Picture Exchange Communication System and Autism Ranking:

Risks and Safety

Hazards

There are no known hazards for the Picture Exchange Communication System.

Contraindications

There are no known contraindications (something which makes a particular treatment or procedure potentially inadvisable) for the Picture Exchange Communication System.

However, Tincani and Devis (2011) note that PECS requires proper and thorough training if it is to be implemented correctly.

“… the PECS protocol is a complex system requiring myriad teaching procedures, including most-to-least prompting, least-to-most prompting, shaping, chaining, and error correction*. Indeed, Howlin et al. (2007) found that teachers had difficulty maintaining communicative gains achieved with PECS when classroom consultation visits ended, perhaps in part because expert consultation did not fully establish complex teaching repertoires necessary to implement PECS without external support.”

*Please Note: these are behavioural techniques derived from applied behaviour analysis.

Updated

17 Jun 2022

Last Review

01 Sep 2017

Next Review

01 Dec 2023