Best autism language cards/ flash cards/pec cards for 3 year old boy

[busymumwith2kids]

Hi ,
My son was diagnosed on the autism spectrum . I am thinking to get some autism language cards for him .any recommendations please like where to buy etc.
Thank you

[BackforGood]

Can't tell you which are 'best' as dc respond so differently.
Some dc respond best to photographs of their actual object.... their cup / their favourite book / etc
Some dc like the clear line drawings / symbols from somewhere like Makaton.org.uk
Some like generic drawn pictures or things
Some like coloured
Some like black and white.

Has something been recommended to you?
Has a Sp&Lang Therapist suggested it? Or your dc's Nursery? If so, it's worth all being consistent and doing the same thing - If they are at Nursery they might run you off a copy of what they use, or send a link to a website.

[busymumwith2kids]

Thanks for the reply. No .They never said anything about pictures. This is just my thought. Thanks for the advice. i will agree with u. every kid responds differently. I will ask sp&lang therapist. I will try to get different resources like coloured pics,black and white and i will try with my son.
hope something will work for him. At the moment he is not responding for anything :(

[AgnesDiPesto]

have you been on a pecs course yourself? if not i would recommend it, many SLTs don't teach pecs well - when i went on pecs course run by Pyramid one of the nhs slt's was on it so they just get 2 days training too - which is not enough to teach others. you need to have implemented it with many children and got further accreditation before you can teach pecs to others properly - but most nhs slt's don't do this.
is it the motivation that is lacking rather than the choice of materials?
its best to start with generic pictures or photos with the word on it and then move to specific pictures, line drawings or objects if that doesn't work.
Some SLT will suggest you use a particular software programme e.g. communication in print or board maker but schools etc will use different symbols and pictures so its better if your child can be flexible
sparklebox and do2learn have lots of free ones
on mrsriley.com you can make your own with text quite cheaply

there are language cards on ABA sites e.g. www.iloveaba.com/p/free-resources.html or pinterest if you search for ABA materials or language building cards lots of sites will come up. Theres also a site called teacherspayteachers.com which has lots of free resources (plus ones for sale but you can adjust the search just for free stuff).

some libraries have board maker or communication in print so you can make cards there - if they don't then ask them to get it. Look at Leeds Library website Often libraries have grants to improve inclusion etc and communication software fits this - plus it can be used by people who have had strokes or dementia. I sent our local library info from the Leeds website and they then bought software.

[StarfrightMcFangsie]

I second going on a PECS course. It isn't about pictures, it is about how to establish communication. Pictures are used, but the skills you are taught are transferable and adaptable.

[busymumwith2kids]

Thanks for the lovely information AgnesDiPesto. I don't know anything about pecs course. I found one software program widgit.com ,which is very expensive for me . I will try the ABA ones. I will check with local library as well. Thank you

[yakkiyakkiyogi]

Started DS (3) (preverbal, ASD and GDD) with Objects of Reference - objects he associates with different words / activities such as school bag for nappy changing time, beaker for water, towel for bath time, coat for going outside etc. He has responded to that quite well and we use quite a few at home and at nursery. On the advice of SALT we started with visual support cards to familiarise him with using picture cards and eventually moving onto PECS when he learns that he can use the card to get his needs across. He didn't even want to look at the cards that SALT gave me. I came across these larger coloured cards (link below) that he responds better to (meaning he will at least look at them). Have been using these for 4 months now and tbh it doesn't work most of the time as he still isn't able to tell each picture apart and hence cant use them as they are meant to be but I'm persevering in the hope that they will one day :)

One thing that he is very interested in though is Makaton and thats entirely due to Mr Tumble . He has picked up a few signs like bedtime, food time, milk. Although he only copies them or does them when I prompt him visually or physically the same way Mr Tumble does and does not use them independently but its a big step forward for him :)

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-Bespoke-Choose-your-own-PECS-Boardmaker-cards-for-autism-ASD-ADHD-SEN-stroke-/291534842420?hash=item43e0d4aa34:g:QREAAOxyVaBSxsof

(this seller above has many different types so its a good idea to go through all their products). Hope it helps :)

[yakkiyakkiyogi]

To add...the softwares are way too expensive. I bought the large cards (pack of 150) for only £20 from the above mentioned seller on ebay and there are way more cards than I will be using for a long while!!!!

[jomaman]

If you can't get on a pecs course soon you might find some useful videos on YouTube in the meantime. Ds1 wasn't interested in any toys so I drew pictures representing his fave songs so that he could choose them ( eg star for twinkle twinkle, boat for row row etc). Also used photos for a while and progressed to more abstract drawings. Good luck

[AgnesDiPesto]

pecs workshops