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This is the plain-language version. Same content, written for a quick read.
PECS, the Picture Exchange Communication System, is one of the most-used systems for non-speaking students with autism and other speech needs. It is built on a set plan, well-tested, and you can be trained in it. It is also often run the wrong way. Schools sometimes "do PECS" while skipping key steps, mixing it up with picture use in general, or using it in different ways across staff. The student's growth stalls. Or worse: the student learns to point, but never gets to the open-ended talk PECS is built for.
This brief covers the practical side. What PECS is. The six phases. What each phase teaches. What your role looks like in each phase. The most common mistakes. How to work with the SLP (Speech-Language Pathologist) who usually leads the plan. Brief 10.02 covers the bigger AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) picture. This brief is just about PECS.
The frame. PECS is a set teaching plan. It is not just "using pictures." Done well, it builds open-ended talk that works across places and people. Done as "have the student point to what he wants," it does not get those results. Your job is to run it the right way, and to notice when it's drifting off track.
Paras working with students using PECS
Paras supporting students with autism, other disabilities, or significant speech needs
Paras working in self-contained or specialized rooms
Supervising teachers, SLPs, BCBAs who build or run PECS plans
Anyone who's been told to "work on the picture cards" without much else
PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) was built in 1985 by Andy Bondy and Lori Frost. It is a set plan for teaching speech-like use of pictures. It was first built for children with autism. Now it is used with many groups. PECS teaches the student to hand a picture to a partner to get a wanted item.
Starts with asking (not naming)
The student starts the talk (not pushed by adults asking "what do you want?")
Built on a real exchange: student hands picture; partner gives item
Set order of six phases
Based in applied behavior analysis
Builds set motor and matching skills along with talk
Many teachers and paras use pictures with non-speaking students. They do not always use PECS. Common patterns:
Picture menus the student points to
Visual schedules
Choice boards
Picture books for talking
These are useful. But they are not PECS unless they follow the set plan. The difference matters because:
PECS-trained students learn to start, not to respond
PECS starts with asking (the most rewarding use)
PECS trains a real handoff: the student gives the picture to a partner, not just pointing
PECS has set phases that build open-ended talk
Students with little or no useful speech
Students at any level of picture-matching skill: telling pictures apart is taught in Phase III, not needed to start
Students for whom no other AAC system fits yet, or who do well with PECS as a way into AAC
Often used as a step toward higher-tech AAC for some students
Some students stay on PECS for years. Others move on.
PECS moves through six phases. Each one teaches set skills. The student moves on once they meet the goals for the phase they are on.
What it teaches
The basic move: see wanted item, pick up picture, hand picture to partner, get item.
Setup
Two trainers (in the classic plan): a partner (the receiver) and a prompter (helps from behind)
One picture in front of the student
One wanted item in clear view
Procedure
Student looks at item
Prompter (behind) guides the student's hand to pick up the picture and place it in the partner's open hand
Partner names the item, gives the item
Repeat across many tries
Fade hand-over-hand help bit by bit
Mastery goal
Student picks up the picture and gives it to the partner with no prompt
What it teaches
Use the skill across new spots, partners, and places. Build the habit of going to find a partner.
Procedure
Move the picture board farther from the student
Move the partner farther from the student
Have the student walk to the picture, then to the partner
Vary partners, places, items
Build the habit that the student will go find a partner
Mastery goal
Student walks to the book and to the partner across normal distances
Keeps trying to find a partner if the first try is missed
What it teaches
Pick the right picture from a set.
Procedure
Phase IIIA: tell apart a much-liked picture from a not-liked (or distractor) one
Phase IIIB: tell apart two liked items
Use checks: student gives picture; partner offers both items; checks which the student takes
Build up to bigger picture sets
Mastery goal
Student picks the right picture from a set, showing they can tell them apart
What it teaches
Build a sentence: "I want" + item picture.
Procedure
Add a sentence strip
Pair the "I want" picture with the item picture on the strip
Hand the strip to the partner
Partner reads the sentence out loud, gives the item
Mastery goal
Student builds and hands over sentence strips
What it teaches
Answer direct questions: most of all, "What do you want?"
