PECS -USA

📚 Planning professional development for the summer or upcoming school year?

Pyramid's On-Demand Courses allow you to learn at your own pace, revisit content when needed, and gain practical strategies you can use immediately.
Whether you're supporting communication, independence, AAC, or behavior, there's a course designed to help.

💻 Learn anytime
🎓 Earn CEUs
📈 Apply strategies right away

Explore Pyramid's growing library of On-Demand Courses designed for educators, SLPs, behavior analysts, parents, caregivers, and support staff.

Visit our On-Demand Course library and start learning on your schedule: https://pecsusa.com/on-demand-courses/

📌 Save this post for your next professional development day and share it with a colleague who might benefit from flexible learning options.

☀️ Keep communication growing this summer!

Join Lori Frost, MS, CCC-SLP, co-developer of PECS® and PECSTalk™, for a free PECSTalk Overview on June 30 at 1:00 PM ET.

PECSTalk™ is an AAC app designed for individuals with complex communication needs, including autistic learners. Built on the principles of PECS, the app supports communication across home, school, vocational, and community settings.

In this free 30-minute session, you'll:
✔ Explore the features and functionality of PECSTalk
✔ Learn how the app supports communication development
✔ See what sets PECSTalk apart from other AAC apps
✔ Get your questions answered during a live Q&A

Whether you're supporting communication at home, preparing for the upcoming school year, or exploring AAC options, this is a great opportunity to learn more about this powerful communication tool.

📱 We recommend downloading the free PECSTalk™ Lite app before the session so you can follow along.

🗓 June 30, 2026
⏰ 1:00 PM ET
💻 Free to attend
👉 Sign up: https://pecsusa.com/workshops/pecstalk-overview-eastern-time-zone-online-june-2026/

☀️ Looking to strengthen communication skills this summer?

Join us this June for PECS® Level 1 Training and learn practical, evidence-based strategies that support functional communication across home, school, and community settings.

Whether you’re new to PECS or looking to strengthen your implementation, this interactive workshop will leave you confident and ready to apply strategies right away.

💡 Perfect for: Educators • SLPs • OTs • BCBAs • Paraprofessionals • Families • Caregivers

✨ What you’ll gain:
✔ Step-by-step guidance through all 6 PECS phases
✔ Functional strategies that support communication across modalities
✔ Video examples, guided practice, and real-world teaching ideas
✔ The updated PECS Training Manual (3rd Edition, 2024)

🗓 June Training Dates:
☀️ June 1–2 (CT)
☀️ June 8–9 (PT)
☀️ June 11–12 (ET)
☀️ June 22–23 (CT)

💻 Live & remote — join from anywhere
🎓 CEUs available: ASHA, BACB, AOTA, NASP, IBAO, QABA
💰 Special pricing for parents, students & groups

🌞 Build communication skills that support meaningful participation all summer long.

👉 Register today: https://pecsusa.com/view-all-trainings/

Not seeing progress with AAC? 🤔

Before changing the device… pause and examine the approach.

When communication stalls, consider:
✔ Is motivation truly personalized?
✔ Are we teaching the communication the learner needs right now?
✔ Are our teaching strategies aligned with strengths and gradually fading support?

If a learner isn’t progressing, “doing more” isn’t the solution- doing something different is! 🔄

When we adjust the approach, we create space for confident, spontaneous communication. 💬

Strong foundations lead to lasting communication success. 🧱

To explore these ideas further, read our blog: Supporting a Child’s Communication Path with AAC. 📖

And join us on Thursday, June 4th at 11am ET for a 3-hour presentation of When Modeling Isn’t Enough: Teaching Independence with High Tech AAC to examine these strategies in greater depth. 🌟

Learn more & sign up: https://pecsusa.com/training/when-modeling-isnt-enough-effective-strategies-for-teaching-independence-with-high-tech-aac/

🛁 ➡️🪥 ➡️ 📖 ➡️ 😴
Bedtime routines can be challenging, especially when learners are unsure of what comes next.

Visual schedules help make routines more predictable by clearly showing the sequence of activities throughout the day. 🙌

When learners understand expectations and transitions, we often see:
✔ Increased independence
✔ Reduced anxiety and frustration
✔ Smoother transitions
✔ More successful participation in daily routines

Following a visual schedule is one of the Nine Critical Communication Skills identified by the developers of PECS®, supporting learners across home, school, and community settings.

In this example, a learner is independently moving through her bedtime routine using visual supports to understand what comes next. 💕

At Pyramid, we offer a variety of visual schedule tools to meet different needs and settings, including:
🗓 Visual Schedules
🧩 Mini Schedules
🎒 Compact Community/Travel Schedules
🖼 Schedule Picture Sets

✨ Because when learners understand what’s next, they’re better supported to participate with confidence and independence.

🛒 Our Visual Schedule and Schedule Picture Set are on sale throughout May.

👉 Explore our visual schedule products: https://pecsusa.com/store/

💬 “He doesn’t stop talking. He socializes so much.”
Three years ago, Theo had limited communication, primarily using gestures and pointing to express his wants and needs.

When Theo entered Ali Strong’s classroom at Bruning-Davenport USD in Nebraska, the team introduced PECS®, and his communication book quickly became part of everyday life. It went everywhere with him — to the playground, to PE, even into the sandbox.

Over time, Theo’s communication continued to grow and include:
✔ Requests
✔ Expanded sentences
✔ Commenting
✔ Increasing vocalizations

By Fall 2024, Theo was combining attributes in sentences like “I want little red truck,” beginning to comment using “I hear ___,” and vocalizing while reading words on top of the icons. By Fall 2025, vocal communication became more frequent while PECS remained an important support.

And today?💬 “He doesn’t stop talking!”

Swipe to see Theo now as a preschool graduate, a reminder of just how far he has come! His team shared that they can’t wait to see what he does next year in kindergarten. 👨‍🎓

This journey reflects the power of:
• Early intervention
• Consistent implementation
• High expectations
• A team committed to growth

We are incredibly proud of Theo and grateful for the dedication of Ali Strong, her classroom team, the Nebraska ASD Network, and our consultant Jesse Collins, M.Ed., BCBA, who supported the team through training and consultation in PECS and the 9 Critical Communication Skills.

✨ Communication changes lives. ✨

Shared with permission from Theo’s family and educational team. ❤️

💬 “Not sure where to start with PECS?”

Join us for a free live PECS Overview on
🗓 May 26 at 1:00 PM ET

This session provides a clear, practical introduction to how the PECS protocol supports meaningful, effective communication across settings.

In this session, you’ll learn:
✔ What PECS is — and what it isn’t
✔ How the six phases build communication
✔ How PECS supports speech, high-tech AAC, and independence
✔ Common misconceptions — and what actually works

🎥 Includes real-world video examples

👥 Ideal for educators, SLPs, behavior analysts, parents, caregivers, paraprofessionals and teams exploring communication options.

✨ Free to attend. Limited spots available.

👉 Register now: https://pecsusa.com/workshops/pecs-overview-eastern-time-online-may-2026/

This session is an overview and does not replace formal PECS training.