Pyramid Educational Consultants UK Ltd - Early years and education

Pyramid Educational Consultants UK Ltd offers a wide range of consulting services and products for educators and parents of children and adults with autism and related disabilities. Pyramid is a consortium of highly trained professionals dedicated to providing the highest quality service.

Pyramid also offers a variety of training opportunities and products that focus on the initiation of communication and the design of effective educational environments. We present a unique blend of broad spectrum applied behaviour analysis, in conjunction with the development of functional communication skills. Our philosophy emphasises the individual needs of each learner. 

We are the exclusive source of training and consultation for the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and the Pyramid Approach to Education. Both PECS and the Pyramid are evidence-based strategies, with supportive research from countries around the world.

What could be more valuable than giving your student/child the ability to communicate? PECS is a tried-and-tested approach that uses pictures to develop communication skills in children and adults with a wide range of learning difficulties. Easy to access, affordable to implement and scientifically supported as one of the most effective interventions, PECS is an opportunity to open the door to spontaneous communication.

This intensive, accredited, two-day training is designed to teach participants the theory behind the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and the protocols for how to appropriately implement the six phases of PECS.

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is used to rapidly teach communication skills to those with limited functional speech. PECS promotes communication within a social context, without lengthy prerequisite training.Training in PECS begins by teaching a spontaneous request and goes on to teach additional communicative functions such as responding to questions and commenting. An added attraction for preschool children with autism and related disabilities is the high proportion of children who acquire independent speech.  Participants will learn how to implement the six phases of PECS, plus attributes, through presenter demonstrations, video examples and role-play opportunities. Participants will leave the workshop with an understanding of how to implement PECS with individuals with autism, related developmental disabilities, and/or limited communication skills. 

This workshop is the basic accredited training in PECS and recommended for parents as well as professionals.

Benefits of PECS training:

• increases skills and independence with a functional communication system

• reduces inappropriate behaviours by reinforcing requests and positive communication

• teach your student/child to initiate communication and develop social communication skills

• see how it works with live demonstrations, video examples and opportunity for practice

• parents: become a leader in your child’s education

• professionals: gain valuable skills and learn how to implement PECS effectively in your environment

• learn the ‘whys’ behind the practice to enable problem-solving

• gain inspiration – learn practical tips and have questions answered from our specialist consultants

  What you will learn:

• everything you need to know to begin successfully implementing PECS

• the theoretical background, including how to develop effective educational environments

• a review of visual strategies useful for communication

• the six phases of PECS, where to start and when to move on

• strategies for motivating your child/student to communicate

• how to move from a single picture exchange to sentences

• how to teach picture discrimination with two or more pictures

• the criteria for transitioning from PECS to other communication modalities

• The key Pyramid components to designing effective educational environments

• Strategies to create an abundance of opportunities for communication

• The relationship between PECS and traditional communication training approaches

The course is certified by the CPD certification service (the leading independent CPD accreditation institution) as conforming to continuing professional development principles. All delegates will receive a certificate of attendance detailing eligible CPD hours which can be used as verifiable documentary evidence when submitting CPD recording forms.

Training is essential: Learning first-hand will teach you how to move through this structured approach and avoid misunderstandings which can prevent progress. This workshop is also a basic requirement for further training in PECS, such as the certification process and advanced PECS training.

Pyramid Educational Consultants UK, the only official training provider of PECS in the UK, has trained over 50,000 people. We offer training, customised consultancy and resources to support PECS and the Pyramid Approach to Education.  

