The effects of PECS teaching to Phase III on the communicative interactions between children with autism and their teachers.
The study investigated the impact of mastery of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to Phase III, on the communications of children with autism. Children aged between 3 and 7 years, formed a PECS intervention group and a non-intervention control group. The intervention group received 15 h of PECS teaching over 5 weeks. Three 2-h classroom observations recorded communications between the children and their teachers. These occurred: 6 weeks before teaching; during the week immediately prior to teaching; during the week immediately following teaching. For the control group, two 2-h observations were separated by a 5-week interval without PECS teaching. Communicative initiations and dyadic interactions increased significantly between the children and teachers in the PECS group but not for the control group.
Carr
Deborah
D
Welsh Centre for Learning Disabilities, Division of Psychology, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Neuadd Meirionnydd, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4YS, S Wales, UK. debcarr60@hotmail.com
Felce
Janet
J
D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D004519:Education, Special / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D013663:Teaching; D014852:Wales