Effects of the Picture Exchange Communication System on Early Social-Communication Behaviors in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

e Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a common training choice for non-verbal children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). us, this study investigated whether Phases 1-3 of the PECS (which are relatively easy for children to master) promote the development of early social-communication behaviors among children with ASD. We assigned 43 children (mean chronological age=45.85 months) from the same child development support center into two groups: a PECS training group and a non-intervention (control) group. e training group received PECS (Phases 1-3) training once a week for 24 weeks at the university associated with the authors. eir early social-communication behaviors were evaluated by using behavioral observations and eye-tracking experiments during the pre-and post-training phases. Results showed that most of the early social-communication behaviors in the PECS training group were observed more frequently during the post-phase than the pre-phase, while the control group did not show any diierences between the phases. ese ndings suggest that PECS training (Phases 1-3) can facilitate early social-communication behaviors in children with ASD.