Interview with Mother

One of our amazing mothers has answered some questions regarding her son's autism. Not only is she a strong and dedicated mother, but she strives to learn everything she can about helping her son. They are an important part of our Koegel family and have continued to show phenomenal progress.



How did you first discover your child had autism? What was your child's age? 
When Chris was 18months old something didn't seem right with the way his language skills were progressing, infact his language skills really weren't progressing. When he was just past two years old, I took him into get his hearing checked. The doctor walked in, saw how Chris was interacting with me, told me he was autistic and said he wouldn't give him a hearing check because the problem was autism. He walked out he door after that. No information or how to get help, no explination of what autism was just a very cold and unprofessional diagnosis. 

When did you start working with Koegel Autism and what were your first few experiences like? 
About four months after that incidence we began to work with the Koegel Center. The best way I can describe it was "WOW". Prior to working with the Koegel Center, Chris had 90 minutes a week of work with a therapist. It didn't help at all, in fact it did less then help. The Koegel Center put in the time that my son so desperately needed. At first, it was intense. We went from 90 minutes a week to 15 HOURS a week. Although a bit of a shock to my son, within two weeks I saw improvement. I don't cry very often but that second week I was a tearful mess from being so happy and relieved that something was making sense to my kido. And the learning and development continues: )

What do you find to be the biggest challenge? 
The biggest challenge is not knowing what he needs simply because he cannot communicate. If he's hungry, tired, thirsty or any other of the myriad of feelings my little one has, I don't know. With time things have gotten better, he says "eat" when he is hungry now but to not know what his thoughts or feelings are is a bit maddening at times.

What are the areas your child has made the most gains? 
Language. He's got a quick temper and he'll give you both barrels when he can't communicate, but now he is able to express needs with words. It is life changing to not guess what your child needs. Chris had no language when we started with the Koegel Center. Now he sings songs, and although I can't always understand all the words, that is a huge gain. 

How has having a child with autism affected the rest of your family? 
Well...Chris has always been the center of the universe, just ask his grandparents! But it makes all of his family think about how they interact with him. Everything we do becomes an opportunity for language. If we are playing catch, or watching a movie, or at the beach or at a store every interaction is somewhat over dramatised to peak his interest and some type of language opportunity is used.

What advice can you give other families who are raising an autistic child? 
Every day you work with them is a step closer for a brighter future for them. As a parent, it's not about me, it's about getting the help my son needs, reinforcing it at home and never taking a day off from pushing him to do more. Autism will never give your child a day off so neither should you.

What are your expectations for your child?  
He will grow up and show everyone that he overcame autism...here I go crying again... I expect him to do whatever it is that the good Lord has planned for his life and he will be able to thanks to the Koegel Center. 

What has it been like having Koegel Autism clinicians involved in your life? 
I could not imagine where we would be without the Koegel Center or our wonderful clinicains. There is not enough money to pay them with in the world for their dedication and love they have shown my son and our entire family. One of our clinicians we consider family. She is loving and stern and exactly what my son needs, which he might not always be happy about but again it is what he needs. Having someone in your home for sometimes 6 hours a day seems overwhelming but it's great. Every clinician maintains a professional demeanor but with a lot of love for my son. The weekends are strangely quiet at our house when a clinician isn't there: )

Brittany Koegel shares her experiences

Below is an interview with Brittany Koegel (pictured on right). Brittany is working on her Ph.D. and has been helping children with autism for many years. She not only works with children, but she conducts trainings, gives speeches, and has published numerous articles. 

How did you become interested in working with children with autism?

It has always been a large part of my life and at a young age I knew my passion was to integrate my life with research, training, and therapy, to benefit others. I have been fortunate enough to accomplish this dream through my deep involvement in educating others about PRT.

In what ways do you educate others?

I travel all over the world, most recently Greece, and hold PRT trainings. The reward of invoking a sense of achievable progress in children with autism to teachers and parents has been my main prerogative. Not only do I give speeches and conduct trainings, but I also have the opportunity to work one on one with children.

Tell us about some of your experiences.

One of my most memorable experiences was hearing the first word of a three-year-old boy with autism. His mother and teachers had little guidance before starting services with us and had reached a point of exhaustion, defeat, and emotional stress beyond any other family I had witnessed. After two weeks of therapy at school and at home, involving working with teachers and family, the child spoke his first word. Seeing a mother’s reaction of tears of joy was amazing and all of the hard work we had put in to start his therapy had paid off. We knew it was only the beginning and there was a long road ahead of us, however, hearing him request an item for the first time and speak is unforgettable. He now speaks in sentences, has made many friends at school, and is continuing to make astounding progress every day.

