THE STATUS OF DEVELOPING COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR 4-5 YEARS OLD CHILDREN WITH AUTISM THROUGH THE PICTURE EXCHANGE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM - PECS

Communication difficulties are considered one of the three "core" difficulties of autistic children. Therefore, how to help them develop their communication skills is aimed at many intervention programs. The study was conducted to investigate the status of developing communication skills for 4-5-year-old autistic children by using the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). The research methods consist of: a questionnaire; observation and deep interview. The research results show that most teachers are aware that PECS is a suitable method to develop communication for autistic children but not for all of them and PECS should be used in combination with other methods. Teachers know the requirements for using PECS and the requirements for PECS picture books. However, the frequency and duration of using PECS to develop communication skills for 4-5-year-old autistic children are not high.