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What is PECS?                                                                                                     "PECS is a unique alternative/augmentative communication system developed in the USA in 1985 by Andy Bondy, PhD, and Lori Frost, MS, CCC-SLP. PECS was first implemented with pre-school students diagnosed with autism at the Delaware Autism Program. Since then, PECS has successfully been implemented worldwide with thousands of learners of all ages who have various cognitive, physical and communication challenges."

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What is PECS?                                                                                                     "PECS is a unique alternative/augmentative communication system developed in the USA in 1985 by Andy Bondy, PhD, and Lori Frost, MS, CCC-SLP. PECS was first implemented with pre-school students diagnosed with autism at the Delaware Autism Program. Since then, PECS has successfully been implemented worldwide with thousands of learners of all ages who have various cognitive, physical and communication challenges."

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(https://pecsusa.com/pecs/)

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- Increase Initiations
- Increase use of symbols in classroom settings
- Increase responses from learner
- Increase requests
- Increase in spoken vocabulary/spontaneous vocalizations
- Increase social interactions with peers

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PECS helps children in preschool (3-5 years) improve their social and communication skills.
PECS helps children in elementary school (6-11 years) with their social, communication, and joint attention skills.
PECS helps students in middle school (12-14 years) with communication skills.

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First, you must receive PECS training from a certified PECS trainer. Pyramid Educational Consultant Inc. provide training on PECS.
Next, you will need to identify the adults who will participate in PECS. PECS requires there to be an adult who assumes the role of the communicative partner and an adult who is the helper. During phase one, it's vital to keep these roles consistent.
After that step, you must conduct a reinforcer sampling. This is where you provide your student with a variety of items and tell them to pick between the two you are holding up. Allow the learner ten seconds to pick the item (verbally, pointing, or any other communication device). Once the learner selects their items, place them in the selected container and place the other item in the non-selected container. Continue this until half of the items are in the selected container.
Before using PECS, you need to conduct an assessment to determine the learner's current communication skills. This will help you create goals for your students. In addition, you will be able to figure out what skills they will need.
After the assessment, you need to create a communication symbols/pictures and assemble them into a book for the student to use.

(https://afirm.fpg.unc.edu/picture-exchange-communication-system/lesson-2-plan-pecs/planning-activity)