What Progress Can I Expect From PECS?

PECS turns a simple picture handed to you into your child's first clear, powerful words: "I want that."

In short

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) helps a child who is not yet talking — or who has very few words — learn that communication gets results. Progress is usually steady and staged: most children begin by exchanging a single picture for something they want, then learn to seek you out, build short picture sentences, and many go on to use words alongside or instead of pictures. There is no fixed timeline — progress depends on your child's starting point, practice and consistency — but for many children PECS is a confidence-building bridge to richer communication, not a dead end.

What progress typically looks like

PECS is taught in clear phases, and "progress" means moving through them at your child's own pace:

• First exchanges — your child learns to pick up a picture of a desired item and place it in your hand to ask for it. This first "aha" — my action changes what happens — is often the biggest leap.
• Travelling to communicate — your child learns to move towards their picture book and towards you, even across a room, to make a request. This builds genuine, intentional communication.
• Choosing between pictures — distinguishing one picture from another to ask for the specific thing they want.
• Building sentences — combining an "I want" card with a picture to form a short structured message.
• Commenting and answering — moving beyond requests to responding to questions and commenting on the world ("I see…").

A reassuring point many parents worry about: research and clinical experience show PECS does not stop a child from talking. For many children, spoken words emerge as picture use grows, because the pressure to speak is removed and successful communication is rewarded.

What shapes the pace

Progress varies, and that is completely normal. It depends on how often PECS is practised across the day (not just in therapy), how consistently everyone at home and school uses the same approach, your child's motivation, and their individual profile. Steady daily practice with highly motivating items usually brings the fastest, most joyful gains.

The Pinnacle way

AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional — never from an app or online form. Our therapists assess where your child sits on their communication journey through a clinician-administered structured assessment, then build a PECS or wider communication plan delivered through speech therapy and coaching so you can practise the same steps confidently at home. Learn how we support communication and language development across our network.

Trusted sources

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) guidance on augmentative and alternative communication; American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) guidance on supporting communication in young children.

Next step — Want to know which communication stage your child is at, and the right next step? Book a communication assessment with a Pinnacle clinician.

This is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.