At least 70 data based or case studies, 12 descriptive articles, 6 literature reviews
• Articles generated in 13 countries • Research is ongoing!
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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___________________________________ ___________________________________ What is PECS
• A methodology for teaching learners “how” to communicate by exchanging pictures
• It is an AAC (Alternative and Augmentative Communication System) • Uses the principles of broad spectrum ABA
• Parallels typical language development
• Implements teaching strategies that encourages speech
• Is an evidence based practice
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ 2 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduced. ___________________________________ What does the evidence
say?
___________________________________ "The most widely used intervention was
PECS, with almost all of the participants
mentioning it, even those who did not use
any other intervention in their program."
___________________________________ Stahmer, A., Collings, N. & Palinkas, L. (2005). Early
Intervention Practices for Children With Autism:
Descriptions From Community Providers. Focus on Autism
and Other Developmental Studies, 20, 66-79.
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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___________________________________ ___________________________________ The Pyramid Approach to Education
___________________________________ The “how”
of teaching
___________________________________ Collecting and
Analyzing Data
Functional Communication
The “why” of behaviour:
The science of learning
Functional Activities
___________________________________ The “what” of
teaching
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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___________________________________ The Base Element
The “why” of behavior: The science of learning
Functional Activities
Powerful Reinforcers
Functional Communication
Contextually Inappropriate Behavior (CIB)
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Purposeful activities and real materials: focus skills leading to independence. Provides opportunities to have something to communicate about.
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Powerful motivation that drives learning. Requesting a reinforcer is the 1st lesson in PECS and the only prerequisite to begin.
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Communication must be between at least two people. PECS begins exchanging a message to a person. •
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___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Focus on finding the function and teaching functionally equivalent alternative behaviors (FEAB). Communication skills can be FEAB’s.
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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3 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduced. ___________________________________ The Top Elements
The “how” of teaching
Generalization
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Skills generalized from the beginning
Variety of people, places, activities
Effective Lesson Types
Specific Teaching Strategies
Minimizing and Correcting Errors
Collecting and Analyzing Data
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Sequential, discrete, incidental
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Goal is to eliminate prompts
PECS is systematically taught
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Opportunities to teach – not just fixing mistakes
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Determines the effectiveness of a lesson and changes to make
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ What is communication?
___________________________________ • Not all behaviors are communicative
• Must occur between two people
• “Speaker” directs behavior to “listener”
• “Listener” mediates
access to reinforcer
___________________________________ ___________________________________ 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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___________________________________ Understanding under what conditions communication occurs
Deprivation or
environmental events
___________________________________ Spontaneous/
self-initiated
___________________________________ Question or prompt
Model
Responsive
___________________________________ Imitative
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4 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduced. ___________________________________ Pyramid Principles for Teaching Functional Communication
Decisions
Modality
Communicative function to teach first
Approach to spontaneity
___________________________________ PECS
Pictures
Requesting
___________________________________ ___________________________________ From beginning
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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___________________________________ Why and How of PECS?
___________________________________ WHY?
• Teaches HOW to communicate
• Focuses on students initiation
• First skill = spontaneous requesting
___________________________________ • Expands to teach discrimination, sentence structure, answering various questions and expanding language
• Develops communication/“verbal behavior” controlled by the presence of the audience
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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___________________________________ ___________________________________ Why and How of PECS ___________________________________ HOW?
• Begin with learner’s favorite reinforcing item or activity
• Start implementing across the day during the natural routines in their day
• Use the picture symbol set that is most readily available
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
___________________________________ ___________________________________ 5 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduced. ___________________________________ Getting ready for implementation
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___________________________________ Set time for staff training Purchase materials and supplies
Complete a reinforcer assessment
Make pictures
Identify communication opportunities across the day Activity
Goal
Expressive Communication
___________________________________ ___________________________________ Receptive Communication
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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___________________________________ The Phases of PECS
Phase
Objective of each phase
Phase I
How to communicate
Phase II
Distance and persistence
Phase III
Discrimination training
Phase IV
Sentence Structure
Expanding Vocabulary
Attributes, action words, asking questions
Phase V
Answering “What do you want?”
Phase VI
Commenting
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Phase I: How to Communicate
___________________________________ • Goal: Approach people to initiate communication
– To teach initiation, use 2‐person prompting procedure
• Teach 3‐step sequence
– Pick up, reach, release
___________________________________ ___________________________________ • One picture at a time – no discrimination 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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6 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduced. ___________________________________ Physical Prompter
Communicative Partner
Entice
Wait for
initiation/reach
___________________________________ Physically prompt pick
up, reach, release
___________________________________ ___________________________________ Reinforce within ½ sec (label item)
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational
Consultants. May not be reproduce.