Procedure
Partner asks "What do you want?"
Student answers with a sentence strip
Builds on top of the student-led skill taught earlier
Note
Phase V is often started too early. Adults often start by asking "What do you want?" because it feels like teaching. PECS puts student-led before responsive on purpose. Students learn to start, not just to answer.
What it teaches
Talk beyond asking: say what you see, hear, or feel.
Procedure
Add sentence starters: "I see," "I hear," "I feel"
Use across real moments: books, play, the room
Less rewarding on its own than asking (you don't get a snack for saying it's raining), so plan with care
Mastery goal
Student comments on their own and answers comment prompts
PECS is usually led by the SLP (or BCBA in some places). Paras are usually the main ones running it through the day.
Run the plan the way the SLP has trained: no shortcuts
Keep the book or board within reach all the time
Keep liked items in view but not free to grab: they are the "why" of the talk
Run many tries each day, not just one or two
Track the data the SLP wants: exchanges, errors, prompt level
Share growth and worries with the SLP
Phase I
Often act as the prompter or partner
Two-person training is the norm
Stay in sync with the other trainer
Phase II
Be the partner the student walks to find
Be patient: fading the distance matters more than rushing
Phase III
Run picture-matching checks with care
Don't drop it to "point to which one you want": the real handoff keeps going
Wrong picks are data, not problems
Phase IV
Help build the sentence strip
Read the strip out loud as you give the item: supports speech models
Phase V
Wait for the student to start on their own before asking: don't jump to questions
Vary your question forms and places
Phase VI
Add commenting moments through the day
Model commenting on the device yourself (if it's a mixed setup)
Build or change the PECS plan
Decide when to move to the next phase
Change the cards or sets without SLP guidance
Demand speech when the student is on PECS ("say it!" breaks the system)
PECS isn't a side activity. PECS isn't a 30-minute slot after lunch. It is how the student talks all day. The book goes with them. Tries are non-stop. The amount of practice matters.
PECS often goes wrong in ways that look like "PECS isn't working" when really the way it's being run has drifted. Some patterns:
The student points at a picture rather than handing it over
This is not PECS: it's pointing
The handoff is the heart of PECS. Without it, the student is missing the main piece.
Push back: "Why are we letting pointing slide? PECS is exchange."
Adult instinct: ask "What do you want?", or let the student point, instead of waiting for them to use the system
PECS starts with student-led on purpose
Asking before Phase V breaks the student-led base
Wait for the student to start. Set up the room so they want to start.
Book on a shelf, in a drawer, or in another room
Talk needs to be ready all the time, the way speech is for speakers
Brief 10.01 (Communication Bill of Rights) covers this: access at all times
Some teams pull pictures of items the student can't have right now
Better: leave the pictures, and model that the item isn't around right now ("We don't have iPad now; what about Play-Doh?")
Pulling pictures teaches the student that talk is about asking for what's there, not about saying what they want
"Say 'I want' first" before giving the item
This punishes PECS use. The student gave you the picture, expecting the item.
If speech is coming in, model it ("I want cookie"), but give the item for the picture
Generic icons that don't match the student's real world
Pictures need to show what is really in the student's life: family, foods, items from their culture
Some students sit at Phase I or III for years
Often this is because data isn't taken, or the SLP isn't really in the loop
Push to move on when the data backs it
Some students do well moving to higher-tech AAC at some point
This is a team call based on what the student needs
Don't drop PECS without a plan for the switch
PECS isn't the only picture-based system. It is often used along with other AAC.
Picture boards: pictures on a board the student points to (not the same as PECS)
Picture books: bound pictures, often sorted by topic
Aided language stimulation: partners model on a system as they speak
Core vocabulary boards: focused on high-use words across settings
For some students, PECS is a way into AAC that leads to higher-tech systems (speech-generating devices, tablets with apps). The motor and matching skills built in PECS often carry over.
