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A child is first taught to exchange an icon of a physical
object that they desire (food) for the physical object itself. The object
is exchanged without positive reinforcement, except for the automatic
reinforcement that follows the exchange. The purpose of this is to "build
immediate initiation and avoid prompt dependency." (Center for Disabilities)
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The next step is to teach discrimination of symbols. This
begins by having two icons, one of which provides a desired object, the
other may be in exchange for an object that is not desired. At this point,
the person must make the connection between the specific icon and the
object rather than just the simple act of handing the icon to the recipient
to obtain the desired results.
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Once discrimination is taught, the individual must learn
to use the icons in simple sentences. Some icons represent phrases such
as "I want" or "I feel." The individual might say
"I feel sad" simply by stringing the "I feel" and
the "sad" icons together. Eventually, sentences can become more
complex as more icons are added. "I want big box," using the
icon representing the adjective big. It was believed that, although PECS
would help a nonverbal person to communicate with the world around him,
it would also never force him to learn how to speak so to conform with
that world. However, research has proved that just the opposite effect
has taken place and that "the implementation of PECS enhances a person's
language development." (Center for Disabilities)About 60% of children
who began using PECS before aged 5 and continued on the program for over
a year developed speech. (Bondy, 1998) Many of those children began to
use speech only when using PECS. However, as the child begins to initiate
conversation using PECS, language slowly evolves until he is using it
without the aid of icons. In addition, for children who are already using
language, speech begins to develop in both complexity and frequency after
using PECS. (Bondy, 1996)
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The final, and most important, aspect of PECS, is teaching
an individual to approach a communicative partner. Because autism's main
handicaps lie in social and communicative skills, approaching someone
with a desire is very difficult for individuals with autism. PECS focuses
on allowing people to communicate their needs in an independent way. In
addition, it gives them the opportunity to initiate the communication
of that desire without having to be asked first.
