Adults' preferences between Picture Communication Symbols (PCSs) and Gus Communication Symbols (GCSs) used in AAC.
Typical adults don’t prefer PCS over GCS symbols overall, so individualize AAC symbol choice via assessment rather than assuming PCS superiority.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked typical adults to look at two sets of AAC symbols. One set was PCS, the other was GCS.
People picked the set they liked better. Age was recorded to see if older adults chose differently.
What they found
Adults liked PCS and GCS about the same. Age did not change the choice.
No clear “winner” symbol set appeared.
How this fits with other research
Giné et al. (2017) also found age made no difference—on the Catalan SIS-C scores stayed stable across age bands.
Laugeson et al. (2014) show that even small ability shifts change adaptive scores. Together these papers warn us: don’t guess based on age or IQ band—test the person.
Luckasson et al. (2017) saw kids with ASD process visual patterns like typical kids. Tsai (2013) extends this idea to adults picking symbols—visual preference is personal, not tied to one diagnosis or age group.
Why it matters
You can stop assuming PCS is always “easier.” Run a quick symbol preference assessment for each user, no matter their age. Five extra minutes up front can save months of slow progress with the wrong pictures.
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Join Free →Place ten PCS and ten GCS cards for core words on the table and let the client point to the “easiest to understand” pile—use that set for the new device.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of the study was to determine whether significantly different preference exists in typical adults between Picture Communication Symbols (PCSs) and Gus Communication Symbols (GCSs) frequently displayed on their AAC. A total of 56 participants participated in the study, including 15 participants in ages 20-35; 14 participants in ages 36-50; 13 participants in ages 51-60; and 14 participants in ages 66-80. Two tasks, an identification task and a preference task, were administered sequentially and individually. The results of this study suggest: (1) typical adults' preference between PCSs and GCSs did not show any significant difference; (2) the effect of age groups of typical adults did not have any significant effect on their preference between PCSs and GCSs. However, except the group of ages 51-65, the other three groups did consciously show their preferences for PCSs. Limitations and clinical implications of the current study have been concluded.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.07.013