Examining relationships between child skills and potential key components of an evidence-based practice in ASD.
Aubyn C Stahmer, Jessica Suhrheinrich, Scott Roesch and 4 others
PMID 31031082WHAT IT FOUND
In videos of PRT sessions, using most strategies more often was linked to better child participation and communication; turn taking was linked to worse communication.
The data are concurrent and cannot show cause.
Key findings
01Using most PRT strategies at high or moderate frequency was associated with better child behaviors and more appropriate responding, but very high antecedent use with limited reinforcement was also associated with more inappropriate and no responding.
02Individual PRT strategies related differently to child communication: antecedent strategies had positive associations with communication, direct reinforcement was not associated with communication, and turn taking was negatively associated with communication.
03Provider education was associated with component use, while child autism severity and receptive language did not moderate the relationship between child behavior and provider use of PRT components.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The data are concurrent, so they cannot show that a provider strategy caused a child behavior. The analysis looked only at within-session behavior, not longer-term child outcomes. The archival studies did not provide enough detail about provider experience with ASD, behavioral interventions or PRT. The children had a relatively narrow age and functioning range, so the findings may not apply to broader groups with ASD. The profile analysis was done at the video level because there were limited providers, so it should be considered preliminary.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these associations as proof that adding a PRT component will improve a child's communication. The videos only show what provider behaviors and child behaviors happened at the same time, and the authors state that causality cannot be drawn.