I am currently undertaking research for my dissertation in primary education, and am looking for research that concerns the use of PECS in supporting the teaching and learning of children with ASD.
Specifically, I am looking for any reareach that explores the behavioural impact this has on engagement and participation in learning.
I would be be very great full if anyone could help! :)
The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a form of augmentative and alternative communication produced by Pyramid Educational Consultants, Inc. While the system is commonly used as a communication aid for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it has been used with a wide variety of learners, from preschoolers to adults, who have various communicative, cognitive, and physical impairments, including cerebral palsy, blindness, and deafness. PECS has been the subject of much academic research,[3] with currently over 85 PECS-related publications.
PECS was developed in 1985 at the Delaware Autism Program by Lori Frost and Andy Bondy. They noted that traditional communication techniques, including speech imitation, sign language, and picture point systems, relied on the teacher to initiate social interactions and none focused on teaching students to initiate interactions. Based on these observations, Frost and Bondy created a functional means of communication for individuals with a variety of communication challenges.
In doing research, it is important to differentiate between between the formal PECS system and its many components. For example, Many individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities use picture symbols and often use them on manipulable tiles but not necessarily with the extensive prompting and shaping systems that are part of the PECS program. PECS is specific product that combines a number of well-established behavioral communication approaches, most of which existed before PECS and some new ones. So you need to decide whether you are researching the specific product or the components.
Look at Tamara Brooks PhD Thesis about learning environments for children with Autism, undertaken at the University of Worcester https://eprints.worc.ac.uk/1036/ and also look at the complex learning difficulties and disabilities project http://complexld.ssatrust.org.uk/
Yoder and Stone (2006) completed an RCT comparing PECS to Responsive Prelinguistic Milieu Treatment that might be informative (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16908870; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16822100)
A recent publication by Schreibman and Stahmer (2014) compared PECS to Pivotal Response Training in children with ASD. The full report is accessible through PubMed Central (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4005390/).
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