An Evaluation of Train-to-Code to Teach Implementation of PECS<sup>© </sup>
A self-paced video-coding game can teach new staff to run PECS Phase 3A with high fidelity and no live coach.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Rosales and colleagues tested a computer program called Train-to-Code. The program shows short clips of a child using PECS Phase 3A.
After each clip the user clicks on the exact moment the trainer should prompt. The software gives green or red feedback right away.
Four college students with no PECS experience worked through seven mastery levels on the software.
What they found
Every student reached high procedural integrity after finishing the seven levels.
Their accurate use of prompts stayed high weeks later with no extra coaching.
How this fits with other research
Park et al. (2024) and Homlitas et al. (2014) also got staff to high PECS fidelity, but they used live rehearsal and feedback. Rosales et al. (2018) shows a screen can replace the live coach while keeping the same strong result.
Mailey et al. (2021) used the same Train-to-Code platform to teach a social-skills game. The software worked again, proving it is not tied to PECS alone.
Martocchio et al. (2016) trained students with a pyramid model where one expert coached several learners. Rosales flips that idea: each learner coaches themselves with the code-for-feedback game.
Why it matters
If you train aides or parents on PECS, you no longer need to block off staff time for live rehearsal. Assign the seven-level module, check the mastery report, then move to real-client practice. The saved hours can go toward direct child therapy.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Email the free Train-to-Code demo link to your next new hire and set a deadline to finish level seven before their first client session.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
We evaluated the impact of a customized training program developed using an observation and behavioral coding software system (i.e., Train-to-Code) to teach implementation of Phase 3A of the Picture Exchange Communication System to four undergraduate students. The training program coached participants on all relevant steps of the procedure. To accomplish this, participants viewed multiple video exemplars of correct and incorrect implementation of each step in the sequence of behaviors, and coded these behaviors in accordance with a taxonomy developed by the experimenters. The training program provided prompts and feedback in real time based on participants’ current level of performance and required mastery of seven levels of training, each with fewer prompts and feedback, until an expert level of unprompted coding performance was demonstrated. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the training program on levels of procedural integrity during performance test probes conducted with a confederate learner before and after the completion of the training program. Results showed improved performance relative to baseline following training, and maintenance of performance at 2–4 weeks follow-up. A conceptual analysis of these findings will be discussed, along with implications for staff training in applied settings.
Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 2018 · doi:10.1080/01608061.2018.1454873