| The current study examined whether mothers could be taught to implement the picture exchange communication system (PECS) training with their child and investigated the effects of the mother-implemented PECS training on the spontaneous communication of young children with autism spectrum disorders. Three mothers were trained to teach their child PECS Phases 1 through 3B and subsequently were asked to train their child to use PECS as a way of requesting a preferred item or activity. Results on mother's accuracy of implementing PECS training showed that all three mothers taught their child PECS with high integrity.A changing criterion design was used to demonstrate the effects of mother-implemented PECS training on children. Results indicated that all three children successfully acquired independent picture exchanges along with themother-implemented PECS training. Moreover, not only did all three children generalize PECS skills to an untrained communication partner, they also maintained the acquired skills over one month. Word vocalizations increased for one child, though no or limited improvement was observed for the other two. These findings extend the existing evidence on PECS by training mothers as primary implementers of PECS training and provide practitioners with insight into the feasibility and necessity of parent-implemented PECS training. |
