Yesterday was my first day at SARRC. Trapped in traffic for a good hour, I still somehow managed to arrive ten minutes before the program started. Fortunately, because of this I able to introduce myself to some of the families and interact with the kids. After greeting everyone, Brittani the supervisor of the program, gave me a tour of the center.
Looking around, I was mesmerised by the beauty of SARRC. Quotes in every corner, a lobby filled with pictures of children and toys, everything had a homey and positive vibe to it. After that, I was left to observe the children during their free time in the SARRC playground and the parents left with Brittani to have a discussion. Some kids cried, some questioned where their parents were, and others ran to enjoy their few moments of bliss. The clinicians did a great job of helping both the family and kids handle the transition. Later on, we moved into a classroom where I got to observe the therapy sessions with the kids which was truly amazing.
Then came probably the best experience of my entire day. I was allowed to sit in a discussion about Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) with the parents of all the children. PRT is the main focus of this program and is a form of ABA therapy (more on ABA next week) that is both play based and child initiated. Rather than targeting individual behaviors, PRT targets “pivotal” areas of a child's development such as motivation and the initiation of social interactions. The concept of the therapy is that every behavior has a consequence and depending on that consequence the likelihood of that behavior will change. So if a child makes an attempt to say “ball” the reward will be the ball, not candy or food. Parents asked several questions all of which Britanni answered and gave several examples and situations unique to their child.
The thing that stood the most with me from this discussion was a comment that a parent made. They stated that it is hard to differentiate a behavior as “appropriate” or “inappropriate” between autism diagnosed children and their normal peers. There is a negative connotation attached to the behaviors of autistic children, and sometimes other kids also act the same way without the concern of their parents. Brittani’s response to the question was equally as interesting. She said that the distinction between a right and a wrong behavior was in fact difficult because all children struggle with behavioral issues because there is so much to learn.
This first day was a complete experience! I got to learn many new things about Autism and PRT but also question certain ideas that I had never thought about before. If you have any questions about my day or PRT, feel free to leave a comment. See you next week!
Looking around, I was mesmerised by the beauty of SARRC. Quotes in every corner, a lobby filled with pictures of children and toys, everything had a homey and positive vibe to it. After that, I was left to observe the children during their free time in the SARRC playground and the parents left with Brittani to have a discussion. Some kids cried, some questioned where their parents were, and others ran to enjoy their few moments of bliss. The clinicians did a great job of helping both the family and kids handle the transition. Later on, we moved into a classroom where I got to observe the therapy sessions with the kids which was truly amazing.
Then came probably the best experience of my entire day. I was allowed to sit in a discussion about Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) with the parents of all the children. PRT is the main focus of this program and is a form of ABA therapy (more on ABA next week) that is both play based and child initiated. Rather than targeting individual behaviors, PRT targets “pivotal” areas of a child's development such as motivation and the initiation of social interactions. The concept of the therapy is that every behavior has a consequence and depending on that consequence the likelihood of that behavior will change. So if a child makes an attempt to say “ball” the reward will be the ball, not candy or food. Parents asked several questions all of which Britanni answered and gave several examples and situations unique to their child.
The thing that stood the most with me from this discussion was a comment that a parent made. They stated that it is hard to differentiate a behavior as “appropriate” or “inappropriate” between autism diagnosed children and their normal peers. There is a negative connotation attached to the behaviors of autistic children, and sometimes other kids also act the same way without the concern of their parents. Brittani’s response to the question was equally as interesting. She said that the distinction between a right and a wrong behavior was in fact difficult because all children struggle with behavioral issues because there is so much to learn.
This first day was a complete experience! I got to learn many new things about Autism and PRT but also question certain ideas that I had never thought about before. If you have any questions about my day or PRT, feel free to leave a comment. See you next week!
Very interesting! How does a PRT change how we perceive behavior in an autistic child?
ReplyDeletePRT is incorporated into the day-to-day interactions of the child with the family members, peers, teachers etc. It is conducted in the natural environment and we are able to alter certain behaviors not just a skill. For example, instead of teaching an individual skill, such as asking for a object, PRT works to improve the child’s overall motivation to communicate.Through this approach, a child will be more likely to communicate in some way, maybe by signaling or by using a word.
DeleteHey Shambhavi,
ReplyDeleteThis idea of PRT therapy is really fascinating. Are the parents encouraged to use this type of therapy at home to encourage speech in their children?
Yes! PRT is designed to be used by parents as well. In this program, therapists walk the families through the process of PRT. After families observe therapists perform PRT, they are encouraged to use the same strategies as well.
DeleteHi Shambhavi! As someone who has a friend with autism, this is a very interesting topic. How affective does PRT seem to be compared to other types of treatment for autism?
ReplyDeleteThanks Kayla! Usually families start seeing positive results with PRT in a very short amount of time because children learn skills by doing what they enjoy. In other forms of autism therapy, the child can get frustrated when they are forced to change their behavior.
DeleteThanks Shambhavi for sharing details on PRT . This is very useful.
ReplyDelete