Supporting language development with picture communication
Objectives:
 Be familiar with picture and visual communication systems: what they are and how you might use them
 Be familiar with the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and how to implement it
 Review children that could benefit from a picture communication system
11.1 What is a picture (or visual) communication system?
A picture or visual communication system is a system that uses pictures or symbols rather than words to communicate something.
Picture communication systems are often used to supplement speech or written language and enhance communication by providing another opportunity for individuals to understand the message you are trying to convey.
Pictures or symbols can be used in a multitude of ways in the classroom. They are ideal because they support both verbal and written word learning, so for one child the picture my anchor the concept of the spoken word to the concept you are trying to teach, for another child it may help them actually learn to read.
Example picture systems in the classroom:
 We might use name/symbol cards to take attendance and teach children their names
Mutiso
Njoroge
Onyange
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Classroom teachers will use symbols beside a child’s name where ever the child’s written name appears. As the child begins to learn to recognize the letters of their name, the symbol will be dropped.
If the teacher shows these name cards at the beginning of each day she may say, “who’s name is this?” and ask for children to identify it. If no one knows she’ll say “this is Onyange’s name. It starts with a nice round O and it has a sun beside it.” As children learn to associate the names with the symbols (an easier task) then you take the symbol off and have them focus on the first letter and eventually the whole word.
 We might also use a picture schedule to teach children about routines
Before Lunch…
First we stand in line
Then, we wash our hands
Drawing of children standing in line here
Drawing of children washing hands here
Next we sit at the table and wait quietly
Drawing of children sitting here
When our lunch comes we eat
Drawing of children eating here
The teacher may review the picture schedule before the children start to line up and wash their hands. This helps them remember what is expected of them.
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
We might use picture cards to help non-verbal children make requests
For example, the teacher will give the child choices about activities:
The teacher may say “what do you want to play with today?” and the child can point to, reach for or hit the picture that represents the activity.
Please note that before you can do this with a student they have to understand that the ball card represents ball. You teach this connection by showing the ball and the card together. When the child understands that the picture represents the ball then it is no longer necessary to use the actual object.
It is important that we only give children choices for activities they can actually participate in! Don’t ask them if they want to play ball if there is
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no ball to play. Don’t ask them if they want to go home if they have to stay in class for another 2 hours. If we offer them choices then say “no” when they make them it completely decreases all motivation to participate in the communication interaction.
11.2 Creating picture communication systems
Picture communication systems can be developed by a caregiver for their child or a teacher for their class. The following section gives some ideas about things to consider when working with picture communication systems.
Any picture communication system must include information that is relevant to the user . It must be functional. It is therefore important to gather information, find out what a child likes and dislikes and what motivates them. Make a list of highly preferred objects or items (e.g. toys, food, music etc.). These items will be used to teach how to request an item using pictures. It is important also to create opportunities to communicate.
For example: before a child is given the cup of uji, give them a picture of a cup and make them request their uji using the picture. Or, put a desired toy, such as a ball out of reach from the child and make them request it using their
‘ball’ picture card.
It is important to spend time assessing what to include in any picture communication system. A picture communication system with 100 pictures of items a child never uses or doesn’t know won’t be useful.
Remember we want to use this to help them express their wants and needs and also to support their speech and language development.
When choosing/creating pictures to include consider the importance of the following areas:
 Feelings the children might want to express:
 ‘this makes me happy’
 ‘this makes me mad’
 ‘this makes me sad’ etc.
 Needs
 ‘I need quiet’
 ‘I need the toilet’
 ‘I’m thirsty’
 ‘I’m finished’
 ‘Help me’ etc.
 Enjoyments
 ‘I want to play with Moses’
 ‘I want to go outside’
 ‘ball’

Daily routines
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 ‘hand out books’
 ‘lessons’
 ‘Lunch time’ etc.
 Significant others and relatives
 ‘mother’
 ‘father’
 ‘sister’
 ‘uncle’ etc.

