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Pivotal Response Training (PRT) is, “a method of systematically applying the scientific principles of applied behavioral analysis (ABA) to teach learners with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)” (Wong, 2013). It was originally developed by Drs. Lynn Koegel and Robert Koegel of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Koegel Autism Center through the publication of their seminal article “A natural language teaching paradigm for nonverbal autistic children” (Koegel, O’Dell and Koegel, 1987). According to Koegels, PRT is, “used to teach language, decrease disruptive/self-stimulatory behavior, and increase social, communication, and academic skills” (Koegel Autism Center, 2014). The current name pivotal response treatment is a registered trademark of the Koegel Autism Center. However, there are many other names for the same method, including pivotal response training, pivotal response therapy, pivotal response intervention, and even National Language Paradigm (McClelland. 2016).
Pivotal Response Treatment is a child directed, naturalistic teaching strategy, unlike other structured models, like Discrete Trial Training (DTT). In the PRT model, learning opportunities are determined by the child’s interests with emphasis on natural reinforcers, rather than contrived reinforcers. The Koegels, and those who follow PRT, believe natural reinforcers are a stronger form of reinforcement than contrived reinforcers (Koegel Autism Center, 2014). The Koegel Autism Center’s website offers resources of over 200 peer reviewed journal articles and 30 books and manuals based on Pivotal Response Training. Since PRT is often termed as lifestyle, rather than a teaching method, as it requires minimum of 25 hours per week to be successful, the advocates of PRT emphasize that it should not be done solely by professional interventionists; it as an important component of PRT that it is recommended that family members continue the process at home for generalization and to optimize its effects.
Pivotal Response Training targets four pivotal areas of a child’s development, which are identified as motivation, responding to multiple cues, self-management, and self-initiation. By focusing on pivotal areas, PRT produces improvements across other areas of social skills, communication, behavior and learning. These learning variables have multiple components and may overlap when being taught. If a child cannot fully participate in the learning process (i.e., sit still, follow directions, etc.), then they will have a harder time mastering skill such as self-management or self-initiations (McClelland, 2016).
Since responding to multiple cues teaches the child how to discriminate between more than one stimulus and significantly enhances learning and generalization to other areas of development, PRT states response to multiple cues as an important pivotal response by aiming to reduce stimulus over selectivity in children with ASD and teaching them to respond to multiple relevant cues. (K