Improvements in Social and Adaptive Functioning Following Short-Duration PRT Program: A Clinical Replication

Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) is an empirically validated behavioral treatment for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The purpose of the current study was to assess the efficacy of PRT for ten cognitively-able preschool-aged children with ASD in the context of a short-duration (4-month) treatment model. Most research on PRT used individual behavioral goals as outcome measures, but the current study utilized standardized assessments of broader-based social communication and adaptive skills. The children made substantial gains; however, magnitude and consistency of response across measures were variable. The results provide additional support for the efficacy of PRT as well as evidence for improvements in higher-order social communication and adaptive skill development within the context of a short-duration PRT model.

[1]  G. Dunlap,et al.  The influence of task variation and maintenance tasks on the learning and affect of autistic children. , 1984, Journal of experimental child psychology.

[2]  M. Abrahamowicz,et al.  Early rehabilitation service utilization patterns in young children with developmental delays. , 2002, Child: care, health and development.

[3]  S. Bryson,et al.  Large Scale Dissemination and Community Implementation of Pivotal Response Treatment: Program Description and Preliminary Data. , 2007 .

[4]  C. Lord,et al.  A follow-up study of high-functioning autistic children. , 1992, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[5]  L. Koegel,et al.  Acquisition of Multiple Questions in the Context of Social Conversation in Children with Autism , 2013, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

[6]  L. Koegel,et al.  A natural language teaching paradigm for nonverbal autistic children , 1987, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[7]  Geraldine Dawson,et al.  Early Start Denver Model for Young Children with Autism: Promoting Language, Learning, and Engagement , 2009 .

[8]  J Q Simmons,et al.  Some generalization and follow-up measures on autistic children in behavior therapy. , 1973, Journal of applied behavior analysis.

[9]  Deborah C. Beidel,et al.  Social Skills Interventions for Children with Asperger’s Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism: A Review and Recommendations , 2008, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[10]  R. Koegel,et al.  Treatment of social behavior in autism through the modification of pivotal social skills. , 1993, Journal of applied behavior analysis.

[11]  L. Schreibman,et al.  Training parents to use the natural language paradigm to increase their autistic children's speech. , 1988, Journal of applied behavior analysis.

[12]  W. E. Craighead,et al.  The Role of Nonspecific Factors in Cognitive‐Behavior Therapy for Depression , 1994 .

[13]  L. Koegel,et al.  The PRT Pocket Guide: Pivotal Response Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorders , 2012 .

[14]  Tony Charman,et al.  Parent-mediated communication-focused treatment in children with autism (PACT): a randomised controlled trial , 2010, The Lancet.

[15]  David C. Atkins,et al.  Randomized trial of behavioral activation, cognitive therapy, and antidepressant medication in the acute treatment of adults with major depression. , 2006, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[16]  L. Koegel,et al.  Pivotal Response Treatments for Autism: Communication, Social, and Academic Development , 2006 .

[17]  R. Koegel,et al.  Motivating autistic children. , 1979, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[18]  A. Stahmer.  Teaching symbolic play skills to children with autism using Pivotal Response Training , 1995, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[19]  Michael Murias,et al.  Early behavioral intervention is associated with normalized brain activity in young children with autism. , 2012, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[20]  R. Koegel,et al.  Motivating autistic children through stimulus variation. , 1980, Journal of applied behavior analysis.

[21]  D. Barlow,et al.  Single Case Experimental Designs: Strategies for Studying Behavior Change , 1976 .

[22]  Stephen Camarata,et al.  Increasing Speech Intelligibility in Children with Autism , 1998, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[23]  L. Koegel,et al.  Empirically supported pivotal response interventions for children with autism. , 2003 .

[24]  P. Szatmari,et al.  A follow-up study of high-functioning autistic children , 1989, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[25]  S. Bryson,et al.  Brief parent training in pivotal response treatment for preschoolers with autism. , 2010, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[26]  A. Hardan,et al.  Pivotal Response Group Treatment Program for Parents of Children with Autism , 2011, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[27]  Katarzyna Chawarska,et al.  Pivotal Response Treatment for Infants At-Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Pilot Study , 2012, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

[28]  D. Macmillan.  The Problem of Motivation in the Education of the Mentally Retarded , 1971, Exceptional children.

[29]  B. Leventhal,et al.  The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule—Generic: A Standard Measure of Social and Communication Deficits Associated with the Spectrum of Autism , 2000, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[30]  W. Sanefuji,et al.  Long-term administration of intranasal oxytocin is a safe and promising therapy for early adolescent boys with autism spectrum disorders. , 2013, Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology.

[31]  R. Koegel,et al.  An Early Social Engagement Intervention for Young Children with Autism and their Parents , 2012, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

[32]  J. de Jong,et al.  CELF preschool-2-NL: clinical evaluation of language fundamentals: preschool - Nederlandstalige versie. Handleiding , 2012 .

[33]  L. Koegel,et al.  Brief Report: Question-Asking and Collateral Language Acquisition in Children with Autism , 2009, Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

[34]  Geraldine Dawson,et al.  A replication of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) revised algorithms. , 2008, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[35]  R. Koegel,et al.  How To Teach Pivotal Behaviors to Children with Autism: A Training Manual. , 1988 .

[36]  Tina M. Sidener,et al.  Using the Natural Language Paradigm (NLP) to increase vocalizations of older adults with cognitive impairments. , 2007, Research in developmental disabilities.