The Effectiveness of Pivotal Response Treatment Training for Mothers on the Communication Skills of Children with Non-verbal Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Parents of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) regularly seek the support of professionals when the child is diagnosed with ASD. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of pivotal response treatment (PRT) training for mothers in improving the communication skills of ASD children. Methods: In this double-blind, randomized clinical trial (RCT), 52 mothers of children with ASD were selected and randomly allocated into two groups in 2017 - 2018. The mothers of the intervention group received PRT training, and the children of the intervention and control groups received the applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatment. The children's speech/language/communication and socialization scores were measured by the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) before, 1 week after, and 1 month after the intervention. Results: Before the intervention, the mean score of speech/language/communication and socialization did not significantly differ between the two groups. However, 1 week and 1 month after the intervention, the mean scores of speech/language/communication and socialization were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.5). Conclusions: The results showed that parental training in PRT can provide permanent and effective therapy for children with ASD in the home environment.