Repercussion of the implementation of the Picture Exchange Communication System - PECS in the overload index of mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the repercussion of the implementation of PECS on the burden index of mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). METHODS: This was a longitudinal study (CEP 0403/2017). The sample consisted of 20 mother and child with ASD. The mothers were on average 41 years and 5 months and the children were 7 years and 2 months old. Fifteen children were male and five were female. The brazilian version of the Burden Interview scale was applied to verify the level of caregiver burden. The Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) was applied to the analysis of non-adaptive behaviors and to analyze the lexical repertoire: Auditory and Expressive Vocabulary Tests. The PECS Implementation Program was composed of 24 sessions of individual speech therapy with the active presence of mothers. At the end all children and mothers were reevaluated with part of the instruments. RESULTS: There was a tendency to reduce maternal overload indexes after the implementation of the PECS. There was a significant decrease in non-adaptive behaviors and an increase in the expressive and auditory vocabulary indexes of the children at the final moment of the study. We did not observe a significant correlation between the degrees of overload with age, schooling and intellectual quotient of children, nor schooling and maternal socioeconomic status. CONCLUSION: It was possible to analyze the repercussion of the implementation of the PECS on the burden of mothers of children with ASD assisted by the Program.