Why We Don’t Use PECS (and What We Do Instead)
Communication isn’t a transaction — it’s connection.
At Social Beings, our work is about helping people communicate and connect in ways that feel authentic, meaningful, and true to who they are.
That means supporting people to express themselves for all the reasons we communicate — to share, comment, ask, joke, question, and relate — not just to request or respond.
This is why we take a different approach to communication support.
It’s why we don’t use PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) as part of our practice, and instead focus on language modelling, autonomy, and connection.
What PECS Is — and Why It Was Designed
PECS was developed in the 1980s to support children with autism and other communication difficulties to make requests using pictures.
It’s based on a series of structured teaching phases, where a person learns to hand over a picture to get something they want — for example, a photo of an apple to receive an apple.
Over time, the system teaches more complex sentence structures (like “I want…”), but the core focus remains exchanging pictures to request items or activities.
It’s rooted in behavioural teaching methods, which rely on prompting, reinforcement, and repetition.
What PECS Gets Right — and What It Misses
For some people, PECS can be a starting point — a way to understand that communication has power and that a picture can represent something in the real world.
But PECS has some important limitations that make it incompatible with how we work at Social Beings.
It focuses mostly on requesting, rather than the wide range of communication functions that make us human — things like commenting, sharing, asking, joking, or connecting socially.
It uses prompting and rewards, which can reduce a person’s autonomy and motivation to communicate for natural, social reasons.
It teaches communication as a transaction, rather than a shared experience.
It’s difficult to generalise from a training setting to real-world environments.
Research reviews show mixed results — PECS may increase requesting behaviour in structured settings, but there’s little evidence that it leads to broader language development or more meaningful participation.
“When communication is taught as an exchange for a reward, we risk teaching compliance — not connection.”
— Social Beings Speech Pathology
Why PECS Doesn’t Fit with a Neurodiversity-Affirming Approach
A neurodiversity-affirming approach means respecting the autonomy, identity, and communication style of every person.
It means creating opportunities for people to express themselves, not training them to communicate in a prescribed way.
PECS relies on adult-directed teaching, with communication often initiated only when the person is prompted or motivated by access to something.
This can unintentionally reinforce dependence and restrict a person’s sense of agency.
At Social Beings, we believe everyone deserves to communicate because they want to share something, connect with someone, or be understood — not because they’re being prompted to earn a reward.
What We Do Instead
We take an approach that focuses on shared communication, not exchange-based training.
That means:
1. Modelling Language Naturally
We model words, phrases, and symbols in real contexts — during activities that are meaningful to the person.
For example, using an AAC app at a café to chat about the food, the people, or the music — not just to make a request.
The best available evidence for promoting language development shows that language modelling — across multiple environments, by multiple communication partners — is key.
This means supporting the person to experience language in ways that:
make sense for them,
align with their communication preferences and sensory profile, and
fit the environments they live, work, and connect in.
We also work with the people around them — families, support workers, and peers — to make sure they feel confident to model language using the same systems or modes (speech, AAC, visuals, gestures, or writing) that are meaningful for that person.
Because real communication doesn’t happen in isolation — it’s built through consistent experiences, shared moments, and partners who know how to listen and respond.
2. Valuing All Communication
We treat every form of communication as meaningful — speech, gestures, vocalisations, AAC, facial expressions, or even silence.
Every attempt is acknowledged and responded to, building trust and connection.
3. Partner Education
We support families, support workers, and peers to model communication, respond to messages, and create environments where communication is encouraged and celebrated — not corrected or controlled.
4. Rich, Functional Vocabulary
We help people access systems (like AAC apps or communication books) with vocabulary for real life — not just nouns for items, but words that let them express thoughts, emotions, humour, and opinions.
The Bigger Picture — Communication as Relationship
Communication isn’t a skill to master.
It’s a relationship to nurture.
When people are supported to communicate in ways that reflect who they are — and when those around them learn to listen, model, and respond — communication becomes a shared act of understanding and belonging.
That’s what Social Beings is all about.