PP waits for the initiation, then …
prompts the pick‐up,
___________________________________ reach,
___________________________________ ___________________________________ and release.
CP delivers R+ within ½ second, labels item and praises student
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
___________________________________ ___________________________________ Phase II: Distance and Persistence
• Distance: travel
___________________________________ – Adult moves away from learner, learner travels to find communicative partner
– Learner locates communication book
– Learner carries communication book
___________________________________ ___________________________________ • Persistence ‐Eliminate subtle prompts
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7 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduced. ___________________________________ Phase II: Distance and Persistence
___________________________________ • Each learner has their own communication book
• Picture gets placed on communication book
– one picture
– no discrimination required
___________________________________ • Variety of people, activities, locations, and reinforcers ___________________________________ • Phase II never ends!
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___________________________________ IIIA: Simple Discrimination
___________________________________ • Motivation to use correct picture = getting desired item & avoiding undesired item
• Remember to reinforce at 1st indication of choice!
• 4 Step Error Correction Procedure for mistakes
___________________________________ ___________________________________ versus
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
1. Model/Show
___________________________________ 2. Practice
___________________________________ 3. Switch
___________________________________ 4. Repeat
___________________________________ 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
8 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduced. ___________________________________ Phase IIIB Conditional Discrimination
___________________________________ • Discrimination between equally reinforcing
– Conduct Correspondence Checks
– Use 4‐step Error Correction Procedure following mistakes
___________________________________ ___________________________________ 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
___________________________________ Phase IV: Building Sentences
___________________________________ “I want” + picture placed on sentence strip
___________________________________ Whole sentence handed to adult
___________________________________ 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
___________________________________ Phase IV: Summary
1. The student places the reinforcer symbol on the strip and exchanges. 3. The student taps the symbols. ___________________________________ 2. The student puts the ‘I want’ and the reinforcer symbol on the strip and exchanges. 4. The teacher inserts a 3‐5 second time delay before naming the reinforcer item. 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
___________________________________ ___________________________________ 3‐5 second delay
9 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduced. ___________________________________ Attributes
___________________________________ • Teach students to request very specific reinforcers
• Increase sentence length through attribute combinations
• Receptive mastery not a prerequisite!
___________________________________ ___________________________________ 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
___________________________________ Phase V
Answering “What do you want?”
___________________________________ • Answering “What do you want?”
– Expand to responding to other questions such as “what to you want to play with”
___________________________________ • Leads to Commenting
– Use same teaching strategy for Phases V and VI
• Maintain Spontaneity
___________________________________ – Have opportunities for requesting and responding to questions.
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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___________________________________ Phase VI
Commenting
___________________________________ • Answering “comment” questions
– “What do you see?”
– “What is it?”
– “What do you have/hear/feel?”
• Discriminating between “What do you see?” and “What do you want?”
• Have opportunities for both spontaneous commenting and requesting
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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___________________________________ ___________________________________ 10 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduced. ___________________________________ Expanding Language
___________________________________ • Teaches to request multiple items
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Teaches adverbs, prepositions
Teaches subject verb combinations
Verb tenses
Asking questions 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants.
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___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Modality Transitioning
• Successful transitions from any modality to any other modality (e.g. PECS to SGD) include:
– New modality vocabulary = current vocabulary
– Rate of initiation is equal – Length of utterance is equal
– New modality is at least 80% intelligible to unfamiliar listener
– Speed of interaction is equal
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ •Taking away skills is unethical!!
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
___________________________________ PECS and SGD
“The authors recommended that PECS® phases I –
III be mastered before the iPad™ is introduced, to ensure the students master these prerequisite skills since they are more difficult to scaffold (break into smaller units for teaching and then
build additional skills) using the iPad™.”
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Adams Hill, Doris and Flores, Margaret M. (2014). Comparing the Picture Exchange Communication System and the iPad™ for Communication of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Delay. TechTrends, May/June, vol 58, no.3
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
11 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduced. ___________________________________ PECS Myths and Misconceptions
Myth
Fact
If we’re using
pictures of any
kind, we’re using
PECS.
PECS is a specific protocol for
teaching expressive use of pictures for
an individual to communicate.
___________________________________ ___________________________________ Evidence
Frost, L. and Bondy, A. (2002). The PECS Training Manual, 2nd ed. If the basic protocol has not been implemented then it is not PECS!
