Innovative treatment for autism

One of the treatment programs used for children with autism is called Pivotal Response Training, or PRT. Children with developmental disabilities have many challenging behaviors. Addressing each one of them separately can be a daunting task for parents, staff and the children themselves. Behavior intervention specialists often need to address multiple behaviors with one intervention. PRT focuses on pivotal behaviors that are central to many areas of functioning, such as communication or social skills. It is built on the premise that improvement in these key pivotal behaviors opens the door to improvement in other areas as well. PRT is a positive, naturalistic behavior intervention based on Applied Behavior Analysis principles that focus on teaching specific behaviors. It targets one behavior and produces widespread positive effects on other behaviors. It is a child-centered intervention that can be used across settings, such as school, home and the community.  PRT has been most successful in improving social and emotional behaviors of children with developmental disabilities in the areas of language, play and social interaction. If you want to learn more about PRT, 2 key figures in this research are Keogel and Koegel who have authored many studies and books on the topic.