Jadensmum Report post Posted May 31, 2005 Hi all. Jaden is starting with PECS this week and I am finding it a bit difficult to get my head round it and how it will work with him. J has significant developmental delay. Most of his development seems to be around the 12 month old mark (he is 2.5 years old) He has no speech at the moment. He does babble but infrequently. I suppose my worry is that he has no interest in books or pictures (apart from ripping them up) He doesn't point and his understanding seems to be limited - so how is he going to be able to recognise a picture / symbol????? He is also quite placid so he doesn't seem frustrated by his lack of communication -for example he has his lunch and dinner at the same time every day so he never shows me or seems to know when he is hungry. I might be being a bit stupid but I just can't seem to get my head around how it is going to work. The Speech Therapist seems to think sign won't work for him so this is the most viable option. I did speak with her about this but she gave me the impression she thought I was worrying for nothing. Is anyone doing or just starting PECS with their child and can offer some tips?? Thanks Denisex Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted May 31, 2005 (edited) Hi We haven't had to use PECS ourselves, but it is used where I work with young adults with Special Needs. I don't know a huge amount, but as I understand it you start by using the symbols with the objects...so when you give your son a drink you give him the PECS symbol at the same time, etc, so that gradually he starts to make the connection between the object and the symbol. Then you move onto the idea of him using the symbols to request things. I personally think Makaton signing is a brilliant aid to communication, and is the signing you would use with your son. It's used with speech, is fun to learn and ties in with the PECS symbols. You can get software called Writing With Symbols which uses the pictures and words (expensive though, made by Widget). Hope someone comes along with more info! Bid Edited May 31, 2005 by bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
katkin Report post Posted June 1, 2005 Hi, You should really be given some more info or training on pecs as it is important that if used it is used consistently at home and at school if you want to get the best results. makaton is great but often the signing can be sloppy or made into slang ( think verbal children dropping t's etc) and if you don't understand makaton how can you understand if someone signs at you? So it may not be much use in the wider community. Pecs though can be used anywhere as anybody can understand a picture. As Bid says the idea is that the pec is exchanged for the object it represents. normally start with food as it is a good motivator but for some children a toy, particularly a sensory one or ones may work better. Pecs starts with a simple exchange, like for like. This should be done in a controlled setting with two people and the child, a facillitator and the primary communicator. When a pec is given either with or without assistance the person giving the item says "joe wants drink" it is important to use the third person as me, you and I can be very confusing ( think about how often you can be me you or i in one sentence! And keep the language simple no well dones or brilliants etc. To start with it sounds very cold and calculating and not like the flow of speech we are used to but the idea is to make it simple to allow what is spoken to be processed accurately. It does not hamper or put back speech but can aid or enable it. Ask for some more information, it's not as complicated as I've made it sound. Perhaps you could go into school to see the speech therapist if she's doing it when a pecs session is taking place. They do work and it's not hard. it doesn't matter if your little one is not interested in books at all as this is a communication aid and will be viewed by him as something completely different. have written enough for now, hope this helps, if you need more pm me. love kat Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jadensmum Report post Posted June 2, 2005 Thank you Bid and Katkin, We had our first session yesterday and I was really impressed!! Don't know what I was whining about! Jaden tolerated the session quite well and it all made sense once we had done it a few times. Denisex Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
katkin Report post Posted June 2, 2005 Glad it went well for you both It seems hard at first but J will get used to the idea quickly, I'm sure, probably quicker than you! ( when i see the children grasp the idea and use quickly and effectively i sometimes wonder who is the communication impaired !!!!???? ) And the more he can communicate with the pecs hopefully any bad behaviours will decrease too. Well done to you both. Love Kat Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sharron Report post Posted June 2, 2005 hello, my son has been using pecs for 4 years now it has helped him with his speech he is saying single words now which is really good he also use's makaton as well l am sure that j will get on really well with the pec's. sharron Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted June 2, 2005 Hi Hope you don't mind, but I'd have to disagree with Katkin about Makaton. It's true that outside the home/school members of the public probably won't know Makaton. But I think that when used with the child's carers, and other Makaton users, it offers much greater versatility, fluency and expression in communication. It's great because it's used with speech, too...and for some people (perhaps with Cerebral Palsy) they will always have difficulty physically producing speech. So I like PECS and Makaton used together. Bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
