Pivotal response
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Pivotal Response Therapy (or Treatments, or Training) is a behavioral intervention therapy for autism.
The term "autism" was coined by Leo Kanner in 1943. Initially there was little success with treatment, and in the 1960s researchers began to focus on behavioral intervention. Lynn and Robert Koegel theorized if effort was focused on certain pivotal responses, intervention would be more successful and efficient. As they saw it, developing these pivotal behaviors will result in widespread improvement in other areas. Pivotal Response Theory (PRT) is based on a belief that autism is a much less severe disorder than originally thought.
The two primary pivotal areas are motivation and self-intiations. The other three are self-management, empathy, and the ability to respond to multiple signals, or cues. Pivotal response therapy uses a play environment to teach skills such as turn-taking, communication, and language. This training is child-directed: the child makes choices that direct the therapy (PRT also emphasizes parents as the primary intervention agents).
"The primary goals of PRT are to move individuals with autism toward a typical developmental trajectory by targeting a broad number of behaviors and providing children with autism the opportunity to lead meaningful lives in natural, inclusive settings." – Lynn and Robert Koegel (1)
[edit] References
- Robert L. Koegel and Lynn Kern Koegel. Pivotal Response Treatments for Autism : Communication, Social, and Academic Development.
- Lynn Kern Koegel and Claire LaZebnik. Overcoming Autism.
