Improving Question-Asking Initiations in Young Children with Autism Using Pivotal Response Treatment

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 44; no. 4; pp. 816 - 827
• Main Authors: Koegel, Robert L., Bradshaw, Jessica L., Ashbaugh, Kristen, Koegel, Lynn Kern
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.04.2014; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adjustment (to Environment); Autism; Autistic children; Autistic spectrum disorders; Behavior Therapy - methods; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Care and treatment; Child and School Psychology; Child clinical studies; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - psychology; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - therapy; Child, Preschool; Communication; Communication Skills; Communication Strategies; Demographic aspects; Developmental disorders; Educational Strategies; Efficacy; Health aspects; Humans; Improvement Programs; Infantile autism; Initiation; Interaction; Interpersonal Communication; Interpersonal Competence; Interpersonal Relations; Intervention; Language Acquisition; Language Skills; Male; Medical sciences; Motivation; Motivation Techniques; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Outcomes of Treatment; Patient outcomes; Pediatrics; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Preschool Children; Program Effectiveness; Program Evaluation; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public Health; Questioning Techniques; Social Behavior; Social Cognition; Social interaction; Teenagers; Training Methods; Treatment Outcome; Vocabulary Development; Young Children; Youth; United States; Initiations; Early intervention; Question-asking; Motivation; Pivotal response treatment; Autism spectrum disorder; Human; Developmental disorder; Autism; Pervasive developmental disorder; Treatment; Early; Child
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-013-1932-6
• ISSN: 0162-3257

Social initiations make up a core deficit for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In particular, initiated questions during social interactions are often minimal or absent in this population. In the context of a multiple baseline design, the efficacy of using the motivational procedures of Pivotal Response Treatment to increase social question-asking for three young children with autism was assessed. Results indicated that participants initiated a greater number of targeted questions following intervention. Additionally, all children exhibited increases in initiation of untargeted questions during social interaction in novel settings. Furthermore, post intervention data revealed collateral gains in communication and adaptive behavior. Theoretical implications of incorporating motivational strategies into intervention to improve social initiations in young children with ASD are discussed.