PECS

March 20, 2013

(I looooove snow days!)

In doing some further readings on PECS or Picture Exchange Communication System, I learned that it aims at requiring the communicator to initiate communication. It becomes their voice. I was under the assumption from my observations over the years with LC students that they were responding to prompts or requests rather than initiating communication themselves. Using PECS (or any other communication system) should result in change or cause a change in the person receiving the communication.  The change should be a new understanding or a response to a request. In the video A Clear Picture: The Use and Benefits of PECS: http://www.pecs.com/webcasts/overview.php it states that critical in early teaching is NOT to pre-empt, but wait for students to hand over the picture first, so they INITIATE the communication, not only respond to prompts from communicator.

This system works well as a low tech AAC for students with apraxia, ASD and other communicative, physical and cognitive challenges.  PECS is becoming a rather outdated form of communication system as the process of creating strips and pictures are time and labour intensive. As pointed out in our last class, Proloque2 can achieve the same results in mere minutes. The use of a mobile device such as an iPod, iPad or iPhone replaces the cumbersome binder and picture strips and allows the students to blend with their peers.

However for some students mobile devices are not as easily accessible at certain times in their development. For example, we have a Primary student with CP and reflex movements she cannot control. The regular icons on these mobile devices are too small for her to tap and she constantly licks her fingers which prevents her from effectively tapping the screen. For this student, we may need to look into devices with a switch program and use huge icons.

When looking at whether a student is ready to move to a digital portable system one of the factors is physical ability to use the device. However with so many adaptations and apps, I can’t see any student not able to use an AAC as long as they can move their eyes, breathe, blow, or have control of some part of their body. As for cognitive readiness, I am amazed that my case study student who functions at 18-24 months can manipulate an iPad proficiently. It seems to me that we are the only boundaries standing in the way of students flying with AAC’s. We are limited by our thinking as there are so many possibilities out there if we can just use our imagination and effectively match the needs of our students with the most suitable device.