What is the best advice you can give parents?

It is vital for parents to become deeply immersed in their child’s therapy. Targeting all pivotal areas is key in order to achieve success. Most importantly, do not give up! 

After completing her undergraduate studies, Morgan began working with autistic children. Her passion for implementing PRT lead her to complete her Master's Degree at UCSB where she excelled in all areas. She is a valuable part of the Koegel Autism team and truly cares about working with children. Below is a reflection on her time working with children affected by autism.

I have been fortunate enough to work for the Koegels for almost 5 years.  Working one-on-one with children with autism has entirely transformed my life.  My experiences as a clinician are incredibly rewarding as I am welcomed into the homes of families and given the opportunity to make a difference by providing them with professional advice, support, and love.  Every day I find myself feeling grateful that these kids have research-supported treatments that we use to explore and meet the challenge of finding new and creative ways of motivating each child.  Together with the child and their families, we witness daily milestones.  Rewards are tangible, like when I hear a child make their first intelligible verbal utterance, or when a parent tells me that I have helped them come out of a really dark place.  These children have such energetic spirits and continue to impress me in their own individual ways.  “I’m allergic to being angry,” or “Of course I know who my doctor is: Dr. Seuss,” or “Sometimes I have to be flexible when I really don’t want to, but I know I have to”, are just a few examples of delightful comments made by these little ones.  I am often asked if my work is hard.  In some ways it is hard, but the relationship between the child and me is mutually engaging and fun and the results so gratifying.

Currently a graduate student at UCSB, Kristen has dedicated many years to her compassionate work at Koegel Autism Consultants. Not only is she regarded with the utmost respect among co-workers, she has positively affected numerous children and young adults with autism. Furthermore, her dedication exemplifies her as a true leader in research for PRT and she continues to advance her passion for helping those affected by autism. Below is a short interview in which Kristen responds to several questions regarding her astounding work. 

Why did you want to work with children with autism?

I wanted to work with children with autism because each child is unique and special in their own way. Children with autism have so much potential and they have the ability to succeed in developing meaningful friendships and independent living skills.  I enjoy working with the toddlers all the way to the adults and watching them progress in their home and school environments. 

What piece of advice can you give families with children affected by autism?

Their child can and will improve with hard work and incorporation of PRT in their everyday routine.  It will be challenging at times, but children with autism have many strengths and early intervention is crucial to their success.  Use all the resources that you can and be an active part of your child's development. 

How has working with children with autism affected your life?

It has taught me to appreciate the differences in each individual, whether or not they have autism.  I have grown to admire the children and families that are affected with autism, and their ability to persevere and work together to overcome the disorder.  It has made me appreciate the things that I took for granted growing up (having friends, going to an included school, etc.) and I want others to be able to have as positive of an experience as I did growing up. 

What is the greatest improvement you have seen in a child with autism?

Seeing a college student with Aspergers improve his socialization skills and become an officer in a student organization, organize study groups, and even plan a date on Saturday night!

The following post was written by an amazing and dedicated mother who has two children diagnosed with autism. She works incredibly hard to implement pivotal response treatment therapy and has learned to overcome many obstacles.  She writes about her experiences below.

Afterword - December 2011 - a year and a half later....

On the day of Halloween this year I was asked to be a “helper” in Lucianoʼs first grade class to assist with several craft activities. I so wanted to be part of Luciʼs special fun day at school but for almost 2 years I have been asked to NOT be a parent aide for fear that I would upset his routine and cause a problem. The fact that Lucianoʼs teacher and support team gave the okay on this was major. And what a success! Luciano was excited to have me in the classroom but stayed in his seat and waited for instructions from his teacher. When it came time for him to work in my group he got to work on his task and chatted with his peers happily. When our group ended he pushed in his chair, said “Bye, Mom!” and left for the next craft. There were no tears. No head buttings. Luciano behaved like a “typical” kid. He was well-liked and had friends. These were the solid reminders of why an Inclusive education has been so crucial to his success. These were also affirmations that the years devoted to speech,behavioral and occupational therapy have not been for naught. Luciano is a dynamic, energetic, loving little boy. Sometimes we have days where I canʼt remember he has Autism. For this and so much more....I have so much gratitude. This gratitude is for the gift of community that Lucianoʼs Autism has brought to us. The team of teachers and therapists that have come into our world as a result of Lucianoʼs diagnosis are a great blessing to us and have helped me to be a better parent to not only Luciano but all of my children. This team has also been there to point out the warning signs in my third son of traces or hints of Autistic tendencies. This third son who I dreamt would be another chance at “normal” is proving to have challenges of his own...a delay in speech, obsessive/compulsive like behaviors, hitting himself, the need for sensory input by squeezing and pressing his chin on surfaces. It is all faintly familiar and yet for survival purposes we must block some of the memory of those behaviors out. Why else could we bear to go through it again?

