IEP goals for PECS

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A PECS IEP goal names the phase skill, the setting, the distance or field size and a criterion counted in independent exchanges. Example: during snack, Eli will travel up to 10 feet to his book and hand a picture to a partner for a wanted item in 8 of 10 opportunities, up from 2 of 10. Write goals by phase, and keep other AAC options open.

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) teaches a student to hand a picture to a partner to communicate. Its strength is initiation: from day one, the student starts the exchange instead of waiting to be asked. Its six phases also give teams a clear order for writing goals, which is why PECS shows up in so many IEPs for young autistic students and students with few spoken words.

What this page adds: a table of the PECS phases with a sample criterion for each, 20 goals across the phases, a weak and measurable pair per phase, and an honest look at where PECS fits among other AAC options. Numbers are illustrations, not program criteria. The speech therapy IEP goals pillar covers every other area.

Where PECS fits among AAC options

PECS is one form of AAC. AAC has no prerequisite skills, so a student does not need to "finish" PECS before trying a speech-generating device or any other system.^[1] Many students use PECS and a device side by side, or move from one to the other.

The 2020 review by the National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice lists augmentative and alternative communication among the practices with evidence for autistic children and youth.^[3] PECS is a published, trademarked protocol, and teams that use it usually train in its procedures.

Keep three things in view while using it:

Early phases are mostly requests. Add ways to protest and refuse early, such as a "no" or "break" picture, even though they are not a PECS phase.
Vocabulary is limited to the pictures in the book. Review the book every few weeks and add words the student wants.
Watch for distress. Phase I uses physical prompting from behind. Fade it fast, use the least support that works, and stop if the student shows clear distress.

The PECS phases

Phase	What the student learns	Sample criterion	Data
I	Exchange a single picture for a wanted item	8 of 10 independent exchanges	Opportunities, prompt level
II	Travel to the book and the partner; persist	8 of 10 at up to 10 feet	Opportunities, distance
III	Choose the right picture from several	9 of 10 correspondence checks	Correct picks out of 10
IV	Build "I want" plus item on a sentence strip	8 of 10 strips built and exchanged	Opportunities
V	Answer "What do you want?"	8 of 10 questions	Opportunities
VI	Comment ("I see," "I hear," "I have")	5 comments per session	Frequency

A correspondence check means the student is offered the item they picked and accepts it. If they reach for a different item, the pick did not match what they wanted.

How to choose a PECS goal

Find the highest phase the student completes with no prompts, then write the goal at the next phase. PECS supports functional communication, a core area in ASHA's autism guidance.^[2]

What you see	Phase to target	Measurement method
Reaches or leads adults for items; no exchange	Phase I	Independent exchanges out of 10
Exchanges only when book and partner are close	Phase II	Exchanges at a set distance
Hands any picture; does not check	Phase III	Correspondence checks out of 10
Picks the right picture; single pictures only	Phase IV	Sentence strips out of 10
Requests well but does not answer questions	Phase V	Answers out of 10 questions
Requests only; never comments	Phase VI	Comments per session

Phase I goals: the exchange

During snack, Eli will pick up a single picture and hand it to a partner to request a wanted item in 8 of 10 opportunities with no physical prompt, across 3 sessions. Baseline: 0 of 10 independent. Template.
During play with 3 preferred toys, Eli will exchange a picture to request a toy in 8 of 10 opportunities with 2 different partners. Baseline: 2 of 10, one partner only. Template.
During a preferred activity, Ruby will exchange a picture for "more" in 4 of 5 pauses across 3 sessions. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Eli will use PECS." Measurable: Goal 1. It names the setting, the prompt level and the count.

Phase II goals: distance and persistence

During snack and play, Eli will travel up to 10 feet to his book and then to a partner to exchange a picture in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 sessions. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.
When the partner is turned away, Ruby will tap the partner's shoulder or move into view before exchanging in 4 of 5 opportunities. Baseline: 0 of 5. Template.
Ruby will carry her communication book between 3 classroom areas and use it in each area in 4 of 5 days across 2 weeks. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Ruby will be independent with PECS." Measurable: Goal 1. Distance and travel make "independent" countable.

