Pivotal Response Treatment for Children With Autism: Core Principles and Applications for School Psychologists

During the past 2 decades, pivotal response treatment (PRT) has emerged as an evidence-based methodology for intervening with the behavioral, communicative, social, and academic impairments of children with autism. Unlike other highly structured behavioral interventions for autism, PRT emphasizes principles over procedures and focuses on enhancing children's motivation to learn in natural environments. The purpose of the present work is to outline the core principles of PRT and discuss some school-based applications. Information provided herein provides school psychologists with a firm grounding in the basics tenets of this state-of-the-art intervention for children with autism, helping facilitate more effective direct and indirect services for such children at school.