"I have been using PECS in my classroom for 4 or 5 years, but had been taught by others, who had been on the course. Now I have it from the horses mouth, and it is much better. I can see WHY the students have got stuck at a particular phase and what I should have done about it. I wish I had the opportunity at the beginning to do the course, I think my students would have made better progress. Hopefully my classroom can be more effective now."
Delegate from Norwich 2-day workshop March 2015

"Very inspiring. I had been feeling very disheartened about my daughters non-ability to communicate. I now feel I have the Parent, 2 day workshop February 2015

Agenda: 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM both days
Registration Time: 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM
Tuition includes: The Second Edition PECS Training Manual with Data Forms CD (a £49.800 value) - Detailed Handouts with space for note taking - Certificate of Attendance - lunch and refreshments both days

PECS Basic Training: Our prices are: Professional £330 Student £297 Parent £185

lhotchkiss@pecs.com

https://pecs-unitedkingdom.com/

Training takes place around the whole of the UK. Please see our website for a full list of venues. Click here for a full list of UK training dates: Pyramid Education Consultants Training Schedule

Professional £330

Parent £185

• Learning disability
• Communication Impairment including Speech and Language Delay
• Autistic Spectrum Disorder including Social communication difficulty
• Long term conditions
• Challenging behaviour
• Aspergers
• Sensory and/or physical need

1. What does your service do?

PECS is a unique alternative/augmentative communication system developed in the USA in 1985 by Andy Bondy, Ph.D. and Lori Frost, M.S. CCC/SLP. PECS was first implemented with pre?school students diagnosed with Autism at the Delaware Autism Program. The findings from the program were that 76% of children placed on PECS acquired speech as either their sole communication system or augmented by a picture based system. Since then PECS has been implemented worldwide with a variety of learners of all ages who have various cognitive, physical and communication challenges.

PECS consist of six phases. It begins by teaching an individual to give a single picture of a desired item to a “communicative partner”, who immediately honours the exchange as a request. The system goes on to teach discrimination of pictures and how to put them together in sentences. In the more advanced phases, individuals are taught to use modifiers, answer questions and comment. 
We run approximately 95 PECS workshops per year, plus we also offer training in behaviour management, sexual and social safety for those with additional needs plus the highly acclaimed ‘Language of Emotions’ and more.

We also offer consultancy in the form of in-school support, in-home support, in-community support. 1:1 consultation and remote support via interactive technology (skype or sightspeed).

Post training we offer support in the form of a very active yahoo group. Our facebook page and twitter feed also offer help and tips. PECS users can call/email the office for help or advice.

2. Where is the service located, and what areas does it cover?

Pyramid Educational consultants UK Ltd work across the whole of the UK, Ireland and beyond. Our office is located in Brighton on the south coast but we deliver training and consultancy all over the UK.

3. Who does your service provide for?

We cover ages 18 months to 100 years! There are no eligibility criteria to use PECS. PECS is appropriate for people of all ages with a wide range of learning difficulties. Originally developed for pre-school children with autism, PECS is now successfully being used with adults and children with a range of communication difficulties. It is never too late to start PECS which can be used in conjunction with other approached such as TEACCH, portage and ABA.

4. How can I start using the service?

You do not need a referral to use PECS. Look at our website for a list of current training workshops. If you need help with funding it is possible that you could be eligible for financial assistance from the Pyramid Educational Trust 

There are no waiting lists for our services or to attend one of our workshops.

5. How are decisions made about who can use your service?

PECS workshops and consultancy services are open to everyone, parents and professionals alike.

6. How do you communicate with service users and how are they involved in decision making/planning?

At the end of every workshop we ask for feedback from the delegates to assess that we have fulfilled the needs of all delegates.

The PECs manual is available in English and Arabic from the UK office. Other languages are available from Pyramid companies around the world. All workshops are conducted in English.

You will be able to see for yourself how your child is progressing or you can request some in-home support or in-school support.

All of our workshops are open to parents.

7. Is your service fully accessible?

All of our training workshops are held in hotels and conference venues and therefore should be fully accessible. We use audio visual equipment (including microphones) at all of our workshops.

Children do not attend our workshops they are intended for adults only.

8. What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had or are having?

All of the Pyramid consultants are highly trained professionals.

All enquiries/questions should be directed to our office in the first instance, using our telephone number or email address. 

Please call or email for further details.