COMMUNICATION
Quick Tips on Communications
for Children With Autism
and Special Needs
By Dr. May NG, MBBS (Hons), FHEA, FRCPCH, MSc, LLM, PhD
A
s a pediatrician, I have learned that the
developmental progress of a three- to
four-year-old should include well over 500
words, and a child should be able to de-
scribe things and situations in meaningful
ways. This milestone is one that all parents
strive for as it is an important part of a
child’s development. For parents with children with
special needs and autism, this milestone may seem
at times unachievable. The delay in speech and com-
munication skills were hallmarks of my son’s autism
spectrum disorder (ASD), and I was faced with a daily
dose of frustration from a child who was not able to
communicate his wants and needs. My frustrations
were on par with his when I was not able to guess
what he was trying to say. The exchanges would fre-
quently end up with one or both of us in tears.
40 | Autism Parenting Magazine | Issue 87
As a pediatrician and researcher, I decided to try
using the Picture Exchange Communication Sys-
tem (PECS), which I had come across during my re-
search into autism and speech delay when Brendan
was three. PECS uses visual pictures and symbols as
a form of communication with a child with limited
verbal communications. At its most basic, the child
hands you the picture or indicates by pointing to a
picture of what he/she wants. It encourages engage-
ment and initiates communication between the
child and parent/carer. PECS is later extended over
several stages over a period of time. For example, the
child would learn to use two PECS symbols: the first
a symbol for “I want,” and the second, the symbol for
the item requested. There is no evidence to indicate
that visual aids, visual cues, or the use of PECS cards
would interfere with or inhibit the development of