A preliminary analysis of teaching improvisation with the picture exchange communication system to children with autism.

Two preschoolers with autism learned to ask for things using PECS. They were taught to add color, shape, or function words when the exact picture was missing.

The trainer used a multiple-baseline design across three word types. Kids first learned to say 'red car,' then 'round ball,' then 'cuts paper' for scissors.

Both children started using new descriptor words right away. They asked for items they had never seen before by mixing the words they knew.

The skill spread to new toys, new rooms, and new adults without extra teaching. Parents reported fewer frustrated tantrums at home.

ADiemer et al. (2023) ran a 24-session PECS program without improvisation. Only half of their older students reached phase VI, while M et al.'s kids moved beyond pictures in fewer sessions.

Allen et al. (2001) used the same multiple-baseline design with preschool teachers and FCT. Both studies show brief, low-dose training can swap prelinguistic behaviors for real words.

Gevarter et al. (2021) coached Latinx parents through telehealth. Their toddlers also gained new signs, proving the idea works even when moms and dads do the teaching instead of clinicians.

You can skip making a card for every possible item. Teach color, shape, and function descriptors early in PECS. Two 15-minute sessions per week were enough for these kids to mix and match words on the fly. Try it the next time a learner runs out of pictures or visits a new classroom.