Family/home life
 ‘cooking’
 ‘washing’
 ‘shopping’
 ‘chai’ etc.
 School/work life
 ‘pencil’
 ‘play’
 ‘stop it’
 ‘sit’ etc.
Below are some sample p ictures from a commercial program called “Board
Maker.” The pictures are enclosed to give you an idea of how simple the pictures can be. Consistency is the key here. Children have to learn to associate the picture with its meaning.
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As you think about creating picture communication systems for your room also think about the representational hierarchy. What will your students understand? o Real objects are easier to identify than photos o Photo are easier to identify than drawings o Line drawings might be the easiest and best way for you to create a system
This means you will have to teach children the associations between your drawings and the objects!
Always use the written word to accompany the picture wherever possible. This further promotes the connection between the written word and the object
There are also different types of picture communication systems:

Communication book
 Communication chart
 Pictographic Communication Resource (designed for aphasic patients and containing enormous amounts of picture information on careers, hobbies, legal, and financial information etc)
 Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), which is typically used to help children with autism and other developmental disabilities to communicate
Different systems work for different situations. Consider what it is you want to do with your system and how you hope to implement it in your room.
11.3 A look at Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS):
Since the Pictographic Communication Resource is geared more towards adults we will focus on the Picture Exchange Communication
System (PECS), which it is typically used with children who need a visual system to help them learn to communicate.
PECS is a means of communication through which a child engages a
“listener” through a picture exchange. Pictures are used by an individual to make a request or statement in order to have their wants and needs met. A child should have access to the pictures throughout the day and in different learning environments (i.e. at school, in the dormitory or at home), which will help with learning how to communicate using a picture exchange. For a child who is nonverbal these pictures should be considered their “voice” as it is their main or only functional means to communicate.
PECS is composed of six phases:
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 Phase 1: “HOW” to communicate
 Phase 2: Distance and persistence
 Phase 3: Picture discrimination
 Phase 4: Sentence structure (I want…; I need…)
 Phase 5: Responding to “What do you want?”
 Phase 6: Commenting (I hear…; I see…)
The following provides a brief overview of the first four phases of
PECS:
Phase 1: “HOW” to communicate
 Create pictures of highly desired items
– you can draw these, cut out pictures from a magazine or newspaper or print them from pictures and clip art you find online.

Choose a highly desired object (for example a food item such as a banana, a toy such as blocks or a ball) and a corresponding picture. At this stage you only want to work with 1 picture and 1 object. You are going to be teaching the child to connect the picture to this item.
 Have two adults assist in a physical exchange. Do not verbally prompt. Adult 1 will give adult 2 the picture card. In return adult 2 will give adult 1 the toy. Now try this with the child. Adult 1 can help the child give adult 2 the card. Adult 2 will now give the child the requested item.
Phase 2: Distance and persistence
 Use the same highly desired item and corresponding picture.
 Now that the child knows how to use the picture to make a request, increase the distance between the child and the communicative partner (adult 2). Make sure the picture is right in front of the child.
 Cue the child to bring the picture to adult 2. Adult 1 might have to assist the child hand over hand. The adults should not use verbal support/prompting during this time.
 Continue to increase the distance between the child and the picture and the communicative partner. When the child uses the picture to make a request it is important that they receive the item as reinforcement EVERY time! If they do not receive the desired item there will be no motivation to use the picture to make requests.
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
Continue to have two adults assist in the physical exchange as needed. Do not verbally prompt.
Phase 3: Discrimination
 Choose a preferred and non-preferred item and the corresponding pictures.
 Present the two pictures and the have an adult communication partner hold up the preferred item.
 The child should choose the corresponding picture to make a request for the item.

Have two adults assist in the physical exchange. Do not verbally prompt.
Phase 4: Sentence structure
 Use sentence strips to help children communicate in sentences.
For example start with an “I want…” sentence strip. These can be created on pieces of paper. You can use symbols along with the words.
 Point to the words or symbols for “I want..” Then point to a desired object. Repeat the sentence, but this time add the word/picture for the object. For example: I want milk.
 Have the child work with the whole sentence strip. Ideally they would point to all the symbols/words and the picture to indicate what they want.
 Once they have mastered the phrase with the desired object, you can have them work at creating the sentence from individual
“I” and “want” picture cards.
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11.4 Who might benefit from using a picture communication system?
Most children can benefit from picture/visual support when it comes to language development and word learning. By using a picture we are helping more visual learners as well as giving our auditory learners additional information.
Children who can specifically benefit from picture or visual communication systems include:
 Non-verbal children – sometimes using picture symbols to make requests helps facilitate the use of words. When children start talking they will no longer use the picture system.
 Children who are difficult to understand
– some of our students with cerebral palsy and Down syndrome can be unintelligible.
Pictures can support their spoken language, making comprehension easier for the listener and reducing frustration in the child.
 Children with autism spectrum disorder who have difficulty making requests
Using picture communication systems helps children. Using pictures supports learning. Sometimes teachers worry that if you start using pictures a child will not learn to talk. It’s not true. As they begin to talk the need to use pictures to communicate will naturally drop away.
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