Pivotal Response Treatments for Autism: Communication, Social, and Academic Development

Discover how to use natural learning opportunities to target and modify key behaviors in children with autism—leading to widespread positive effects on communication, behavior, and social skills. It's all possible with the innovative, widely used Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT), an empirically supported treatment for autism recognized by the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders and the National Standards Project.
The product of 20 years of research from Robert and Lynn Koegel—co–founders of the renowned Autism Research Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara—this proven approach is now clearly presented in one accessible book. Keeping parents involved in every aspect of behavioral intervention, therapists and educators of children from preschool to elementary school will use the research-supported PRT strategies to

• advance children's communication and language skills, even in extremely challenging cases
• foster social interactions and friendships with typically developing peers
• reduce disruptive behaviors by combining functional assessment with self-management strategies
• aid early identification and intervention
• reduce ritualistic behaviors and broaden children's interests
• improve children's performance in school activities and on homework assignments

Because PRT works with each child's natural motivations and stresses functional communication over rote learning, this comprehensive model helps children develop skills they can really use. With this timely resource, educators and therapists will support children with autism as they enjoy more positive interactions, more effective communication, and higher academic achievement in natural, inclusive settings.