{"id":2239,"date":"2016-08-18T11:09:06","date_gmt":"2016-08-18T15:09:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/?page_id=2239"},"modified":"2026-03-30T03:47:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T07:47:35","slug":"pecs-phase-3-teaching-your-child-to-choose-pictures","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/index.php\/pecs-phase-3-teaching-your-child-to-choose-pictures\/","title":{"rendered":"PECS Phase 3: Teaching Your Child To Choose Pictures"},"content":{"rendered":"

Making Choices Between Pictures<\/h2>\n

By the time you start Phase 3 of PECS, your child should be requesting a variety of different things using pictures. However, until now, you have been the one to decide which picture will be available to him at any given time. Before beginning Phase 3, your child should be able to find his\u00a0PECS binder from at least a few feet away, remove the picture that is on the front cover, go to the person that is holding the item he wants, get that person\u2019s attention if necessary, and hand the person the picture of the item. If he can do those things, you should begin teaching him to choose a picture from two or more choices.<\/p>\n

To begin, use one of the items your child has had some practice requesting with PECS. For example, if your child has a favorite ball, you could use that as one of the choices. Then find another item; something that is not<\/strong> one of your child\u2019s favorite things.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t have to be something your child dislikes, but rather something that your child just doesn\u2019t care about very much; a neutral<\/em> item. For example, you might pair a squishy ball with a measuring scoop.\u00a0 You will need pictures of both of these items.<\/p>\n

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Sit at a low table that your child can easily reach while sitting or standing. (You could also use the floor or the seat of a chair or couch or just about any flat surface your child can reach.) Place both pictures on the front of your child\u2019s communication binder, then put the communication binder on the flat surface in front of him. Place both items directly in front of you, but just slightly out of your child\u2019s reach, just like when you began teaching Phase 1 of PECS. That way, if your child tries to grab one of the items you can reach it first.<\/p>\n

If necessary, have your helper guide your child to the table and stand behind him. Your child will probably reach for one of the pictures on his binder because this is what he is used to doing to request a reward. However, until now, he has not needed to be careful about choosing the right picture because, until now, there has only been one picture on the binder cover. So, while he will probably choose the picture of the ball, he may not. The key point here is that you should give him the item that matches the picture he has given you. If he hands you the picture of the ball, hand him the ball while saying \u201cBall\u201d or \u201cYou asked for ball.\u201d<\/p>\n