Phase III goals: picking the right picture

Given a page with 5 pictures, Omar will select the picture of the item he wants and accept that item in 9 of 10 correspondence checks across 3 sessions. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
During choice time, Omar will choose an activity from a field of 3 pictures and go to it in 4 of 5 choice times. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.
Omar will turn to the right page in his book (food, toys, places) to find a picture in 8 of 10 opportunities. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Omar will discriminate between pictures with 80% accuracy." Measurable: Goal 1. Correspondence checks show the pick matched what he wanted.

Phase IV goals: sentence strips

During snack and play, Lila will put "I want" and an item picture on a sentence strip and exchange the strip in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 sessions. Baseline: 1 of 10. Template.
During the exchange, Lila will point to each picture on the strip as the partner reads it in 8 of 10 exchanges. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.
Lila will add a describing picture (big, red, two) to her strip to request a specific item in 6 of 10 opportunities. Baseline: 0 of 10. Template.
During centers, Lila will build a strip to request an action ("I want go," "I want help") in 4 of 5 opportunities. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Lila will build sentences." Measurable: Goal 1. The strip parts and the count are named.

Phase V goals: answering "What do you want?"

When a partner asks "What do you want?", Zane will build and exchange a sentence strip in 8 of 10 questions across 3 sessions. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
In the cafeteria, Zane will answer the server's question with his book to choose a lunch item in 4 of 5 days. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
During a lesson, Zane will answer a choice question from the teacher with a picture in 4 of 5 opportunities. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Zane will answer questions." Measurable: Goal 1. It names the question and the exchange.

Phase VI goals: commenting

During a picture walk, Maya will build a strip with "I see" plus a picture to comment in 5 instances per 20-minute session across 3 sessions. Baseline: 0. Template.
During play with a peer, Maya will exchange a comment picture ("I have," "look") with the peer in 3 of 4 play sessions. Baseline: 0 of 4. Template.
When asked "What do you see?" or "What do you hear?", Maya will answer with a strip in 8 of 10 questions. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.
During circle time, Maya will share a comment with a strip without a question first in 3 of 5 days. Baseline: 0 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Maya will make comments." Measurable: Goal 1. A count per session can be graphed.

How to measure PECS goals

Most PECS goals use opportunities data. Plan 10 opportunities per session across snack, play and choice time. For each one, mark independent, gestural prompt or physical prompt on the opportunity data sheet. Count only independent exchanges toward the goal. Record the distance in Phase II and run correspondence checks in Phase III. For commenting, count spontaneous comments per session with frequency recording. Graph every session or two; regular measures make phase decisions easier.^[4]

Short-term objectives for PECS goals

Step through the phase. For Eli's Phase II goal: by the first report, 8 of 10 at 3 feet; by the second, 8 of 10 at 6 feet with the partner turned away; by the third, 8 of 10 at 10 feet in 2 classroom areas. The short-term objectives guide has the format.

Adapting by age and profile

Age or profile	Typical focus	Example change
Preschool	Phases I to III in play and snack	Toys and food as reinforcers
K to 2	Phases III to V across the school day	Cafeteria, centers, specials
Older students	Phases IV to VI; move toward a richer system	Community and job sites
Student showing distress with prompting	Fade physical prompts quickly	Gestural prompts and wait time
Student ready for more words	Try a speech-generating device	Use PECS and a device together

For wider AAC goals, see AAC goals examples and AAC in the IEP. Early requesting and protesting goals are in speech therapy goals for nonverbal autism, and functional communication training goals cover replacing challenging behavior with communication. Templates live on the AAC goals page and IEP goals for AAC users. The goal checker catches missing criteria.

Frequently asked questions

What are the 6 phases of PECS?

Phase I teaches the picture exchange, Phase II adds distance and persistence, Phase III teaches choosing the right picture, Phase IV builds I want sentence strips, Phase V teaches answering what do you want, and Phase VI teaches commenting.

Does a student have to finish PECS before getting a speech-generating device?

No. AAC has no prerequisites, and PECS is not a required step before a device. Many students use PECS and a device side by side. Choose the system that gives the student the most ways to communicate.

How should PECS data be recorded?

Record each planned opportunity and the prompt level: independent, gestural or physical. Count only independent exchanges toward the goal, and add distance in Phase II and correspondence checks in Phase III.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), ASHA
Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASHA
Evidence-Based Practices for Children, Youth, and Young Adults with Autism (2020), National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice, UNC Chapel Hill
Progress Monitoring: Data & Goal Setting, National Center on Intensive Intervention

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.