PECS

PECS


It’s not just printing pictures!

PECS stands for Picture Exchange Communication System. It is a great tool for assisting people with communication difficulties it is used with children, adults and seniors.

It is so much more than just printing pictures and expecting children to use them. And that’s why I am writing this. We see parents daily who are desperately trying to help their children to communicate. What usually happens is that well-meaning people will tell them to use pictures. And so, there are pictures piled up at home and at the nursery and the child is not using them. Does that sound familiar? Bet it does.

PECS is an incredibly powerful tool that can help individuals with communication difficulties to better engage in conversations and express their needs. To have your child succeed at PECS, at Nurture Steps we suggest you follow this rule of thumb.

1) Have your child assessed if PECS is the best way forward for them

2) Ask to see the PECS certification of the person who is telling you to start using pictures for communication

3) Make sure you know the difference between PECS & using pictures for structure

4) Undertake PECS training yourself if you can’t find certified people around you. You might be eligible for funding towards your training.

PECS is a visual communication system that uses symbols to represent words or phrases. The symbols can be printed out and used to support communication between individuals or can be used as a way to aid in understanding written language, request items, give instructions, express emotions, and more.

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