Some things to think about:
| PECS | Higher-tech AAC |
|---|---|
| Real: paper pictures | Digital: touch screen, voice output |
| Few words in any one book | Often very many words inside |
| Doesn't speak for the student: partners read | Voice output speaks for the student |
| Needs a partner to take the picture | More on-their-own in some ways |
| Easy to carry in a basic way (low-tech) | Needs battery and works only when the device works |
| Often seen as easier to start with | Stronger for big, full talk |
Different students do well with different systems. The team picks. Many students use more than one.
Best practice often means more than one way to talk:
PECS for some uses
AAC device for bigger talk
Speech tries the student is building
Sign or gesture
All okay. All rewarded.
Brief 10.07 (Modeling AAC) and 10.08 (Core Vocabulary) build on these ideas.
Number of exchanges per session or day
Started by student vs. prompted
Successful exchanges
Wrong picks — the student hands over a picture for something they turn out not to want
Range of items asked for
Range of partners
Word growth
Each phase has set goals for moving on
Usually needs to be steady across tries, sessions, partners, places
Don't move on too fast (too soon) or too slow (stuck)
Take the data the SLP has set up
Track patterns. What is the student asking for most? Are there liked items the team should add?
Note errors and prompts
Bring data to weekly check-ins
Common at Phase III (picture matching) and Phase VI (commenting)
Bring what you see to the SLP
May need to look again at what rewards the student
May need to slow down or speed up
May need to add modeling or other supports
PECS works best when it is used at home too
Family training matters: SLP usually leads
The book travels home as fits
Same words across home and school
Pictures should show the student's real life: family, foods, religious or cultural items
Bilingual point: some icons and labels in both languages
Family input on key words
Some families are unsure about PECS. They worry it will keep their child from speaking, or that it is giving up on speech. The research is clear:
PECS does not slow speech
Some students grow speech while using PECS
PECS gives a voice NOW for students who don't speak
Talk leads to more talk: having a way to share often supports speech, doesn't shut it down
The SLP should talk to families about these worries. Your job is to back up the family's view by how you use the system.
Some thoughts on PECS in the bigger disability rights picture:
Some autistic adults critique behavioral plans in general as compliance training
PECS is rooted in ABA: some of that critique applies
Listen to autistic and AAC-user voices on these debates
PECS done well puts student start and choice first: that's the design
PECS done badly can feel like compliance: point to this, get this, repeat
The plan matters. How it is run matters more.
Some students move from PECS to higher talk
Some students stay on PECS as their main system long term, and that's fine if it works for them
The goal is real talk that works for the student, not getting to speech in particular
Family voice matters in picking AAC
Student voice matters more as they grow older
Don't push a system because it's what the school does
Different students do well with different paths
| Try this | Watch out for |
|---|---|
| Run the full plan: real handoff, set phases | Drop PECS to 'pointing at pictures' |
| Wait for the student to start on their own in early phases | Ask 'What do you want?' before Phase V |
| Keep the book within reach all the time | Put it away during certain activities or places |
| Run many chances through the day | Treat PECS as a 30-minute lesson |
| Work with the SLP and follow their lead on phase moves | Decide on your own to skip steps or stop |
| Use pictures that match the student's real life and culture | Use generic icons cut off from the student's world |
| Accept many ways to talk: speech, sign, AAC alongside PECS | Demand speech as a 'next step' before giving items |
| Bring worries about growth or stalls to the SLP | Keep the same approach for years without raising it |
| Spread it across partners, places, and times of day | Use it only with one or two partners in one place |
| Take data and bring it to weekly check-ins | Run with no data and find problems too late |
You start at a new school. Your student is said to use PECS. But he just points to pictures. The book is on the shelf. Items are given when he points.
This isn't PECS. Bring it to the SLP and supervising teacher: "He's pointing, not handing over. We're not running the plan. Where's the program write-up? Can we set the system up again?" Push for re-training: yourself, the team, maybe the student. Pointing isn't bad talk, but if he's been set up as a PECS user, the team owes him the real system.
Another para responds to your student by asking "What do you want?" before any talk. The student hands over a picture, but only when asked.
This is putting Phase V before Phase I in spirit. Talk with the coworker and SLP. "PECS is supposed to start with the student starting on their own. Asking the question breaks that. Let's wait for him to come to us with the picture instead." Change the room so the student wants to start. The SLP may need to do a refresher with all staff.
