PRT for Literacy (A solution for children with disabilities)

Becoming literate does not just happen; it requires a lot of time and
determination. In addition, through literacy, children develop social skills when they interact with each other. Although children with disabilities lack social skills and are delayed in language development which delays them on becoming literate, there is still hope. Eager to solve language deficiencies and the lack of social interaction found in children with disabilities, Dr. Joel Arick and John Gill, MS developed the STAR Curriculum which helps teachers follow a curriculum that aims to help children with disabilities. Thus, the development in language and social skills is encouraged in Pivotal Response Training (PRT) during the first five years of a child's life. For just twenty minutes a day, the child with disabilities will learn without the worry of the other children being neglected.
In order to encourage language and social interaction, the Pivotal Response Training from the STAR Curriculum is now available for all instructors to use; PRT employs an easy four-step sequence: the cue, student's response, a reward, and a pause. Primarily, a cue is provided by the environment where the child is in. When the student demonstrates an interest in a particular toy such as a red racing car, the teacher should hinder the child with developmental disabilities from the toy and should encourage the student to ask rather than to let him have whatever he wants. The next step after the cue is the response of the student. After the teacher temporarily restricts the student from getting whatever the child likes, the student is then eager to say the word "car" because he wants to play with it. After the student's response, a reward is then given to the child. By giving the red racing car, the student is now familiar with the routine of asking whatever he wants rather than taking it. Thus, the child is encouraged to communicate what he is thinking and feeling. Finally, a pause follows the reward. After the pupil gets the car, he may play with the item until another question is asked by the teacher. If the student does not get a chance to play with the red car, he will likely get furious and will throw a temper tantrum. Thus, the teacher should use his discretion by not asking too many questions and by keeping his promise that the child may play after answering each question correctly. After many exercises, the child will lose interest and initiative that makes giving timed breaks a necessity.
In addition to how PRT is implemented, the grade level from which it is implemented should be during the pre-school years of the child. Caring for children under the age of three is too important to leave to chance because their experiences during the first five years have a powerful influence on how they view the world, how they relate to others, and their ability to succeed as learners. If the care and experiences they have are nurturing, consistent, and loving; children flourish. Pre- schoolers learn about how to relate to other people through daily interactions with their families and other important adults. They learn how to treat others by experiencing how they are treated. Developing a supportive, loving relationship with each infant and toddler is the most important way to promote a positive social development. In addition to social development, language development is one of the major accomplishments that occur during the first five years of a child's life. In this brief time, a child moves from communicating needs nonverbally through facial expressions, gestures, body movements , and crying to communicating through words or sign language. They learn all this simply by being around adults who communicate with them and encourage their efforts to communicate. One should remember that learning to talk takes much practice. By sharing the pleasure in children's communication (rather than correcting their mistakes) and talking with them -even when they do not have words to respond. Teachers help children build on their natural desire to communicate.
Although the level of the child is important, the duration of PRT experienced by the child is vital to his development in language and social skills. One reason is that the attention span of children is shorter than the attention span of adults. They require less time but frequent practice. For example, children tend to be distracted with too much things surrounding them such as giggling children who are having fun while playing and beeping toys with various sounds and flashing lights. Two, children tend to learn by doing or playing. Since the approach is not the typical way of teaching, PRT is not designed to place the students in a restricted manner; otherwise, these children will be bored and will not have the desire to learn.
Most importantly, parents under the Public School System would not want their children to be left behind which is why PRT requires a short, one-on-one time with another teacher. Since the minimum class in Headstart is seventeen, there is a teacher aid helping the teacher. For this reason, the other students are not going to be a less priority than the autistic children for there is someone to look after them. In addition, since PRT requires a maximum of twenty minutes per session, the other children will not be left behind.
In conclusion, literacy or language development and social interaction within autistic children are encouraged through Pivotal Response Training (PRT) during their pre-school years for just twenty minutes (four times a day) while not having parents comment about less attention to non-autistic students.