I think any teacher who uses PECS or works with students with autism has this question. How in the world do you keep all of your PECS pictures organized?
They offer some suggestions at the training and ask you to share any bright ideas you have, but really I think it all comes down to what kind of space you have in your classroom and what system works best for you.
At the beginning of the school year I printed, cut, laminated, and cut again 500+ PECS pictures. I knew I would have students on visual schedules and I knew I would be starting PECS with about 5 students. I am so glad that I prepped that many pictures to start. I love having them ready as soon as I need them, but I had to figure out a storage system.
I found these containers at a Big Lots and new right away they would be perfect. I tried to organize them in a way that fit our needs and just used some masking tape to label them. I'm sure there is a cuter way to have them labeled (and we all know I would love that) but for now, this is working.
Yes, I've had to print more pictures since the start of the year, and just this weekend I have printed 430 food PECS! I always print multiples of each picture so I have them if they get lost, or another student needs them, etc. Now, I just hope Big Lots has more of these containers because I have no idea where I'm going to store all of these food pictures.
I also keep velcro pre-cut on hand. This also helps if I need a picture last minute. I grab it, and then grab the piece of velcro I need and I'm all set.
But now I'm super curious about what systems you use! Please share your systems or ideas by commenting below! While I love the system I have now, we might out grow it. I'm going to need back up ideas! :)
I like to store my cards in plastic sleeves that are used to hold baseball cards. Each binder is labeled with what is inside (food, school, etc.) and then tabbed on the inside to give better categories to the whole thing. This helps me to see them all at one tIme and just flip to what i need. ike your drawers though!! I need to be in a better habit of having multiples on hand!
ReplyDeleteKim
That is a good idea! I will probably end up inheriting a new system. I couldn't find any more of those containers at Big Lots! :( Can you fit multiples in the card slots?
ReplyDeleteI like to do front and back. I'm not sure how many you can squeeze into a slot. I would be afraid that too many would be bulky and then fall out.
ReplyDeleteKim
I do baseball card holders too! It's a big space saver!!
ReplyDelete- Sasha
The Autism Helper
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ReplyDeleteI do baseball card sheets in a notebook too. I typically put all of mine in one huge notebook, and have them alphabetized...kind of. Basically a page for a's, one for b's, etc. When one is full I put in an extra behind as needed. I think 4-8 symbols easily fit in one slot, but the notebook is fairly bulky. I also always try to make extras when I make a set, that way when I take one home by accident and leave it in my pants pocket, I'm not scrambling the next day!
ReplyDeleteAnother new thing we started this year was a vocabulary folder for each activity. Each of my small group/snack tables have one with snack foods, another with art supply pics, and another with playdough stuff (which we do all the time!). In addition, there is a folder with pics that might be needed (for PECS or schedules) in each play area. We just put strips of velcro in colored folders and put in a few of each pic.
I've found that the craft holders work well, as do jewelry bags (smaller versions of shoe bags). Target is selling them these days and they are small enough that the pic/syms fit in them. The nice thing about them is they hang on the wall instead of taking up table or desk space.
ReplyDeleteChris
Autism Classroom News
I've created an organization and storage system for visual supports that we use in our school. Now, I'm making it available to parents and colleagues. Please visit www.thesuccessbox.com. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI would like to know where can I get the actual PECs in this image. They all look exactly like the kind I'm looking for with all that I need.
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