Pivotal Response Treatment for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders (PRT)

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the application of an evidence-based, manualized treatment for children with ASD (Pivotal Response Treatment, PRT) to children ages four through six years of age with ASD. Specifically, children will be randomly assigned to receive either (1) 10 hours per week of intervention services, including two hours per week of parent education, and eight hours per week of direct clinician-delivered services, or (2) a treatment as usual control. Intervention will focus on enhancing the following developmental skills: expressive and receptive language, play, and social interaction. Outcome measures will address changes in the aforementioned domains during structured observation and standardized assessment.