PRT

Question 1

What does PRT stand for?

Answer 1

Pivotal Response Training

Question 2

What does PRT do differently to ABA?

Answer 2

Helps the child to generalise beyond traditional ABA training situations to other events and situations. PRT helps the child not to be dependent on prompts like ABA.

Question 3

What are the focuses of PRT?

Answer 3

• Teaching on specific pivotal behaviours
• Motivation and self management behaviours mostly
• Aim for child to initiate behaviour themselves and respond to cues

Question 4

What does PRT include?

Answer 4

• Clear uninterrupted instruction
• Mixing of new tasks with those already mastered
• Use of natural reinforcers
• Using many cues not just one
• Child choice of activities
• Reinforcement of child attempts
• Use of naturally occurring teaching opportunities

Question 5

How much time do PRT programmes tend to involve?

Answer 5

25 hours or more a week

Question 6

What is PRT described as?

Answer 6

A lifestyle change meaning it needs to be used consistently within the family

Question 7

How does Voos et al (2013) demostrate its effectiveness?

Answer 7

Reported that children showed striking gains in behavioural measures of social motivation and increased activity in regions relating to social stimuli found by fMRI

Question 8

How is the Voos et al (2013) study significant?

Answer 8

Evidence using fMRI scanning to show that brain activity changes as a result of PRT is scientific and gives it credibility

Question 9

What did Ventola (2015) find?

Answer 9

That after 16 weeks of treatment the neural systems that relate to social perception in the children with ASD were similar to typically developing children

Question 10

How does Mohammadzaheir (2014) find PRT more effective than ABA?

Answer 10

PRT is better structured than ABA as it involves preferred toys and chosen preferred activities rather than artificial tasks

Question 11

What does weakness does Voos et al (2013) offer about PRT?

Answer 11

Since PRT affects neural systems, neural data should be taken before treatment to see which would be most effective which is time consuming and costly

Question 12

What is a weakness of the studies that support PRT?

Answer 12

Studies tend to invovle small numbers of participants. Voos et al (2013) used two cases and Ventola (2015) only used 10 suggesting they lack generalisability

Question 13

Why is PRT useful?

Answer 13

Generalisation is a key target of the therapy meaning PRT enables children to gain independence and helps with quality of life