le site de Camille et de l'association française du Syndrome Phelan-McDermid

http://lemondedecamille.free.fr/

Picture exchange communication system ( Alternative communication )

The PECS method (Picture Exchange Communication System) is a training package that teaches children and adults with autism and other communication deficits to initiate communication. 

PECS does not require complex or expensive materials and it's possible to make it by ourself to use it at home.

PECS begins with teaching a student to exchange a picture of a desired item with a “teacher”, who immediately honors the request. The system goes on to teach discrimination of symbols and then how to put them all together in simple sentences. In the most advanced Phases, individuals are taught to comment and answer direct questions. Many preschoolers using PECS also begin developing speech.

The method has six learning steps :

Phase I
Teaches students to initiate communication right from the start by exchanging a single picture for a highly desired item.

Phase II
Teaches students to be persistent communicators- to actively seek out their pictures and to travel to someone to make a request.

Phase III
Teaches students to discriminate pictures and to select the picture that represents the item they want.

Phase IV
Teaches students to use sentence structure to make a request in the form of “I want _____.”

Phase V
Teaches students to respond to the question “What do you want?”

Phase VI
Teaches students to comment about things in their environment both spontaneously and in response to a question.

Expanding Vocabulary
Teaches students to use attributes such as colors, shapes and sizes within their requests.

In France, formations for parents are available.

More informations

http://www.pecs-france.fr

http://www.pecs.com

 

Pictograms here :

http://www.do2learn.com/

http://membres.lycos.fr/cigale76/picto/

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Pantheon/6838/clipart.html

http://www.picto.qc.ca/