The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a communication system frequently used with people with autism and/or with little functional speech. To date, no review has been published on PECS interventions in the Brazilian literature. Thus, the aims of this study were to review Brazilian and foreign literature on the state of art of PECS as a language teaching instrument for individuals with autism and speech difficulties, and to point out what has been researched, the main results and directions for further research, especially regarding Brazilian literature. Four articles were found in foreign literature and six in the Brazilian one. Data on the number of participants, research design, study duration, setting, implemented phases, main outcomes, inter-observer reliability and procedure data, social validity, generalization and maintenance data were summarized. In consonance with the existing literature, the reviewed studies show that PECS seems to be effective in teaching communication to individuals with autism or little functional speech, despite the small number of participants in each study, suggesting that PECS is an individual teaching strategy.
Special Education; Picture Exchange Communication System; Autism; Communication disorders
