PECS Foundations

Service Description

PECS Foundations is a practical, evidence-based two-day workshop that provides participants with the knowledge and skills to implement the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) with fidelity while creating communication-rich learning environments using the Pyramid Approach to Education. Designed for speech pathologists, educators, behaviour support practitioners, allied health professionals, support workers and families, this highly interactive workshop equips participants to build meaningful, spontaneous communication across home, school and community settings. The workshop begins with the foundations of effective communication intervention, exploring how motivation, reinforcement, functional communication and environmental design work together to support successful learning. Participants learn to identify appropriate candidates for PECS, create motivating communication opportunities throughout the day, and understand the critical elements that underpin effective communication teaching. Building on these foundations, participants progress through all six phases of the PECS protocol, learning how to teach spontaneous requesting, picture discrimination, sentence construction, responding to questions and commenting. Through presenter demonstrations, video analysis, practical activities and guided role-play, participants develop the confidence to implement each phase with procedural fidelity while using evidence-based prompting, error correction and data-based decision making. The workshop also explores the Nine Critical Communication Skills, generalisation across everyday environments, teaching tolerance for delay and denial, expanding language through attributes, and supporting communication that is functional, independent and meaningful. Participants examine the evidence supporting PECS, its relationship with speech development, and the considerations for transitioning to other communication modalities, including speech-generating devices (SGDs). By the end of the workshop, participants will have the practical skills and confidence to create communication opportunities that extend beyond therapy sessions and classrooms, supporting learners to become more independent communicators across all aspects of daily life.