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
___________________________________ ___________________________________ Fact
PECS Myths and Misconceptions
Myth
We’re using a
visual
schedule, so
we’re using
PECS.
PECS is an expressive communication
system.
___________________________________ Visual schedules are about receptive
understanding. Sequence of pictures that
gives information about the day.
___________________________________ The Pyramid Approach makes use of
visual schedules, but users do not
exchange the pictures in a communicative
fashion.
Bondy, A (2012). The unusual suspects: Myths and Misconceptions associated with PECS. The Psychological Record, 62, 789‐816. 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
___________________________________ ___________________________________ PECS Myths and Misconceptions
Myth
Fact
PECS is only
PECS can be an alternative
for people who communication system for those
don’t speak at who don’t speak or an
all.
augmentative communication
system for those who do.
___________________________________ ___________________________________ Evidence
Ganz, J & Simpson R (2004). Effects on communication requesting and speech development of The Picture Exchange Communication System in children with characteristics of autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 34, 395‐409. The results showed participants (3 children) master rapidly the phases taught (Ph I‐IV) and the word utterances increased in number and complexity of grammar. ___________________________________ 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
12 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduced. ___________________________________ PECS Myths and Misconceptions
Myth
Fact
PECS is only for
young children.
PECS has been effectively used around the
world with people aged from 14 months to 85
years.
___________________________________ ___________________________________ Evidence:
Conklin, C. & Mayer, G.R. (2010). Effects of implementing the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) with adults with developmental disabilities and severe communication deficits. Remedial and Special Education (Online First) 2011 32 155‐166
The results of this study suggest that participants (3 adults) taught via PECS increased their initiation of requests, thereby increasing their independence and choice making, which also appears to have collateral effects on problem behaviors. 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
___________________________________ Myth
Fact
PECS just
PECS’s final phase focuses on
PECS Myths and Misconceptions
teaches
teaching commenting (e.g. I see, I
people to
hear, I smell).
request.
PECS is not only about a person
getting his/her needs and desires
met, but about commenting with
other people in his/her world.
___________________________________ Evidence
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Frost, L. and Bondy, A. (2002). The PECS Training Manual, 2nd ed. PECS is designed to teach both functions of communication, requesting and commenting. 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
___________________________________ PECS Myths and Misconceptions
Myth
Fact
If we use PECS,
the person using
the system won’t
learn to speak.
As with any other alternative
communication system, the use of
PECS will increase the likelihood
that a person will become a verbal
communicator.
___________________________________ ___________________________________ Evidence
___________________________________ There are 16 research articles that show PECS increases vocal speech for preschool age children. www.pecs.com/research
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
13 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduced. ___________________________________ Number of Pictures and Spoken Words
Acquired After PECS Training
180
160
___________________________________ P ic tu re s
140
W o rd s
120
100
___________________________________ 80
First Spoken Word
60
(91)
40
20
___________________________________ (61)
0
0
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
20
N u m b e r o f M o n th s A fte r P E C S
Age2014
atCopyright
Start
= 3 years 0 months
Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
Andy Bondy and Lori Frost, 1994
___________________________________ PECS Myths and Misconceptions
Myth
Fact
PECS is only
for people
with autism.
What has been discovered over the 20 years since
the inception of PECS is that it can serve as an
effective communication system for a range of
individuals with communication impairment.
___________________________________ ___________________________________ PECS is being used with individuals with Down
syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Cri-du-Chat,
developmental verbal dyspraxia, language disorder,
head injury and the list goes on.
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
___________________________________ ___________________________________ Research‐based benefits using PECS
___________________________________ • Facilitates acquisition of speech
• Increases social approach during play
• Reduces Behavior Management Targets rates (even when not specifically addressed)
• Is easily understood in community and by peers
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
___________________________________ ___________________________________ 14 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduced. ___________________________________ Conclusion
PECS
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•
•
___________________________________ A teaching system that focuses on initiation Easy to get started
Evidence based
Has been shown to have a positive impact ___________________________________ – increase communication skills
– increase vocal speech – decrease unwanted behaviors
___________________________________ PECS provides power to communicate!
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduce.
___________________________________ Where and how to contact us
___________________________________ 13 Garfield Way
Newark, DE 19713
888.732.7462
www.pecsusa.com
___________________________________ for PECS related research publications
Please visit http://www.pecsusa.com/Research.php
2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May be reproduce.
___________________________________ 15 2014 Copyright Pyramid Educational Consultants. May not be reproduced.