Examining a Predictive Behavior Profile for Picture Exchange Communication System Treatment in Children with Autism

According to the most recent CDC report one in every 110 children are diagnosed with autism (based on studies of eight year olds in 2006) (CDC). All of them have significant deficit in social communication. Because of this deficit their cognitive and social development are stunted and their prognoses for an independent and productive life are diminished. Looking for intervention methods that are predicatively effective has been an urgent goal for researchers, family members and educators. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is a treatment strategy that has a long history of success in treating people with communication disabilities. Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an aided AAC strategy that was developed specifically to treat children with autism. PECS is a low-tech system that is widely used in both education and home settings. However, its treatment outcomes are highly variable among individuals. This study examines the predictive effects of a selected behavior profile to the PECS treatment outcomes. Five participants aged three to seven were recruited through South Plain Autism Network. Training sessions were conducted either at school or home or both settings based on the parents’ request. The study answered three questions: 1) What is the effectiveness of PECS on acquiring requesting skills in children with ASD? 2) What is the relationship between the pretreatment characteristics measured by a responder/non-responder profile and PECS outcomes? and 3) What is the social validity of this PECS treatment? A single-subject study with changing criteria design was used to establish experimental control. Results of the study indicated that 1) all children participated the study could successfully learn requesting skills with PECS regardless their autism severity and language skills before treatment, 2) variations on PECS outcomes rest on learning beyond Phase IV, 3) higher social approaching and lower social avoidance behaviors in a child with ASD may predict better PECS outcomes, 4) verbal stimulatory behaviors may predict better speech output, and 5) non-verbal stimulatory behaviors may predict overall less optimal outcomes. Progresses in learning beyond requesting may impact the social validity of PECS.