What is Pivotal Response Treatment? What's the research behind it, what does it look like in practice, and what are some good examples of how to use it? Now one concise book gives professionals and parents all the basics of the widely used PRT--an empirically supported treatments for autism recognized by the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders and the National Standards Project.

A great resource for educators, behavior specialists, early interventionists, SLPs, occupational therapists, and families, this reader-friendly pocket guide is the perfect introduction to PRT, the popular approach that uses natural learning opportunities to modify pivotal areas of behavior. Pioneering autism experts Robert and Lynn Koegel speak directly to the reader, demystifying PRT and clearly explaining why it leads to widespread and rapid progress for children.

Filled with helpful tips and many practical examples based on actual children, the book reveals the key principles behind

• motivating children with natural reinforcers
• reducing disruptive behavior with PRT
• encouraging communication and social initiations
• developing a challenging curriculum that helps children make progress
• assessing children meaningfully in natural environments
• closely collaborating with parents on goals and interventions
• helping families weave interventions into everyday routines
• ensuring that children generalize skills to other settings
• decreasing parents' stress and offering positive support

Throughout the book, the Koegels engage readers with down-to-earth guidance based on best practice, true stories from their decades of experience with children and families, and clear explanations of what the research says about PRT. And the end-of-chapter questions for teachers, therapists, and parents reinforce key points and prepare them for effective PRT implementation.

An essential first step in PRT training and a must-have for every member of a child's support team, this quick and practical introduction will get everyone on board with PRT and equip them with the fundamentals they need to use it in the real world.

A featured book in our Better Behavior Kit!

Robert Koegel, Ph.D., is a senior researcher at the Stanford School of Medicine. His research is in the area of autism, specializing in language intervention, family support, and school integration. He has published over 200 articles and papers relating to the treatment of autism, and several books on the treatment of autism and positive behavioral support. He is the Founding Editor of the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. Models of his procedures are used in public schools and in parent education programs throughout the world. He has trained many health care and special education leaders in the United States and abroad.

Lynn Kern Koegel, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a clinical professor at the Stanford School of Medicine. She has been active in the development of programs to improve communication in children with autism, including the development of first words, grammatical structures, pragmatics, and social conversation. In addition to her published books and articles in the area of communication and language development, she has developed and published procedures and field manuals in the area of self-management and functional analysis that are used in school districts and by parents throughout the United States and have been translated in other major languages. Dr. Lynn Koegel is the author of Overcoming Autism and Growing Up on the Spectrum with parent Claire LaZebnik, published by Viking/Penguin and available in most bookstores. In addition, she appeared on ABC's hit show "Supernanny" working with a child with autism.

Sarah Kuriakose, M.A., is completing her doctoral training in the Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara (with an anticipated completion date of June 2012). She is currently completing her predoctoral internship at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. She is the author of numerous publications in the field of autism spectrum disorders.