Linking Parent-Delivered Pivotal Response Treatment Fidelity to Social-Behavioral Gains in Children

This study examines whether Pivotal Response Training (PRT), an early intervention for autistic toddlers, can be effectively taught to parents and be implemented with high fidelity, and increase toddlers’ social communication. Early social-communication development in autistic toddlers is often characterized by reduced social engagement, highlighting the need for early intervention. Parents of minimally verbal autistic toddlers received ongoing PRT training while participating in parent-child interaction sessions. Parent fidelity and child behaviors were systematically coded and analyzed. After ten hours of training, parents achieved high fidelity, which was correlated with gains in child social interaction, including verbal behavior and engagement. These findings highlight the value of parent-mediated interventions in early frameworks to improve social communication and equip parents with skills to support their children’s development.