THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS BY THE PECS TEACHING METHOD AND THE 3R'S TEACHING PRINCIPLES FOR AUTISM CHILDREN

Abstract

The research aimed to develop communication skills in children with autism using the PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) teaching method combined with the 3R’s teaching principles, compared to the passing criterion of 70 percent. The target group consists of five children with autism at the Special Education Center of Amnat Charoen Province. The study employs a one-group posttest-only design and uses a four-step picture exchange teaching method: 1) initial training to pick up a picture for exchange, 2) increasing the distance for picking up the picture to exchange, 3) learning to distinguish pictures, and 4) practicing sentence construction. Data analysis is conducted using the mean and standard deviation. The research results indicate that the development of communication skills in children with autism at the Special Education Center of Amnat Charoen Province, using the PECS teaching method combined with the 3R's principles, showed significant improvement post-intervention. The scores for the five children (N = 5) had a mean  of 5.8 and a standard deviation of 1.71.