PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System)
A structured, six-phase communication system teaching a non-verbal or minimally-verbal individual to initiate communication by exchanging a picture card.
What it is & how it works
A structured, six-phase augmentative and alternative communication system that teaches a non-verbal or minimally-verbal individual to initiate communication by exchanging a picture card for a desired item, activity, or response, progressing toward picture-based sentence building and spontaneous commenting.
How it's done
Delivered by a trained therapist (SLP, ABA therapist, or special educator) in structured teaching sessions, typically several times weekly, moving through six defined phases — single-picture exchange, distance/persistence, picture discrimination, sentence structure, responding to questions, and commenting — with progress data tracked at each phase before advancing.
Conditions it treats
Why Brain Bridge
Used at Brain Bridge as one option within an individualized communication plan, introduced specifically where non-verbal communication is an identified goal rather than applied by default.
Evidence & safety
Established augmentative communication approach with a defined, staged implementation protocol. Delivered by a therapist trained specifically in the PECS protocol.
Related questions
No. Research on augmentative and alternative communication systems like PECS indicates they don't hinder speech development, and some children go on to develop spoken language after building initial communication skills through picture exchange — though speech isn't the primary goal of the protocol itself.
There's no strict minimum age. Readiness depends more on whether the individual shows intentional communication — an awareness of wanting to convey a message to someone — than on age itself, though picture-based exchange is commonly introduced from around age three onward.