Autism Clinic


I’ve tried so many things and nothing works!

After getting an ASD diagnosis, many well-intentioned parents take the approach of trying “a little bit of everything” in order to help their child. This can include standard treatment options like behavioral therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy in addition to autism-specific treatments and therapies. Treatments and therapies specifically designed for children with ASD can include scientifically supported treatments like applied behavior analysis (ABA), or complementary and alternative approaches, such as medication, special diets, equine therapy, music therapy, and even highly controversial and scientifically unsupported treatments. While some of these treatments and therapies have emerging evidence, others have been tested scientifically and shown to be ineffective and even potentially harmful.

When too many treatment options are pursued simultaneously, both the child and the parents may be confused about the different methods and expectations involved, and a particular treatment’s effectiveness (if any) may be diluted. Parents who take this approach often end up feeling overwhelmed, and may exhaust their resources, including time, money, emotional, and even physical energy by pursuing every possible treatment option. Perhaps the most significant impact of trying everything at once, as well as scientifically unsupported treatments, is the loss of valuable time during your child’s early development while his/her brain has the best capacity for learning.

PRT® is an appealing option for motivated parents who want to use a child-friendly and scientifically supported treatment method for improving communication, social skills, fostering independence, and reducing challenging behaviors. Our licensed psychologists are certified in PRT®, and provide a cost-effective and efficient approach to intensive early intervention by providing parents with expert training and coaching to provide most of their child’s intervention themselves. Our doctoral level clinical psychologists will work together with you and your child, providing hands-on demonstration, feedback, and support in utilizing PRT® strategies during play, natural routines (e.g. mealtime, bathtime, etc.), and community outings. Over 200 scientific studies published in peer-reviewed research journals support the effectiveness of PRT®, making it one of four scientifically-based practices for the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the U.S. Specifically, research on PRT® shows that:

  • 95% of children receiving PRT® before age 3 learn to communicate with spoken language,
  • 75% of children receiving PRT® before age 5 learn to communicate with spoken language,
  • Collateral improvements in untargeted skills occur when focusing on pivotal behaviors,
  • Progress generalizes readily to other people and settings, and
  • Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) indicates improvements in neural networks involved in social functioning following treatment with PRT®.

Contact us today to schedule a confidential phone consultation to find out how PRT® can help your child.


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