Regarded as one of the top state-of-the-art Social Communicative Academic treatments for autism in the United States*, Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) is a naturalistic intervention model producing positive changes in critical behaviors, leading to generalized improvement in communication, social, and behavioral areas. Rather than target individual behaviors one at a time, PRT targets pivotal areas of a child's development, such as motivation, responsivity to multiple cues, self-management, and social initiations. By targeting these critical areas, PRT results in widespread, collateral improvements in other social, communicative, and behavioral areas.

The underlying motivational strategies of PRT are incorporated throughout intervention as often as possible, and they include child choice, task variation, interspersing maintenance tasks, rewarding attempts, and the use of direct and natural reinforcers. The child plays a crucial role in determining the activities and objects that will be used in the PRT exchange. For example, intentful attempts at functional communication are rewarded with a natural reinforcer (e.g., if a child attempts a request for a stuffed animal, the child receives the animal, not a piece of candy or other unrelated reinforcer). Pivotal Response Treatment is used to teach language, decrease disruptive/self-stimulatory behaviors, and increase social, communication, and academic skills.

* National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, 2001

Dr. Robert Koegel is an international authority in the area of autism, specializing in language intervention, family support, and school integration. He has published well over a hundred articles and papers relating to the treatment of autism. He also has authored 4 books on the treatment of autism and positive behavioral support. He has been the recipient of numerous multimillion dollar research and training grants from the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Education, and the National Institute of Mental Health. Models of his procedures have been used in public schools and in parent education programs throughout California, the United States, and other countries.

Dr. Robert Koegel is presently the Director of the Koegel Autism Center at the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he is also a Professor of Clinical Psychology and a Professor of Special Education. He has trained many health care and special education leaders in the United States. His Ph.D. graduates have been employed in major universities including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, University of Oregon, University of Utah, Yale University, UCLA, UC San Diego, UCSB, etc.

Dr. Lynn Kern Koegel, the Clinical Director of Autism Services in the UCSB Koegel Autism Center, has been active in the development of programs to improve communication in children with autism, including the development of first words, development of grammatical structures, and pragmatics. 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 throughout the United States, as well as translated in most major languages used throughout the world.

Dr. Lynn Koegel is also the author of two major textbooks on autism and positive behavioral support, and the co-author of the best selling book, Overcoming Autism.

She is actively involved in providing support and intervention services in school districts both locally and throughout the United States. She has also been featured on news reports on television stations throughout the United States, and on the internationally broadcast ABC television series, Supernanny.

Together, Bob and Lynn were the recipients of the First Annual Sesame Street Children’s Television Workshop for brightening the lives of children.

Connecting the Research “Dots” to Create Intervention “Snapshots” for Children and Adolescents with ASD

This presentation will address the latest research findings into brain function, in general, and communication and language issues, in particular. It will do so in a user-friendly style that cuts through the minutia and gets to the bottom line—the implications for what to do in the classroom, home, or clinical setting. Many examples from the presenter’s clinical experience will be given to ensure understanding, and a series of intervention “snapshots” that directly flow from specific research findings will be interwoven throughout the workshop. This presentation will end with a list of ten principles of need-based communication and language intervention, along with their accompanying practical “take home” messages.

This course is for Pre-school through high school; all functioning levels.

Diane Twachtman-Cullen is a communication disorders specialist and licensed speech-language pathologist specializing in autism, Asperger syndrome, and related conditions. She holds an MA in speech-language pathology, a Sixth Year Diploma in early childhood education, and a Ph.D. in special education. She is the author of numerous chapters and articles, as well as three books, A Passion to Believe: Autism and the Facilitated Communication Phenomenon; Trevor Trevor, a metaphor for children designed to increase the sensitivity of typical peers toward their classmates with special needs; and How to be a Para Pro: A Comprehensive Training Manual for Paraprofessionals. Her book entitled, How Well Does Your IEP Measure Up? is co-authored with her daughter, Jennifer Twachtman-Reilly, M.S., CCC-SLP.

Dr. Twachtman-Cullen is the Editor-in-Chief of Autism Spectrum Quarterly (www.ASQuarterly.com). She serves as co-chair of the Panel of Professional Advisors of the Autism Society of America, and is also a member of the following professional advisory boards: ASPEN (Asperger Syndrome Parent Education Network) the College Internship Program, The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding, MAAP, Inc., The Specialminds Foundation, and the Virtual Autism Clinic. Dr. Twachtman-Cullen is the recipient of the 2006 Divine Neurotypical Award (“DNA”) given by the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership, Inc. (GRASP). She provides consultative services and training seminars internationally, on a variety of topics related to autism spectrum disorders and language development. Information about her publications may be obtained by contacting the Starfish Specialty Press website at www.starfishpress.com. Dr. Twachtman-Cullen’s consultation agency, ADDCON Center, LLC is located in Higganum, Connecticut (addconcenter@snet.net).

Mark Leland is definitely not a newcomer to the sounds of country music. That fact alone confirms his dedication to honesty and respect for the traditional sounds of this genre. For years, Leland has focused his energy and spare time on creating music that holds true to the original idea of country songs – telling stories. In addition to his songwriting skills, Leland’s baritone, smooth voice has a range that has allowed him to be compared to the likes of Toby Keith and Vince Gill.

The largest motivation behind his newest CD is the title track, “Missing Pieces”. Leland’s manager and long time friend, Tim Calhoun, is the father of Nathaniel, the inspiration for this song. Nathaniel, like 1.7 million other children, is autistic. After listening to the stories of the challenges that families face in receiving treatment for their children diagnosed with autism and watching the pain his close friend was facing, Leland began to learn more and more about autism. Together, Calhoun and Leland wrote “Missing Pieces”. It is a touching song that takes a listener through the anguish of having a beautiful baby whose neurological sense become challenged in the first few years of life. The autism community faces a constant struggle of learning about the causes of this terrible disease and the ever-changing ideas on effective treatment.

The philanthropic loyalty that Leland has towards helping this often unnoticed group of dedicated parents has been the basis of his decision to donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of his Missing Pieces CD to organizations that can assist families in affording the treatment needed to help their autistic children succeed. As the song “Missing Pieces” is being played more and more, Leland is frequently asked to perform at autism benefits across the country. Parents of autistic children who have heard his song are sharing his enthusiasm with other members of their community. Together, Leland and his fans are spreading autism awareness across the nation and possibly, the world.