About Pyramid Educational Consultants, Inc.
Pyramid Approach to Education®
The Pyramid Approach to Education® is a unique model of teaching that establishes effective learning environments for individuals with developmental disabilities and/or learning impairments. Designed by Dr. Andrew Bondy, and based on the principles of broad spectrum applied behavior analysis (ABA), this model offers sound principles for those who teach in classroom, home or community settings.
The Pyramid Approach is based on two types of learning elements: structural and instructional. The structural elements form the base of the Pyramid, creating an environment that will foster learning. The base elements include:
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Functional Activities
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Reinforcement Systems
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Functional Communication
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Identification and Replacement of Contextually Inappropriate Behaviors (CIBS)
The instructional elements form the top of the Pyramid and include information relevant to the creation of effective lessons. The top elements include:
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Generalization
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Lesson Formats
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Teaching/Prompting Strategies
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Error Correction (uniquely developed and suited to specific prompting strategies)
All elements involve data-based decision making. When all of the elements are combined, the approach results in success in a range of settings. The Pyramid emphasizes how to teach, rather than simply what to teach, and allows each student’s program to be individually tailored to meet learning goals.
Picture Exchange Communication System®
The Picture Exchange Communication System® (PECS) was developed in 1985 as a unique augmentative/ alternative training package that teaches children and adults with autism and other communication deficits to initiate communication. First used at the Delaware Autistic Program, PECS® has received worldwide recognition for focusing on the initiation component of communication. PECS® does not require complex or expensive materials. It was created with educators, resident care providers and families in mind, and so it is readily used in a variety of settings.
PECS® begins with teaching a student to exchange a picture of a desired item with a “teacher”, who immediately honors the request. The training protocol is based on B.F. Skinner’s book, Verbal Behavior so that functional verbal operants are systematically taught using prompting and reinforcement strategies that will lead to independent communication Verbal prompts are not used, thus building immediate initiation and avoiding prompt dependency. The system goes on to teach discrimination of symbols and then how to put them all together in simple sentences. In the most advanced Phases, individuals are taught to comment and answer direct questions. Many preschoolers using PECS® also begin developing speech.
The system has been successful with adolescents and adults who have a wide array of communicative, cognitive and physical difficulties. The foundation for the system is the PECS® Training Manual, 2nd Edition, written by Lori Frost, MS, CCC/SLP and Andrew Bondy, PhD. The manual provides all of the necessary information to implement PECS® effectively. It guides readers through the six phases of training and provides examples, helpful hints and templates for data and progress reporting. This training manual is recognized by professionals in the fields of communication and behavior analysis as an effective and practical guide to one of the most innovative systems available.
PECS® is especially successful if appropriately combined with elements of behavior analysis. The manual offers many suggestions on assessing reinforcers, teaching strategies, fading prompts and other issues. The authors encourage PECS® users to create an environment that enhances and encourages communication through the use of the Pyramid Approach to Education®. The manual briefly outlines the Pyramid and how it can be established in various settings.
PECS® at a Glance
Phase I: Teaches students to initiate communication right from the start by exchanging a single picture for a highly desired item.
Phase II: Teaches students to be persistent communicators- to actively seek out their pictures and to travel to someone to make a request.
Phase III: Teaches students to discriminate pictures and to select the picture that represents the item they want.
Phase IV: Teaches students to use sentence structure to make a request in the form of “I want _____.”
Phase V: Teaches students to respond to the question “What do you want?”
Phase VI: Teaches students to comment about things in their environment both spontaneously and in response to a question.
Expanding Vocabulary: Teaches students to use attributes such as colors, shapes, and sizes within their requests.