Picture communication symbols (PCS) are a set of colour and black & white drawings originally developed by Mayer-Johnson, LLC for use in

augmentative and alternative communication Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) encompasses the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or writing for those with impairments in the production or comprehension of spoken or written language. AAC is used by t ...

(AAC) systems. These AAC systems may be high-tech (Dynamyte) or low-tech such as a communication board.

Symbols

Several studies have found PCS to be more transparent than other graphic symbols such as

Blissymbols Blissymbols or Blissymbolics is a constructed language conceived as an ideographic writing system called Semantography consisting of several hundred basic symbols, each representing a concept, which can be composed together to generate new sym ...

(Mizuko, 1987). A graphic symbol is transparent if "the shape, motion, or function of the referent is depicted to such an extent that meaning of the symbol can be readily guessed in the absence of the referent" (Fuller & Lloyd, 1991, p. 217). Because of high transparency, PCS symbols are easy to learn by children with little or no speech. Several studies have reported that children with

cognitive Cognition refers to "the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...

disabilities learn PCS easily. The communication interventions for individuals who have little or no speech have used PCS successfully for individuals. The PCS set comprises a core library of roughly 5,000 symbols, supplemented by general-purpose addendum libraries and country-specific libraries for a total of 37,000+ symbols. PCS symbols have been translated to 40 different languages. People can develop their own PCS for certain needs or if the needed symbol is not available. Some choose to start from scratch, and others start from alternative libraries. Common uses for the PCS symbol set include

speech therapy Speech is a human vocal communication using language. Each language uses phonetic combinations of vowel and consonant sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if they are th ...

, picture schedules for people with

Autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

, and helping people facing limitations while hospitalized.

Boardmaker

A drawing program with PCS is called ''Boardmaker''. The software was available for

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...

and

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

. It started around late 1980s or early 1990s. There were many versions of Boardmaker for Mac & Win which include: * Version 1 for

(1994 - 2001) * Version 3 for

(1991 - 2004) * Version 5 for

(2001-2007) and

(2004-2008) * Version 6 for

(2007-current) and

(2008-2020) * Version 7 for Windows, Android, iOS (2020-current) There are many different versions of Boardmaker such as: * Boardmaker Plus * Boardmaker with SD Pro * Boardmaker Studio

References

{{Reflist * Fuller, D., & Lloyd, L. (1991). Toward a common usage of iconicity terminology. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 7, 215–220. * Mizuko, M. (1987). Transparency and ease of learning of symbols represented by Blissymbols, PCS, and Picsyms. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 3, 129–136. in the 1800s.

External links

AT Wiki on Assistivetech.net

LessonPix Educational Clip Art

Free White on Black Symbols
Auxiliary and educational artificial scripts Augmentative and alternative communication