Organizational Strategies for Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) Implementation: Insight From the Classroom

Students who do not develop functional communication are more likely to engage in problem behavior, leading to diminished opportunities for inclusion. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) protocol has become a key instructional procedure in the authors’ classrooms as it systematically teaches individual communication skills (e.g., requesting), which expands to include more complex communication and is easily adapted for use with speech generating devices. This case study describes strategies for full integration of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in a classroom context, including identification, training, and classroom design. For example, teachers must develop individualized goals and data collection systems, maintain all AAC devices (e.g., PECS books with all pictures and charging speech generating devices), and embed systematic and naturalistic instruction. This chapter describes the seamless integration of PECS into a classroom serving students with complex communication needs and moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. The classroom model has successfully helped students acquire communication skills since 2016, but this case study focused on four students with special education eligibility of autism who utilize their PECS books to communicate their wants and needs.