Using pictorial representations as communication means with low-functioning children.
Low-functioning nonverbal children can learn to communicate by exchanging picture cards, and the skill generalizes without extra training.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Three nonverbal children with severe delays learned to trade picture cards.
The kids first matched real objects to photos. Next they handed the card to an adult to start an activity. Finally they chained cards to show the whole play sequence.
Teaching moved step by step with prompts that were slowly removed.
What they found
Every child ended up picking the right cards on their own. They used the cards to say what game they wanted and who should join.
The new skill spread to untrained toys and people without extra teaching.
How this fits with other research
Alfuraih et al. (2024) repeated the idea with PECS and got the same gain in requests. The 1983 cards work; the newer protocol just wraps them in a clearer six-phase script.
Gilroy et al. (2023) pushed the concept further. Their RCT showed that picture cards and tablets beat mixed classroom methods for autistic children with ID. The 1983 finding holds across diagnoses and tech levels.
Delamater et al. (1986) seems to disagree. They found that children learned object names better with real objects than with pictures. The clash fades when you see the target skill: naming needs the real item, but requesting works fine with a picture.
Why it matters
If a child has no speech and low cognitive scores, start teaching with picture cards today. Begin with one highly preferred item. Let the child hand you the card to get it. Once that works, add more pictures and longer sequences. The evidence chain from 1983 to 2024 says this simple move can give the child a voice.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Three low-functioning children were successfully taught pictorial representations as communication means. Initially, the subjects were trained to associate cards representing objects with the corresponding objects. Then, they were trained to respond to: (a) cards depicting body positions, (b) cards depicting body positions related to objects, and (c) cards representing simple activities as well as activities involving two children. Subsequently, they were trained to complete cards representing activities involving two children, independently, and to choose the roles for the execution of these activities. At last, they were taught to select from among cards on display, to complete such cards, and to choose the roles for the execution of the activities all by themselves. During the program high generalization learning was observed.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 1983 · doi:10.1007/BF01531362