Implementing Pivotal Response Treatment to Teach Question Asking to High School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Jennifer S Kowitt, Joseph Madaus, Brandi Simonsen and 3 others
PMID 38848010WHAT IT FOUND
All three students increased their use of taught questions during PRT.
However, only one educator reached the required fidelity standard. This suggests the intervention helped, but the training was insufficient to ensure consistent implementation by school staff.
Key findings
01The rate of targeted question initiations increased for all students, with an overall improvement of 80% between baseline and intervention phases.
02Only one of the three education providers achieved the 80% fidelity criterion for implementing PRT strategies, despite an overall increase in fidelity scores.
03Students showed some generalization to untargeted questions, with the median rate increasing from zero at baseline to 0.53 during intervention.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (3 pairs) limits generalizability. Only one EP achieved the required fidelity standard, making it difficult to attribute student gains solely to full PRT implementation. Social validity data was collected only from EPs, not students. The study ended with the school year, preventing assessment of maintenance or long-term generalization. Heterogeneity of EP backgrounds (paraprofessional vs. teacher) impacts interpretation of training effectiveness.
Declared interests
The authors have no financial or proprietary interests in any material discussed.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that brief training is sufficient for school staff to implement PRT with fidelity. Only one of three educators reached the 80% standard, meaning student gains occurred despite inconsistent implementation, and the specific active ingredients of the intervention cannot be isolated.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →