There exists a wide range of treatment options for autism, with varying degree of evidence. One of the treatment optioins that regularly are promoted in Europe and Norway is elect Eclecticism. And professionals and governments founding treatments argue that by combining the best from different treatments, one can create a more individualized and potentially more effective treatment.
As a response to this challenge Karola Dillenburger from the Queen´s University Belfast has an article in press in the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. The paper addresses the issues of eclecticism and applied behavior analysis (ABA), and how misinformation may stand in the way of evidence-based procedures such as ABA.
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Recently I reread the article “Using pivotal response training to facilitate appropriate play in children with autism spectrum disorders” published by Aubyn C. Stahmer in Child Language Teaching and Therapy in 1999. As shown this article is now some years old, but in may clinical practice working with preschool children with autism it is still relevant and useful.
The article gives a detailed description and suggestions for using the pivotal response training (PRT) procedure described by Koegel & Koege
l (1993). Where the central elements of PRT are exemplified according to teaching play; (1) clear instructions and questions, (2) interspersal of maintenance tasks, (3) child choice, (4) direct reinforcement, (5) reinforcement of goal-directed attempts, and (6) turn taking.
This article also describes different stages in play development, and how to utilize his information in setting appropriate targets for teaching play skills to children with autism. In this description the necessary prerequisites has been emphasized to assist in choking target responses.
Through this great and practical descriptions this article is valuable in clinical practice and may assist in both developing and implement effective teaching of play skills in an Early Intensive Behavior Intervention (EIBI) program for children with autism
