The Effect of Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) on the Language Ability of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Single Subject Research Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51278/aj.v8i3.2819Keywords:
Picture Exchange Communication System, Language Skills, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Single Subject Research, Functional CommunicationAbstract
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience significant barriers in receptive and expressive language skills that impact on limited functional communication in daily life. These barriers often give rise to problematic behavior as an alternative form of communication when children are unable to convey needs verbally. This study aims to analyze the effect of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) on the receptive and expressive language skills of five children with ASD in Special Needs Schools (SLB) using a Single Subject Research (SSR) A–B–A pattern design, consisting of baseline-1 (4 sessions), intervention (12 sessions), and baseline-2 (4 sessions) for eight weeks. The research instrument was a language ability observation sheet validated through expert judgment, and the intervention media was 90 PECS picture cards grouped into nine functional vocabulary categories. Data were analyzed using SSR visual analysis (trend, level, stability, and overlapping data) equipped with effect sizes of Percentage of Non-overlapping Data (PND) and Tau-U. The results of the study showed that four out of five subjects (80%) experienced consistent and sustained language improvement in the baseline-2 phase, with an average score increase ranging from 34.25 to 53.75 points in three subjects whose data had been fully analyzed quantitatively, while one subject had not shown a significant response due to the lack of joint attention skills as a prerequisite for communication. This finding confirms that the effectiveness of PECS is individual and highly dependent on the readiness of the child's communication prerequisites, while strengthening PECS's position as an evidence-based practice in language learning for children with ASD in special education settings in Indonesia.
References
Alzrayer, N., Banda, D.R., & Koul, R. (2021). Augmentative and alternative communication interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). American Psychiatric Publishing.
Bondy, A., & Frost, L. (2001). The Picture Exchange Communication System. Behavior Modification, 25(5), 725–744.
Bondy, A., & Frost, L. (2011). A Picture's Worth: PECS and Other Visual Communication Strategies in Autism (2nd ed.). Woodbine House.
Brady, N.C., Barton-Hulsey, A., Fleming, K., & Sevcik, R.A. (2022). Communication interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder: Recent advances. Current Developmental Disorders Reports.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Autism spectrum disorder (ASD): Data and statistics.
Finke, E. H., Drager, K. D. R., & Wilkinson, K. M. (2021). Augmentative and alternative communication for children with autism: A systematic review. Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
Flippin, M., Reszka, S.S., & Watson, L.R. (2010). Effectiveness of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) on communication and speech for children with autism spectrum disorders: A meta-analysis. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 19(2), 178–195.
Ganz, J.B., Davis, J.L., Lund, E.M., Goodwyn, F.D., & Simpson, R.L. (2012). Meta-analysis of PECS with individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Remedial and Special Education, 33(3), 141–157.
Ganz, J.B., Earles-Vollrath, T.L., Heath, A.K., Parker, R.I., Rispoli, M., & Duran, J.B. (2012). A meta-analysis of single-case research studies on aided augmentative and alternative communication systems. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 117(1), 1–17.
Ganz, JB, Mason, RA, Goodwyn, FD, Boles, MB, Heath, AK, & Davis, JL (2022). Communication interventions for autism spectrum disorder: Recent evidence and implications. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities.
Horner, R.H., Carr, E.G., Halle, J., McGee, G., Odom, S., & Wolery, M. (2005). The use of single-subject research to identify evidence-based practice in special education. Exceptional Children, 71(2), 165–179.
Howlin, P., Gordon, R. K., Pasco, G., Wade, A., & Charman, T. (2007). The effectiveness of Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) training for teachers of children with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 48(5), 473–481.
Knight, V.F., McKissick, B.R., & Saunders, A. (2022). Technology-based interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Kratochwill, T.R., Hitchcock, J., Horner, R.H., Levin, J.R., Odom, S.L., Rindskopf, D.M., & Shadish, W.R. (2013). Single-case intervention research design standards. What Works Clearinghouse.
Ledford, J.R., & Gast, D.L. (2018). Single case research methodology: Applications in special education and behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Lerna, A., Esposito, D., Conson, M., Russo, L., & Massagli, A. (2014). Long-term effects of PECS on social-communicative skills of children with autism spectrum disorders. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 49(4), 478–485.
Logan, K., Iacono, T., & Trembath, D. (2021). Augmentative and alternative communication supports for autistic children: Evidence update. Autism.
National Autism Center. (2015). National standards project: Findings and conclusions.
Odom, S. L., Cox, A. W., & Brock, M. E. (2021). Evidence-based practices for children and youth with autism spectrum disorder: Updated review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
Sam, A.M., Cox, A.W., Savage, M.N., Waters, V., & Odom, S.L. (2020). Dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices for autism. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education.
Schreibman, L., Dawson, G., Stahmer, A.C., et al. (2015). Naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions: Empirically validated treatments for autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(8), 2411–2428.
Skinner, B.F. (1957). Verbal behavior. Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Tawney, J. W., & Gast, D. L. (1984). Single subject research in special education. Merrill.
Trembath, D., & Iacono, T. (2021). Communication interventions for autistic children: Current evidence and future directions. Autism Research.
Wong, C., Odom, S.L., Hume, K., Cox, A.W., Fettig, A., Kucharczyk, S., Brock, M.E., Plavnick, J.B., Fleury, V.P., & Schultz, T.R. (2015). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(7), 1951–1966
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Eka Yuli Astuti, Dwi Endah Pertiwi, Fajar Indra Septiana
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
