{"h1":"Progress with PECS for non-verbal & minimally verbal children","faq":[{"a":"No. PECS lowers the frustration and pressure around communicating, and because pictures and speech are practised side by side, many children actually begin to use spoken words alongside the pictures over time.","q":"Will PECS stop my child from learning to talk?"},{"a":"The first win — understanding that handing over a picture makes something happen — can come early, but the pace beyond that is individual and depends on your child's profile and how consistently PECS is used at home and in therapy.","q":"How quickly will I see progress with PECS?"},{"a":"No. PECS can help any child with a non-verbal or minimally verbal presentation, whatever the underlying reason. A Pinnacle clinician decides whether PECS fits your child's communication profile.","q":"Is PECS only for autistic children?"},{"a":"Yes — consistency at home is one of the biggest drivers of progress. Your therapist will coach you in simple, repeatable strategies so every part of the day becomes gentle practice.","q":"Can we use PECS at home?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"what-progress-can-a-child-with-non-verbal-minimally-verbal-presentation-make-with-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs","title":"Progress with PECS for Non-Verbal & Minimally Verbal Children","entity":{"key":"pecs","kind":"therapy_modality","name":"the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)","slug":null},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Parent","value":"parent"},{"kind":"domain","label":"Communication","value":"communication"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Support","value":"support"},{"kind":"lifecycle","label":"Plan","value":"plan"},{"kind":"route","label":"Speech-Therapy","value":"speech-therapy"},{"kind":"empowerment","label":"Self Sufficiency","value":"self_sufficiency"}],"parent":{"key":"therapies","label":"Therapies"},"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs-help-a-child-with-non-verbal-minimally-verbal-presentation","title":"How PECS Helps a Non-Verbal or Minimally Verbal Child"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-progress-can-i-expect-from-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs","title":"What Progress Can I Expect From PECS?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-progress-can-a-child-with-autism-spectrum-make-with-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs","title":"What progress can a child with Autism make with PECS?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-goals-does-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs-work-on","title":"What goals does PECS work on?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs-help-a-child-with-speech-and-language-delay","title":"How PECS Helps a Child with Speech and Language Delay"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-progress-can-a-child-with-speech-and-language-delay-make-with-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs","title":"What progress can a child make with PECS?"}],"summary":"PECS gives non-verbal and minimally verbal children a reliable, frustration-easing way to communicate by exchanging pictures, progressing from single exchanges to short sentences and often to emerging speech alongside the pictures. Progress is individual and depends on the child's profile and consistent use. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","answer_md":"*When words are still on their way, a single handed-over picture can become a child's first true \"I have something to tell you.\"*\n\n## In short\nFor a child with a non-verbal or minimally verbal presentation, the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) gives a reliable, frustration-easing way to communicate **right now** — by exchanging a picture for something they want or need. Many children progress from a single picture exchange to building short sentences with picture cards, and for a good number, spoken words begin to emerge alongside the pictures rather than instead of them. PECS doesn't hold back speech; by lowering the pressure and the frustration, it often opens the door to it.\n\n## What progress can look like\nPECS is taught in gentle, structured phases, and progress is celebrated at each step:\n\n- **First exchanges** — your child learns the powerful idea that handing over a picture *makes something happen*. This single insight — that communication is a two-way exchange — is often the turning point.\n- **Persistence and distance** — they learn to seek you out, travel to their picture board, and initiate communication independently rather than waiting to be prompted.\n- **Choosing between pictures** — discriminating between options means your child is now telling you *exactly* what they want, which dramatically reduces meltdowns born of being misunderstood.\n- **Building sentences** — combining cards such as \"I want\" + \"biscuit\", then adding describing words, expands what they can express.\n- **Commenting and emerging speech** — many children move beyond requesting to commenting (\"I see…\"), and a meaningful number begin to use spoken words, since pictures and speech are practised side by side.\n\nProgress is real but individual — it depends on your child's profile, how consistently PECS is used at home and in therapy, and the support around them. The shared first win for almost every family is the same: **less frustration, more connection.**\n\n## When to seek a check\nIf your child is not yet using words or gestures to communicate by the age you'd expect, is pointing far less than peers, or shows frustration because they can't make needs known, a developmental and speech-language check is worthwhile. PECS is one of several communication supports — the right starting point is understanding your child's whole communication profile first.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nAbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional — never from an app or online form. From there our therapists decide whether PECS, alongside [speech and language therapy](/speech-therapy), best fits your child, and shape each phase to their pace using a [clinician-administered developmental profile](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated). Explore more about [how we support communication](/) for non-verbal and minimally verbal children.\n\n## Trusted sources\nAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association guidance on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC); American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) guidance on supporting early communication; WHO healthy child development resources.\n\n**Next step —** Want to know if PECS is right for your child? [Book a communication assessment with a Pinnacle clinician](/speech-therapy).\n\nThis is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-progress-can-a-child-with-non-verbal-minimally-verbal-presentation-make-with-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-progress-can-a-child-with-non-verbal-minimally-verbal-presentation-make-with-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs","lang":"en","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[{"key":"therapies","label":"Therapies"}],"meta_title":"PECS Progress for Non-Verbal Children","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Keep a small set of picture cards within reach at home and pause before giving a favourite snack or toy — wait for your child to hand you the picture, then respond instantly and warmly so the exchange always 'works'.","published_at":"2026-06-10T12:44:00.518354+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"understand","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"at-what-age-can-a-child-start-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs","title":"At What Age Can a Child Start PECS?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-does-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs-help-a-child-develop","title":"How Does PECS Help a Child Develop?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs-backed-by-research-evidence","title":"Is PECS Backed by Research Evidence?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs","title":"What is the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)?","reason":"Same 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there any risks or side effects of PECS?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"can-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs-be-combined-with-other-therapies","title":"Can PECS Be Combined With Other Therapies?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"can-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs-be-done-online","title":"Can the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) be done online?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs-help-a-child-with-autism-spectrum","title":"How PECS Helps a Child with Autism Spectrum","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs-help-a-child-with-childhood-apraxia-of-speech","title":"How PECS helps a child with Childhood Apraxia of Speech","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs-help-a-child-with-global-developmental-delay","title":"How PECS Helps a Child with Global Developmental Delay","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-does-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs-help-preschoolers","title":"How does PECS help preschoolers?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-does-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs-help-toddlers","title":"How does PECS help toddlers?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-many-sessions-of-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs-does-a-child-usually-need","title":"How Many PECS Sessions Does a Child Usually Need?","reason":"Same topic"}],"label":"Explore therapy & support","total":22},{"key":"home","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"how-can-i-support-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs-goals-at-home","title":"How can I support PECS goals at home?","reason":"Same topic"}],"label":"At home & in everyday life","total":1},{"key":"progress","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-progress-can-i-expect-from-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs","title":"What Progress Can I Expect From PECS?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-progress-can-a-child-with-speech-and-language-delay-make-with-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs","title":"What progress can a child make with PECS?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-progress-can-a-child-with-autism-spectrum-make-with-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs","title":"What progress can a child with Autism make with PECS?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-is-a-child-s-progress-measured-in-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs","title":"How a Child's Progress Is Measured in PECS","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-long-does-the-picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs-take-to-show-results","title":"How Long Does PECS Take to Show Results?","reason":"Same 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progress can a non-verbal or minimally verbal child make with PECS? From first picture exchanges to sentences and emerging speech — explained warmly.","related_materials":[],"related_techniques":[]}