Your 6-year-old has been at Phase III (picture matching) for two years. He gets the right picture about 60% of the time. That has not moved.
Bring it to the SLP right away. Two years at one phase is a problem. Think: is the picture matching really hard, or is the plan drifting? Are the rewards still working? Are there enough chances each day? Is the data being taken? Sometimes a fresh look, fresh reward pool, or changed steps break through. Sometimes a different system fits better. Don't keep the same path forever.
A parent asks if PECS will keep their child from talking.
Send to the SLP. They are the expert on this talk. From your end, you can offer comfort based on what you've been told: "The research shows PECS doesn't slow speech. Some kids grow speech alongside it. Mrs. Lin can walk you through this in more detail." Don't go past what the SLP has said. Brief 12.03 (SLP) and 12.09 (Working with Families) both fit here. (12.03 is in expert review, not published yet)
Your student has mastered Phase VI of PECS. The team is thinking about moving him to a tablet AAC system.
This is right for many students. Work with the SLP on the switch plan. PECS skills often carry over: the asking shape, words, motor planning. Don't drop PECS all at once. Many students do well with both for a while. Track the switch. The bigger system opens up words and grammar that PECS books can't easily hold.
On the morning of a field trip, you realize the PECS book wasn't packed.
This is a real problem. If you can, run home and get it. If not, bring as many backup supports as you can (laminated low-tech board, key word cards) and warn the SLP. The student's talk is hurt without the system. This is what brings up the right-to-AAC point in brief 10.01. After the trip: build a check so the book always goes with the student. This is a planning miss to fix for good.
PECS is one of the most useful AAC paths built for non-speaking students with autism and like profiles. Done well, it gives you students who start, choose, keep trying, and talk in open-ended ways. Done as "point to the picture you want," it gives you students who respond and make little growth.
Your role is huge. Most PECS time is para-led. How well you run it sets the result. Master the plan. Work with the SLP. Push back when the way it is run drifts. Carry the book. Run many chances. Trust the plan. The students who learn to talk through this system, in some cases for the first time in their lives, are getting one of the most important parts of being human. You're the one giving it most of the day.
Bottom line. PECS is a handoff-based talk system, not pointing. Six phases: how to talk, distance, picture matching, sentence shape, answering, commenting. Wait for the student to start in early phases. Keep talk within reach all the time. Run many chances. Work with the SLP. Push back on drift. Use more than one way to talk.
10.01 Communication Bill of Rights
10.02 AAC Overview
10.04 Assistive Technology Overview
10.06 Visual Supports
07.01 Autism
07.05 Intellectual Disability
12.03 Working with the SLP (in expert review, not published yet)
12.06 Working with the BCBA (in expert review, not published yet)
Resources: Pyramid Educational Consultants (the original developers and trainers); the PECS protocol manual; Bondy & Frost training; the SLP overseeing your student's program
The six phases, the para's role, and common implementation errors
For paraprofessionals supporting students using PECS or other picture-exchange systems
Why this brief
PECS, the Picture Exchange Communication System, is one of the most widely-used communication systems for non-speaking students with autism and other communication disabilities. It's structured, well-researched, and trainable. It's also frequently misimplemented. Schools sometimes "do PECS" while skipping critical steps, conflating it with picture-symbol use generally, or using it inconsistently across staff. The result is a student whose communication progress stalls, or worse: a student who learns to point but never gets to the spontaneous, generative communication PECS is designed to build.
This brief covers the practical version: what PECS actually is, the six phases, what each phase teaches, what the para's role looks like across phases, the most common implementation errors, and how to coordinate with the SLP who's typically directing the program. Brief 10.02 (AAC Overview) covers the broader AAC landscape; this brief is specifically about PECS and similar picture-exchange approaches.
