Taking the Initiative: Supporting Spontaneous Communication in Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Part 1)

Despite widespread use of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), many minimally verbal students with autism fail to initiate even basic requests in the absence of adult directives. In many cases, this lack of spontaneity is the result of instructional errors during PECS implementation. The first part of this session will identify the most common of these errors and offer suggestions for remediation.