1. PECS Overview
PECS is how many of our children communicate. This is why it’s very important to
fully understand PECS procedures and you will receive full training in your first
week in the Basic Practicum.
Some Basics
 PECS stands for the Picture Exchange Communication System (developed by
Frost & Bondy, 1994).
 WoodsEdge conducts 6 phases of PECS based on the original 6 phases of Frost
& Bondy, with several subphases in each of the six phases.
 PECS teaches the students to communicate their needs and wants as well as what
they see in the environment.
 The child should have access to their PECS book at all times. If you are not in
the booth, you should carry an icon ring with you in your apron and the child
should carry their PECS book.
 Each child has a PECS book and a PECS binder containing data sheets and a
copy of the phases. PECS procedures can be ran at anytime during the day when
there is an MO for the reinforcer
If the child is stimming with the icons or using it as an escape, you should:
 Ignore it as you would ignore any vocal babbling/echolalia.
 If they are constantly manding for a particular item, tell the child to please
wait and go back to it after the trial/procedure.
 HINT: If a child is constantly manding for an item, use it as a reinforcer!
PECS Phases
1. Reach and Release
In the first PECS phase, we are simply teaching the child how to reach for
the icon and release it in the tutor’s hand in order to gain access to the
reinforcer. If the child already does this in the beginning of phase 1, they
can move directly onto phase 2.

2. 2. Distance and Persistence
In the second phase, the child is taught to walk further to get hand the icon
to the tutor, and to be persistent in getting the tutor’s attention when handing
them the icon. This is similar to what would happen in real life when the
child wants to communicate with a parent and needs to walk over to them
and get their attention.
3. Discrimination
In this phase, the child is taught to discriminate between their PECS icons.
More than one icon will be present on the book at a time, and the children
will have to discriminate between non-preferred and preferred items, as well
as between multiple preferred items.
4. Sentence strip
In this phase the sentence strip is introduced to the book so the child must
start each request with the “I want” icon, and then add the icon of the
reinforcer that they would like.
5. Answering questions
Students learn to use the sentence strip to answer the question “What do you
want?”.
6. Tacting
In this phase, the icon “I see” is added in the same column as the “I want”
icon so that they child can label items as well as request them.