Who this brief is for
Paras working with students using PECS
Paras supporting students with autism, other developmental disabilities, or significant communication needs
Paras working in self-contained or specialized programs
Supervising teachers, SLPs, BCBAs designing or overseeing PECS programs
Anyone who's been told to "work on the picture cards" without much explanation
What PECS is
Definition
The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) was developed in 1985 by Andy Bondy and Lori Frost. It's a structured protocol for teaching functional communication using pictures, originally developed for children with autism but now used across various populations. PECS teaches communication through the physical exchange of a picture for a desired item.
Distinctive features
Begins with the function of requesting (not labeling)
Initiated by the communicator (not prompted by adults asking "what do you want?")
Built on physical exchange: student gives picture; partner gives item
Structured progression through six specific phases
Based in applied behavior analysis
Trains specific motor and discrimination skills along with communication
PECS vs. "picture cards"
Many teachers and paras use pictures with non-speaking students without using PECS specifically. Common patterns:
Picture menus the student points to
Visual schedules
Choice boards
Communication books
These are valuable but they're not PECS unless they follow the specific protocol. The distinction matters because:
PECS-trained students are taught to initiate, not respond
PECS focuses first on requesting (the most reinforcing function)
PECS trains physical exchange: the student gives the picture to a partner, they don't just point
PECS has specific phases that build generative communication
Who PECS is for
Students with little or no functional speech
Students at any level of visual-discrimination skill: discrimination is taught in Phase III, not required to begin
Students for whom no other AAC system is yet appropriate or who benefit from PECS as an entry to AAC
Often used as a stepping stone to higher-tech AAC for some students
Some students remain on PECS long-term; others transition to other systems
The six phases
PECS progresses through six phases, each teaching specific skills. The student moves to the next phase when they meet criteria for the current phase.
Phase I: How to communicate
What it teaches
The fundamental motor and conceptual response: see desired item, pick up picture, hand picture to communication partner, receive item.
Setup
Two trainers (in classic protocol): a communicative partner (the receiver) and a physical prompter (helps from behind)
One picture in front of the student
One desired item in clear view
Procedure
Student looks at item
Physical prompter (behind) physically guides the student's hand to pick up picture and place in communicative partner's open hand
Communicative partner names item, gives item
Repeat across many trials
Fade physical prompts gradually
Mastery criteria
Student spontaneously picks up picture and gives to partner without prompting
Phase II: Distance and persistence
What it teaches
Generalize to varied distances, partners, and locations. Build persistence in seeking out a partner.
Procedure
Move the picture board farther from the student
Move partner farther from the student
Have student travel to picture, then to partner
Vary partners, locations, items
Build the expectation that the student will come find the communication partner
Mastery criteria
Student travels to picture book and to communication partner across reasonable distances
Persists in seeking partner if first attempt isn't responded to
Phase III: Picture discrimination
What it teaches
Choose the correct picture from a field of pictures.
Procedure
Phase IIIA: discrimination between high-preference and low-preference (or distractor) item
Phase IIIB: discrimination between two preferred items
Use correspondence checks: student gives picture; partner offers both items; checks which the student takes
Build to multi-picture choice arrays
Mastery criteria
Student reliably picks correct picture from field of pictures, demonstrating discrimination
Phase IV: Sentence structure
What it teaches
Build a sentence: "I want" + item picture.
Procedure
Sentence strip introduced
"I want" picture combined with item picture on the strip
Strip handed to communication partner
Partner reads the sentence aloud, gives item
Mastery criteria
Student constructs and exchanges sentence strips
Phase V: Answering questions
What it teaches
Respond to direct questions, especially "What do you want?"
Procedure
Partner asks "What do you want?"
Student responds with sentence strip
Builds responsive communication on top of the spontaneous communication taught earlier
Note
Phase V is sometimes implemented prematurely. Adults often start by asking "What do you want?" because it feels like teaching. PECS deliberately puts spontaneous requesting before responsive requesting: students learn to initiate, not just respond.
Phase VI: Commenting
What it teaches
Communication beyond requesting: commenting on what's seen, heard, or experienced.
Procedure
Sentence starters expanded: "I see," "I hear," "I feel"
Use across natural contexts: books, activities, environment
Less reinforcing inherently than requesting (you don't get an item for commenting on the weather), so requires careful programming
Mastery criteria
Student comments spontaneously and responds to commenting prompts
The para's role
PECS is typically directed by the SLP (or BCBA in some settings); paras are usually the primary implementers across the day.
