I've found it really useful.
Just commented to DH that it is the first time I have felt we are really empowered to do something in a structured way to help DS3,
What it has shown up, though, is what a haphazard way we've been using PECS at home - and. more worryingly, how haphazardly he seems to have been using it at nursery.
E.g. I thought he was pretty well established on Phase II - but I bought a proper PECS communication book today and when we used it this evening, he had the greatest of difficulty getting the symbol off the front of the book - which presumably means he is not used to taking the symbol off the front of the book at nursery either .
anyway, we are where we are, but he's only 4, so plenty of time to do good work but we must start now! Am going to arrange to go into nursery on my day off on Thursday to talk to his lovely LSA (who really should be doing the course too) and work though Phase II with her so that hopefully we can be doing the same things at home and at nursery,
I mentioned to the consultants who did the training (who were great) that he could point to his most commonly used symbols as well as to pictures in books and say the names. They seemed to think that was really encouraging and indicated we should get him onto Phase III - discrimination - as soon as humanly possible.
So it was very enjoyable and encouraging but ultimately a bit scary - as Jimjams has often said, it has just brought it home to me that I have to teach him this stuff, can't rely on anyone else to do it for us {nervous ).