If your loved one has autism or any other disability that affects their capacity to communicate, more than likely you are a consumer of Picture Exchange Communication cards (PECS).
Most picture communication cards are priced between $12.50 – $133.00 dollars a set. In a set, there could be 58 color, laminated cards up to192 laminated photo cards.
Software that will allow you to print your own pictures may cost between $40.00 dollars and $299.00 dollars. On one CD there will be 1300-5000 images and that’s an wonderful thing, but why pay when you can get these handy little cards for little or nothing.
You may be asking yourself, why should I devote a whole day to printing my own picture cards when the mailman can just drop a set off on my doorstep, end of story?
Well, to begin with, you’ll save money; that’s great news for special education teachers who purchase their own materials and for those living on a budget.
Usually, when I buy picture cards, I ultimately wind up having to get a totally different set soon after because particular cards I considered necessary weren’t included.
What’s more, if you enjoy using real photos for picture recognition, opposed to color drawings, printing them out will undoubtedly be the least expensive way to go.
Secondly, you may need personalized pictures and you won’t find them in any set you purchase. For example: pictures of relatives aren’t readily available, neither are pictures of your local grocery store. Sure, made to order stock photos are available for about $100.00 dollars, but again, printing them yourself makes more sense; not only is it economical, but it’s fun!
The last and best reason to print your own picture cards is because PECS are not indestructible. After I purchase a set, my son promptly begins to entertain himself by peeling the picture away from the backing or submerging a few in water. Not cool.
So where do you start?
Free Web Images
If you are willing to invest in a small laminator and tons of Velcro, all you have to do is explore the web for free photos, print them and laminate them. You can do this two ways. One, try an image search on Google, but be aware, some of the photos may be subject to copyright. Two, try a free stock image search. One of the websites I use for free stock images is stock.xchng( http://www.sxc.hu/), but you can find many more websites by typing “free stock images” in your search box.
After downloading and saving my photos, I store them in the ‘my pictures’ folder, that way, when my son goes to town ripping the pictures apart, the only thing I have to do is print and laminate new ones.
Websites
In my obsessive search for free PECS, I’ve found two remarkable
websites:
www.do2learn.org
From the toolbar, click on ‘picture cards’ and then ‘print cards’. There you will find cards in the categories of toileting, behavior and food, and there are many more to choose from!
http://www.members.tripod.com/trainland/pecs.htm
You won’t believe your eyes when you visit this site! Halfway down the page ‘Resources for Pictures’ lists an abundance of sites where you can find free photos. Then, scroll down the page, where a treasure chest of picture cards are waiting. These should hold you over for a while. Happy printing!
Take your own pictures!
Using your digital camera (or any camera) take photographs of objects you can’t find a free stock photo of. I have even used my camera phone to take a picture of my son’s school and my car. If you use your own camera, you can laminate your pictures after your film is developed. You can also scan the pictures to your computer and print them out. If you’re using a camera phone, send the image to your e-mail, save the picture to your computer, print and laminate it.
These are just a few ideas to aid you in saving some cash. With a little creativity and time invested, may you never have to buy Picture Exchange Communication Cards again.