Across all phases
Implement the protocol with fidelity: exactly as the SLP has trained
Maintain access to the communication book or board at all times
Keep highly preferred items visible but not freely accessible: they're the "why" of the communication
Run multiple opportunities daily, not just once or twice
Document the data the SLP wants: exchanges, errors, prompt level
Communicate progress and concerns to the SLP
Phase-specific roles
Phase I
Often serve as physical prompter or communication partner
Two-person training is typical
Coordinate carefully with the second trainer
Phase II
Be the partner the student travels to find
Be patient: fading the proximity matters more than rushing
Phase III
Run discrimination probes carefully
Don't reduce to "point to which one you want": physical exchange continues
Discrimination errors are information, not problems
Phase IV
Help with sentence strip construction
Read the strip aloud as you give the item: supports vocal modeling
Phase V
Wait for spontaneous before asking: don't rush to questions
Vary your question forms and contexts
Phase VI
Embed commenting opportunities throughout the day
Model commenting on the device yourself (if multimodal)
What paras don't do
Design or modify the PECS program
Decide when to advance phases
Modify the materials without SLP guidance
Substitute speech demands when student is on PECS ("say it\!" undermines the system)
Common implementation errors
PECS frequently goes wrong in ways that look like "PECS isn't working" when really the implementation has drifted. Some patterns:
"Picture pointing"
The student points to a picture instead of physically giving it to a partner
This is not PECS: it's pointing
The exchange is the core of PECS; without it, the student is missing fundamental aspects
Push back: "Why are we accepting pointing? PECS is exchange."
Asking "What do you want?" too early
Adult instinct: ask "What do you want?", or let the student point, instead of waiting for them to use the system
PECS deliberately starts with spontaneous initiation
Asking before Phase V undermines the spontaneous foundation
Wait for the student to initiate: set the environment up so they want to initiate
Putting the book away
Communication book on a shelf, in a drawer, or in another room
Communication needs to be available all the time, like speech is for speakers
Brief 10.01 (Communication Bill of Rights) covers this: access at all times
Limiting pictures to "what's available"
Some teams remove pictures of items the student can't have right now
Better: leave the pictures, model that the item isn't available right now ("We don't have iPad now; what about Play-Doh?")
Removing pictures teaches the student that communication is about asking for what's available, not about expressing preferences
Substitute speech demands
"Say 'I want' first" before giving the item
This punishes PECS use; the student gave you the picture, expecting the item
If speech is emerging, model it ("I want cookie") but give the item for the picture
One-size-fits-all symbols
Generic symbols that don't match the student's actual environment
Pictures need to represent what's really in the student's life: including family, foods, and items relevant culturally
Long delays in advancing phases
Some students sit at Phase I or III for years
Often because data isn't being collected or the SLP isn't actively involved
Push for advancement when data supports it
"Outgrowing" PECS without a transition plan
Some students benefit from transition to higher-tech AAC at some point
This is a team decision based on student needs
Don't drop PECS without a transition plan
PECS and other AAC
PECS isn't the only picture-based communication system, and it's often used alongside other AAC.
Other systems in this family
Communication boards: pictures arranged on a board the student points to (different from PECS)
Communication books: bound pictures, often organized by category
Aided language stimulation: partners model on a system as they speak
Core vocabulary boards: focused on high-frequency words across contexts
PECS as a stepping stone
For some students, PECS is an entry to AAC that leads to higher-tech systems (speech-generating devices, tablets with communication apps). The motor and conceptual skills built in PECS often transfer.
PECS vs. higher-tech AAC
Some considerations:
| PECS | Higher-tech AAC |
|---|---|
| Tangible: physical pictures | Digital: touch screen, speech output |
| Limited vocabulary in any one book | Often very large vocabulary available |
| Doesn't speak for the student: partners read | Speech output speaks for the student |
| Requires a partner to receive the exchange | More independent in some ways |
| More portable in a basic sense (low-tech) | Battery and device dependent |
| Often considered easier to start with | More powerful for complex communication |
Different students benefit from different systems. The team makes the choice; many students use multiple modalities.
