Evaluating the effectiveness of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) for children with autism

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN58763208

Enrollment

Registered

2005-08-17

Start date

2003-01-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2015-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Autism Mental and Behavioural Disorders Pervasive developmental disorders

Interventions

Intervention: Training children to use the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) in schools. It is a randomized group trial of immediate intervention, versus delayed intervention, versus no int

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Children meeting diagnositc criteria for autism; aged 5-9 years; enrolled in full-time, specialist education; either no spoken language or expressive language limited to single words; not using PECS beyoind Stage 1.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: No exclusion criteria with regard to IQ, social class, ethnicity etc.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Increase in use of PECS symbols; increase in rates of social initiations	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Increase in scores on tests of language expression and comprehension (Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test, & British Picture Vocabulary Scale)	—

Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026