The effects of varying levels of treatment integrity on child compliance during treatment with a three-step prompting procedure.
Untrained school staff make twice the PECS errors, but short remote or in-person training closes the gap fast.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Eisenhower et al. (2006) sent a short survey to 83 UK school staff who use PECS with pupils with developmental delay.
They asked: Did you get formal PECS training? How many steps can you name? How accurately do you run each step?
Staff also picked the biggest barrier they face: time, materials, training, or support.
What they found
Only 1 in 3 staff had formal PECS training.
Untrained staff named 4 fewer steps on average and made twice as many errors when tested with a checklist.
Top barrier picked: “Not enough time or resources.”
How this fits with other research
Anonymous (2024) shows online parent training can hit high fidelity without travel time. Their real-time Zoom groups cut child problem behavior by a large share. This extends A et al.’s point: when time is tight, remote training is a workable fix.
Xie et al. (2026) surveyed teachers in China and found extra in-service training lifted positive attitudes toward inclusion. Both studies used surveys and link extra training to better staff outcomes, so the messages line up.
Ricciardi et al. (2020) asked ID care staff why they skip data sheets. Like A et al., staff said “training too brief” and “no time.” The two papers agree: short, clear training plus on-the-job minutes matter more than good intentions.
Why it matters
If you supervise school teams, check who has official PECS training. A quick half-day refresher or a live Zoom workshop can close the knowledge gap A et al. found. Build 5-minute practice loops into the daily schedule so staff don’t have to “find time.” Better accuracy means more spontaneous requests and fewer behavior outbursts from your learners.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system which is widely used to support children with developmental disabilities. In the present study, we surveyed individuals responsible for implementing PECS in special educational settings in the United Kingdom (N=283). We explored knowledge of and adherence to the intervention, with a view to identifying training and support needs. Specifically, we examined participants' knowledge, implementation accuracy, training experiences, access to resources, and attitudes towards PECS. We developed hierarchical logistic regression models to explore the association between training experience and both knowledge and use of PECS. We pre-registered our methods, predictions and the analysis plan on the Open Science Framework (OSF).We found considerable variation in practitioner knowledge and implementation of PECS. Formal training predicted greater knowledge and more accurate implementation when practitioner role and the degree of setting support were accounted for. While PECS was rated by a large majority to be effective and practical, many participants identified that time and the availability of resources were barriers to implementation. We also found that the purpose of PECS was not always fully understood by practitioners, and we identified some consistent gaps in knowledge and implementation. This study contributes new information regarding the real-world use of PECS in educational settings and offers new insights for supporting practitioners.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2006 · doi:10.1901/jaba.2006.144-05