According to new pediatric guidelines regarding autism spectrum disorder (ASD) interventions published in PEDIATRICS: The Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, “individuals with ASDs who have limited verbal language, or those who do not respond to multiple interventions aimed at improving communication, should be offered the opportunity to use PECS” (Maglione, Gans, Das, Timbie, Kasari and HRSA Autism Intervention Research, 2012).
These findings were presented in the article Nonmedical Interventions for Children With ASD: Recommended Guidelines and Further Research Needs in the November 2012 issue of PEDIATRICS. According to a Technical Expert Panel consisting of practitioners, researchers and parents, PECS is one of only a handful of interventions that have shown efficacy in the treatment of autism (Maglione, Gans, Das, Timbie, Kasari and HRSA Autism Intervention Research, 2012).
In addition to the above findings, the panel “agreed that children with ASD should have access to at least 25 hours per week of comprehensive intervention to address social communication, language, play skills, and maladaptive behavior” (Maglione, Gans, Das, Timbie, Kasari and HRSA Autism Intervention Research, 2012). PECS is included in the list of interventions that have shown to be effective.
View the full publication here.
Reference
Maglione, M. A., Gans, D., Das, L., Timbie J., Kasari, C., For the Technical Expert Panel, and HRSA Autism Intervention Research- Behavioral (AIR-B) Network (2012). Nonmedical Interventions for Children With ASD: Recommended Guidelines and Further Research Needs. Pediatrics,130, S169-S178.