PECS was developed in 1985 to help children with autism communicate. PECS consists of pictures and/or sight words that have been cut out individually, laminated, and have a Velcro sticker on the back. Children can look through a PECS book to find the image of the thing they want-a toy, something to drink, something to eat-and give that picture to their parents. As you work with your child, you can introduce new vocabulary, teach them how to create sentences, and teach them to bring the sentence to you. Anyone considering an Augmentative andAlternative Communication device should teach their child PECS first in case that device ever breaks, or ends up in the pool like my sons did, you will have a back-up way to communicate with your child.