Pivotal Response Treatments for Autism: Communication, Social, and Academic Development

Lynn Kern Koegel, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is Clinic Director at the Autism Research Center of the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She 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. Dr. Lynn Kern Koegel is co-author and co-editor of major textbooks on autism and positive behavioral support and is co-author of the bestselling book Overcoming Autism: Finding the Answers, Strategies, and Hope That Can Transform a Child's Life (Penguin, 2004). In addition to her published books and articles in the area of communication and language development, she has developed and published prodcedures and field manuals in the area of self-management and functional analysis that are used in school districts throughout the United States and have been translated in most major languages used throughout the world. Dr. Lynn Kern Koegel is actively involved in providing support and intervention services in school districts, both locally in California and throughout the United States. She has also been featured in news reports on television stations throughout the United States and acted as a consultant for the internationally broadcast ABC television series Supernanny. Robert L. Koegel, Ph.D., is Director of the Autism Research Center, Professor of Educational Psychology and Counseling/Clinical/School Psychology, and Professor of Special Education, Disability, and Risk Studies at the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Robert L. Koegel is internationally known for his work in the area of autism, specializing in language intervention, family support, and school inclusion. He has published well over 150 articles and papers relating to the treatment of autism. He also has authored five books on the treatment of autism and on 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 and the United States, as well as other countries. Daniel Openden, Ph.D., BCBA, Vice President/Clinical Services Director, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC), 300 North 18th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85006. Dr. Openden is Faculty Associate in the Division of Curriculum & Instruction at Mary Lou Fulton College of Education at Arizona State University. He has worked extensively with families with children with autism spectrum disorders on both federal- and state-funded research projects; provided consulting and training for school districts across the country; presented research at regional, state, and national conventions; and been published in peerreviewed journals and book chapters in the field. Dr. Openden has expertise in developing training programs for teaching parents and professionals to implement Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) and is currently an associate editor for the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions.