Evaluating Child and Caregiver Outcomes Following Caregiver Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) Training

Abstract

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is commonly used among children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities, as it is designed to teach functional communication skills. While PECS use is common within community settings, there is minimal research on training programs for caregivers to support their child’s PECS use. Similarly, of this minimal research, there is little known about whether caregivers generalize these skills across settings and reinforcers after the completion of training. As caregivers play an integral role in children’s communication skill development and are often children’s most common communication partners, strategies to engage and train caregivers are critical. The purpose of this research is to study both child and caregiver outcomes following participation in a PECS caregiver training program. With a growing need for telehealth services, this study was also designed to examine the difference in the effectiveness of a telehealth caregiver training model compared to a hybrid training model that included both face-to-face and telehealth components. Data collected from a pilot evaluation of the PECSperts Caregiver Training Package were analyzed. A total of five caregiver and child participants completed this training through the hybrid model, while three caregiver and four child participants joined via telehealth. The researchers used behaviour skills training (BST) to teach target PECS skills from phases I through IIIb. General case training (GCT) strategies were also used to promote generalization. A pre-post research design with follow-up was used to measure caregiver treatment integrity as well as child PECS accuracy. Improvements in caregiver and child PECS outcomes were seen in both the telehealth and face-to-face groups.