Multimodal communication
Best practice often involves multiple modes of communication:
PECS for some functions
AAC device for broader communication
Speech approximations the student is developing
Sign language or gesture
All accepted; all reinforced
Brief 10.07 (Modeling AAC) and 10.08 (Core Vocabulary) extend these themes.
Data and progression
What data is typically collected
Number of exchanges per session or day
Spontaneous vs. prompted
Successful exchanges
Discrimination errors
Range of items requested
Range of partners
Vocabulary growth
Mastery criteria
Each phase has specific criteria for advancement
Typically requires consistency across trials, sessions, partners, settings
Don't advance too fast (premature) or too slow (stagnation)
Para's data role
Collect data the SLP has set up
Track patterns: what's the student requesting most? Are there preferred items the team should add?
Note errors and prompts
Bring data to weekly check-ins
If progress stalls
Common at Phase III (discrimination) and Phase VI (commenting)
Bring observations to the SLP
May need to revisit reinforcer assessment
May need to adjust pacing
May need to add modeling or other supports
Working with family
Generalization to home
PECS works best when used at home too
Family training matters: SLP usually leads
Communication book travels home as appropriate
Shared vocabulary across home and school
Cultural considerations
Pictures should reflect the student's actual life: family members, foods, religious or cultural items
Bilingual considerations: some symbols and labels in both languages
Family input on important vocabulary
Family ambivalence
Some families are uncertain about PECS: worried it'll keep their child from speaking, or that it's giving up on speech. The research is clear:
PECS does not delay speech
Some students develop speech while using PECS
PECS provides communication NOW for students who don't speak
Communication breeds communication: having a way to communicate often supports speech development, doesn't suppress it
The SLP should address these concerns directly with families. The para's role is supporting the family's understanding through how you use the system.
Ethics considerations
Some thoughts on PECS in the broader disability rights context:
Disability rights critiques
Some autistic adults critique behavioral approaches generally as compliance training
PECS is rooted in ABA: same critique applies in part
Listen to autistic and AAC-user voices on these debates
Spontaneity and choice
PECS done well prioritizes student initiation and choice: that's its design
PECS done badly can feel like compliance: point to this, get this, repeat
The protocol matters; the implementation matters more
Long-term outcomes
Some students transition fluidly from PECS to higher communication
Some students remain on PECS as their primary system long-term, and that's fine if it serves them
The goal is functional communication that works for the student, not arrival at speech specifically
Decision-making about systems
Family voice matters in choosing AAC approaches
Student voice matters increasingly as they age
Don't impose a system because it's what the school does
Different students benefit from different approaches
Pitfalls
| Try this | Watch out for |
|---|---|
| Implement the full protocol: physical exchange, structured phases | Reduce PECS to 'pointing at pictures' |
| Wait for spontaneous initiation in early phases | Ask 'What do you want?' before Phase V |
| Keep the communication book accessible at all times | Put it away during certain activities or settings |
| Run frequent opportunities throughout the day | Treat PECS as a 30-minute lesson |
| Coordinate with the SLP and follow their guidance on phase advancement | Decide independently to skip steps or stop |
| Use pictures that reflect the student's real life and culture | Use generic symbols disconnected from the student's environment |
| Accept multimodal communication: speech, sign, AAC alongside PECS | Demand speech as a 'next step' before delivering items |
| Bring concerns about progress or stagnation to the SLP | Continue same approach for years without escalating |
| Generalize across partners, settings, and times of day | Use only with one or two partners in one setting |
| Document data and bring it to weekly check-ins | Run the system without data and discover problems too late |
Scenarios
Scenario 1: "He just points"
You arrive at a new school. Your student supposedly uses PECS, but he just points to pictures. The communication book is on the shelf. Items are given when he points.
This isn't PECS. Bring it to the SLP and supervising teacher: "He's pointing, not exchanging. We're not on the protocol. Where's the program documentation? Can we re-establish the system?" Push for retraining: yourself, the team, possibly the student. Pointing isn't bad communication, but if he's been positioned as a PECS user, the team owes him the actual system.
