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Showing posts from September, 2009

Understanding Autism

Every 20 minutes another child is diagnosed with autism. That's three an hour and 67 a day. This complex neurobiological condition, which can inhibit a person's ability to communicate, respond to surroundings or form relationships with others, is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the United States and presents lifelong consequences for individuals, family and society. The statistics are alarming: Thirteen years ago only one in 10,000 children was diagnosed with autism; today it's one in 166, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined. Despite these epidemic proportions, research shows that many parents of young children are generally unaware of autism. While there is currently no cure, nor an effective means of prevention, early detection and intervention can result in critical improvements for many young children. The most important thing parents and caregivers can do is to learn the early signs of autism and understand the typica

Beyond Autism Pecs Pictures/Icons Pages

These pages are mainly standard size pecs pictures with icons that are most commonly used Pecs Pictures Page Five (answer phone, blow, blow bubbles, don't walk, walk, dot to dot, cut hair, don't pick nose,wait, go potty, wipe bottom) Pecs Pictures Page Six (backpack, school, no school, play dress up - boy, play dress up-girl, lunch time, time out-girl, time out- boy, etch a sketch, dump truck) Pecs Pictures Page Seven (art, paint, crayon, markers, paintbrush, paints, paints, computer, scissors, play doh, line up, write) Pecs Pictures Page Eight (potty, put back, playground, bye, hi, foot, hair, hand, leg, mouth, nose, toes) Pecs Pictures Page Nine (tongue, arm, quiet, play, puzzle, book, sit on floor, hold hands, play game, diaper, pool, sandbox) Pecs Pictures Page Ten (beads, haircut, tickle, cut nails, throw away, go night night, socks, shoes, pants, hat, put on pants, put on shirt) Pecs Pictures Page Eleven (shirt, underpants, bath, letters, shapes, blocks, circle, di

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an augmentative communication system developed to help individuals quickly acquire a functional means of communication (Bondy and Frost, 1994). PECS is appropriate for individuals who do not use speech or who may speak with limited effectiveness: those who have articulation or motor planning difficulties, limited communicative partners, lack of initiative in communication, etc. In my experience, PECS has a number of advantages over other methods of addressing communication: Each exchange is clearly intentional and readily understood. When a child hands you a picture or sentence strip, the request or comment is quickly determined. The child is given an effective avenue for swiftly and easily meeting his needs. From the start, communication is initiated by the child. Children are not drilled in rote responses to specific phrases or instructions, rather they are encouraged to independently seek out communication partners in naturally occ