As far as the question of having a large family when one child has special needs my response is automatic. Luciano has been a great gift to my oldest son. Our oldest son rides the Special Education Bus to school each day and doesnʼt know he is on the Special Education Bus. He helps the other children on and off the bus...he asks them to quiet down when the bus driver is frazzled and he is genuinely kind and loving to all of thechildren that ride on it. I love that he is growing up not knowing that there is a difference between a typical child and a child with special needs. In addition, I love how our “typical” child pulls Luciano into a social world. If left alone, Luciano would have always preferred to play alone but having a brother and now brothers, has created a world where there is a playdate going on everyday. When our fourth was born this last August, Luciano was the first brother that wanted to hold him and give him a kiss. Even now, his first wish when he gets off the bus each day is to greet and hug his baby brother. What a blessing our big family is to him!

And our marriage? I wonʼt lie to you. It is stressful. When my husband comes home in the middle of the day from work our house is not a house of peace. There are often 2 therapists there...sometimes a third as we now have people working with our third son in the afternoons. Sometimes we long for the peace of just letting the children run wild and not having the structure of therapy that can create arguments and tantrums from our son. We still get that date night though. We still attempt to create a space in our lives for one another and remind ourselves of why we started this family in the first place. We arenʼt perfect..but we are committed to make it work.

If there is anything that I have learned through my Moms In Touch prayer group that I started in the spring of 2010 it is that God doesnʼt give us children for us to mold and make them like us...He wants THEM to change us. I see this time and time again as I pray for God to change my children...and He ends up showing me that I need to change. My daily prayer is for more patience, more peace, more balance...and for my children to ALWAYS teach me more than I teach them.

Dr. Lynn Koegel has made numerous television appearances, notably Supernanny.

Watch Jo Frost team up with autism expert, Dr Lynn Koegel, to tackle parenting issues of a family with a three year old son who is autistic.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Welcome to the Pivotal Response Treatment Blog!

This blog provides information for anyone interested in learning more about Drs. Robert and Lynn Koegel and their highly acclaimed research-based intervention for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. PRT® is a naturalistic intervention model derived from Applied Behavior Analysis or ABA. 

PRT® targets pivotal areas of a child's development, such as motivation, responsivity to multiple cues, self-management, and social initiations.  These skills are pivotal because they are the foundational skills upon which learners with ASD can make widespread and generalized improvements in many other areas.  By targeting these critical areas, PRT® results in widespread, collateral improvements in communication, social, and behavioral domains. 

Specific research based procedures including child choice, task variation, interspersing maintenance and acquisition tasks, rewarding attempts, and the use of direct natural reinforcers, are incorporated to make the intervention extremely powerful and efficient. The goal of PRT® is to move the child with ASD towards a more typical developmental trajectory, through individualized intervention objectives based on the child's needs.

PRT® targets each core area of development, and focuses on increasing motivation for learning in children with ASD. PRT® is implemented in the natural environments of the child  (e.g. home, community, and school) and emphasizes parent education so that family members are agents of intervention, and learning can be embedded across daily routines.

According to the studies that form the evidence base for PRT®, children with Autism Spectrum Disorders aged from 2 to 16 years have benefited from PRT® intervention. Research has shown that the use of motivational techniques inside PRT’s® teaching framework can lead to 85-90% of children with autism, who begin intervention before the age of 5, developing verbal communication as a primary mode of communication. Researchers have also identified specific behavioral characteristics associated with favorable responses to the teaching practices. Precursors related to positive outcomes thus far, include increased use of social initiations, less social avoidance, more toy play, and stereotypic language.

Drs. Robert and Lynn Koegel from the University of California, Santa Barbara are the developers of Pivotal Response Treatment®. Over the past 30 years, the Koegels, their graduate students, and their colleagues have published over 200 research articles in peer-reviewed journals that support the effectiveness of PRT®, and have written over 30 books and manuals. PRT® is listed by the National Research Council as one of the ten model programs for autism, and is one of four scientifically based practices for autism intervention in the U.S. (Simpson, 2005).

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