In-house Training
All of our training workshops are available to be held in a venue/setting of your choice.
Currently available:
PECS Basic Training
PECS Advanced Training
A Teachers Guide to Organising and Managing the Classroom
Teaching Communication Skills for Independence
Guide to Managing Challenging Behaviours
By bringing our training to you there is the potential to reduce the actual cost of training
a large group of people, and save money on staff travel costs. We can train groups of 15 to
125 people at your school or organisations premises. Group training in your setting can
encourage team building and allow delegates to ask questions freely regarding individuals
they work with. This enables your team to receive specific advice relevant to your work place
and individuals your team members support. By holding training in-house you can potentially
save up to 60% per delegate compared to the cost of sending them to a national Pyramid
hosted workshop.

“Since our staff received PECS training and in-house support, every single one of our children can
now communicate in a functional way and recognise the purpose of communication. They are
much calmer because they are able to communicate with us. We have seen a marked reduction
in challenging behaviour. We also use the in-house consultancy visits to set up strategies to
effectively manage behaviours. We will continue to use Pyramid in-house consultancy because of
the positive impact it has had on the school.”
Head Teacher, Special School, London.
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In-school Support
Format: on-going in school
The in-class consultation provides systematic feedback on the implementation of all elements
of PECS and the Pyramid Approach, the emphasis being on functional communication and
learning through activities that are relevant and meaningful from the student’s point of view.
The six phases of PECS will be carefully monitored and developed. Opportunities for problem
solving, correcting errors before they become established and developing ‘good practice’ will
be supported. Consultants will advise on integrating PECS into the curriculum, extending
PECS across the day, developing more advanced skills, data collection, mastering the 4-step
error correction, etc., as appropriate. A written summary is provided after each visit, including
agreed action and future goals.

“The report is great and tells us the next steps clearly, which will be very helpful when I share it
with the rest of the staff… Thanks again for all the support – it was amazing seeing the kids come on years in a day!”
Manager, Autistic Unit, Barnsley.

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In-home Support
Format: on-going at home
This can be arranged to suit the circumstances of the individual student, family or inhome
programme. The hallmark of our in-home services is the emphasis on functional
communication and learning through activities that are relevant and meaningful from the
student’s point of view. As early intervention is a proven factor in supporting the best outcomes
for children with autism, we are prepared to work with children under the age of three. For
some, this will involve designing initial programmes. For others, it may be a case of adapting
an existing home programme to integrate PECS and a more functional approach. A written
summary is provided after each visit, including agreed action and future goals. We offer
reduced-rate packages for parents to provide training plus on-going support.
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In-community Support
Format: on-going in varied community settings
This will follow the framework described in ‘In-school Support ‘, with adaptations for specific
students, staff and settings, as these might range from early years to adult residential care
settings. Training and follow-up consultation packages can be arranged and full support and
reports are provided.

“Before PECS, everything was chosen and arranged for him because the staff didn’t think he was
able to make choices. The staff are now experiencing him to be less rigid and fixed in his habits
at meals, and he is able to spontaneously choose new food items. Generally he is calmer and less
anxious and for a long time he hasn’t displayed challenging or destructive behaviour.”
Professional, working at a home for adults with autism.
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Clinic Consultation
Format: on request in our clinic in Brighton
Our clinic is based in the heart of Brighton. We can provide sessions of intensive teaching to
develop PECS and other critical communication skills: e.g. direction and schedule following,
learning to ‘wait’, to ask for ‘help’ or for a ‘break’ and answering ‘yes’ and ‘no’. We also offer
assessments to confirm suitability as a PECS user.
A written summary is provided after each visit, including agreed action and future goals.
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Remote Support
Format: weekly or monthly online for parents
Pyramid Educational Consultants have developed a NEW service called Remote Support.
We have been able to use interactive technology (SightSpeed or Skype) to observe parents
implementing PECS with their child in order to advise and fine tune current implementation
practices. Our consultants can provide immediate feedback on what is observed. Time
permitting the consultant will discuss other critical communication skills such as following visual
directions & timetables, learning to ‘wait’, learning to ask for ‘help’ or for a ‘break’ and answering
‘yes’ and ‘no’. Finally the consultant will make recommendations describing the next steps in
PECS training for the family. Each remote session will last up to two hours. You can book as many sessions as you see fit, best practice recommends 5 sessions at monthly intervals. We respect individual families’ financial circumstances which is why you can book one session at a time. It is compulsory that the key person who is using the remote service has attended the PECS Basic Training provided by Pyramid Educational Consultants.

“I have found this method of remote support very useful, receiving feedback from Zena (Pyramid
Consultant) after each session has been invaluable. These sessions have helped us so much.
Thank you.”
Parent in Kent, Remote Support user.
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Distance PECS Supervision - Weekly & monthly e-mail, telephone, video submission
This is ideal in circumstances where it is difficult to get to the clinic or access regular consultancy support. Following telephone discussion and a review of PECS history forms and video of the student using PECS, a decision will be made about the appropriateness of distance supervision. Weekly telephone and e-mail contact plus monthly reviews of video will provide support with recommendations for developing and extending PECS and other critical functional communication skills.
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