Nothing could have overjoyed a mother more than to hear that one word: "Dump! Dump!" It was one of the boy's first. Shannon (not her real name), knew what it meant. Jump. As her son Aidan enthusiastically jumped on their trampoline, he had finally found a way to verbally indicate he wanted to continue with the activity. On the surface, none of this sounds terribly remarkable, except that Aidan is nearly four years old and still predominantly non-verbal. Like an increasing number of children, he has been diagnosed with autism. In spite of this milestone, Shannon and her husband Mark have struggled to finance their son's therapy. Speech therapy, evaluations, and special pre-school programs help Aidan maximize his potential through early intervention, and he's been showing marked progress. Their insurance company, however, has been less than supportive, categorizing autism as an "incurable condition" for which therapy is not covered. While their battle with the insurance company rages on, these dedicated parents try their best to help their son proactively in whatever way they can within their financial limitations. One tool Shannon and Mark have employed is a Picture Exchange Communication System, or PECS. A PECS is an augmentative communication system developed to help individuals quickly acquire a functional means of communication (Bondy and Frost, 1994). In layman's terms, it is a series of sturdy cards containing clear photos and illustrations that the child can use to communicate. Eventually, the hope is that Aidan will be able to arrange pictures on a velcro strip to communicate using pictorial "sentences". For now, he simply selects cards and brings them to his parents. By selecting a picture of a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich and handing it to Shannon, for example, he is able to communicate not only that he is hungry, but what he would like for lunch. This type of communication is a breath of fresh air for Aidan, and his parents are quite encouraged by this new ability to communicate with pictures. Some advantages of a PECS include: Communication is able to be initiated by the child, assuming the PECS cards are always kept in his reach. Unlike sign language, a PECS can be easily understood by any caregiver. Thus a PECS can be suitable for a wide variety of non-verbal individuals, including but not limited to children with autism. Communication is instant and very rewarding to the child. There is no drilling or frustrating. While professional PEC Systems are available for purchase from specialists, a PEC system is cheap and easy to prepare. A PECS symbol can be a magazine clipping, photograph, or illustration. A PECS has an easily expandable and adaptable vocabulary. Images can be added to the system as each need arises. With the family's current expenses and subsequent need for frugal solutions, Shannon has made Aidan's PECS herself, using magazine clippings, photographs, cheap flashcards and drawings. She laminates them onto cheap cardstock, and has a simple system with velcro purchased at a fabric store for Aidan to ultimately reach the goal of creating sentences with pictures. "It's not as professional and fancy as those you can buy," she says, "But it works, and I'm very enthusiastic about Aidan's progress." |