Scenario 2: "What do you want?" from day one
Another para responds to your student by asking "What do you want?" before any communication. The student gives a picture, but only in response to that question.
This is putting Phase V before Phase I in spirit. Talk with the colleague and SLP. "PECS is supposed to start with spontaneous initiation. Asking the question undermines that. Let's wait for him to come to us with the picture instead." Adjust environment so the student wants to initiate. The SLP may need to do a refresher with all staff.
Scenario 3: A student stuck at Phase III for two years
Your 6-year-old has been at Phase III (discrimination) for two years. He gets the right picture about 60% of the time and that hasn't budged.
Bring it to the SLP urgently. Two years at one phase is a problem. Consider: is the discrimination genuinely hard, or is the program drifting? Are reinforcers still motivating? Are opportunities frequent enough? Is the data being collected? Sometimes a fresh assessment, fresh reinforcer pool, or modified procedure breaks through. Sometimes a different system is more appropriate. Don't continue the same approach indefinitely.
Scenario 4: Family concerned PECS will delay speech
A parent asks if PECS will keep their child from talking.
Refer to the SLP. They're the expert on this conversation. From your end, you can offer reassurance based on what you've been told: "The research shows PECS doesn't delay speech, and some kids develop speech alongside it. Mrs. Lin can talk you through this in more detail." Don't extemporize beyond what the SLP has explained. Brief 12.03 (SLP) and 12.09 (Working with Families) are both relevant. (12.03 is in expert review, not published yet)
Scenario 5: A student moving to higher-tech AAC
Your student has mastered Phase VI of PECS. The team is considering moving him to a tablet-based AAC system.
This is appropriate for many students. Coordinate with the SLP on the transition plan. PECS skills often transfer: the requesting structure, vocabulary, motor planning. Don't drop PECS abruptly; many students benefit from parallel systems for a period. Document the transition. The bigger system opens up vocabulary and grammatical possibilities that PECS books can't easily hold.
Scenario 6: A field trip without the communication book
On the morning of a field trip, you realize the PECS book wasn't packed.
This is a serious gap. If possible, run home and get it; if not, bring as many emergency supports as possible (laminated low-tech board, key vocabulary cards) and warn the SLP. The student's communication is fundamentally compromised without the system. This is what triggers the right-to-functioning-AAC consideration in brief 10.01. After the trip: build a protocol so the book always travels with the student. This is a planning failure to fix permanently.
Closing thought
PECS is one of the most successful AAC approaches developed for non-speaking students with autism and similar communication profiles. Done with fidelity, it produces students who initiate, choose, persist, and communicate generatively. Done as "point to the picture you want," it produces students who respond passively and make limited progress.
The para's role is enormous: most PECS implementation happens in para-led time, and the fidelity of that implementation determines outcomes. Master the protocol. Coordinate with the SLP. Push back when implementation drifts. Carry the book. Run frequent opportunities. Trust the structure. The students who learn to communicate through this system, in some cases for the first time in their lives, are getting access to one of the most important parts of being human, and you're the one delivering it most of the day.
Related briefs
10.01 Communication Bill of Rights
10.02 AAC Overview
10.04 Assistive Technology Overview
10.06 Visual Supports
07.01 Autism
07.05 Intellectual Disability
12.03 Working with the SLP (in expert review, not published yet)
12.06 Working with the BCBA (in expert review, not published yet)
Resources: Pyramid Educational Consultants (the original developers and trainers); the PECS protocol manual; Bondy & Frost training; the SLP overseeing your student's program
Reading is useful, but recall is where it sticks. Three short scenarios, low-stakes, no scoring. About 3 minutes. You can stop any time.
Start the practice set →You support a student with complex communication needs — non-speaking, minimally speaking, or using…
Your student uses or is being evaluated for AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) — and y…
Your student uses assistive technology (AT) — pencil grip to speech-generating device — and you want…
Your student uses sign language — ASL, Signed Exact English, key word signing, or Total Communicatio…