Proven And Effective PRT Speech Therapy In Autism Using PlayDoh

PRT Speech Therapy for Autism: Fun and Easy Activities With PlayDoh

Hi there, and welcome to my little corner of the internet! If you are a parent, caregiver, or someone who loves a child with autism, this post is just perfect for you.

I want to share my experience with using Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT speech therapy) and how something as simple as PlayDoh became a powerful tool for helping my child improve their communication.

Trust me, it is a lot easier (and way more fun) than it sounds, and it can make a world of difference for your little one.

Autism, Communication, and the Challenges of Everyday Life

Parenting a child with autism comes with its own set of joys and challenges.

One of the biggest struggles for my child and many others like them – has been communication.

My autistic child often struggles with:

• Expressing their thoughts or needs.
• Understanding social cues like gestures or facial expressions.
• Using eye contact during conversations.
• Managing frustration when they feel misunderstood.

Before we started therapy, my child would use pointing, sounds, or gestures to get what they wanted.

They were not sure how to ask for things with words, which often led to tantrums and meltdowns.

It broke my heart to see them upset simply because they could not find their words or ways to put their words out.

This is where PRT speech therapy comes in.

Autistic children and Autistic young adults have difficulty navigating through life.

Autistic children tend to see things as Black and White/Simple and Difficult. My child certainly does and I did as an autistic child when I was little.

Conversation and everything involving what a conversation includes is a very complicated matter.

• Hand Gestures
• Facial Impressions
• Eye Contact
• Reading between the lines
• Tone of voice

Autistic people like my child and myself tend to see things at face value.

What you say, we think you mean.

And,

What you tell us, we believe.

What is PRT Speech Therapy

I will give a brief description on what PRT speech therapy is, however I have a full post on this as a complete topic on its own and also how you can incorporate PRT speech therapy into any play you do with your child at home.

You can read that post here, ‘Pivotal Response Treatment at Home’

PRT speech therapy (Pivotal Response Treatment) is a type of therapy specifically designed for kids with autism.

It helps them learn through everyday activities, making the process feel natural and fun.

Here is how it works:

1. Focus on motivation: Instead of forcing a child to follow a rigid program, PRT speech therapy uses things they already enjoy (like PlayDoh) to encourage learning.
2. Teach communication: It prompts kids to use words instead of gestures or sounds to express what they want.
3. Build confidence: Every time your child communicates effectively, they get an immediate reward, which reinforces the behavior.
4. Create better habits: Over time, they naturally start using words to express themselves in all kinds of situations.

PRT speech therapy has been a game changer for us. It has helped my child not only improve their speech but also feel more confident in social settings.

The goal is to try to get your Autistic child to speak to you whenever they want or need something and it teaches their brain to use words, instead of actions, pointing or making sounds.

Getting your Autistic child to use words is very useful and can be a big factor in helping them keep safe.

Especially when they are in school or outside with other adults who do not understand their body language as well as you, or their parent/caregiver does.

How Pivotal Response Treatment is linked to Autism

I recommend you read this book on PRT speech therapy, “Pivotal Response Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorders” for much more information on this topic.

This book goes into full detail on how PRT speech therapy can help Autistic people, and Autistic children in particular.

If you are looking for a deeper understanding of the science and practical tools of PRT speech therapy to help children with autism, this book is a must read.

When you work on your communication/speaking skills, naturally your social skills improve.

And when you seriously lack social skills, it is very much needed to work on your communication skills.

Autistic children are also known for their tantrums.

However, how nice would it be if our beautiful Atypical children could actually tell us how they feel.

Then we would know and we can discuss it with them.

It would lead to a lot less temper tantrums and fits from our Autistic children because they would not be so frustrated with being misunderstood.

Expressing what you want and being able to do that effectively, makes a person less angry and much more calmer.

Also, eventually the goal is to create a chatterbox.

And to have them be able to speak to other children and adults around them also. Not just with you.

Also, this way; if something happens they will be able to clearly tell you about it and you can then in turn help them and ensure their safety.

Why did I choose PlayDoh?

Let us talk about PlayDoh. This squishy, colorful stuff has been around forever, and for a good reason – it is amazing!

Kids love it because it is fun, creative, and sensory friendly.

Parents love it because it keeps little hands busy (hello, quiet time!).

For kids with autism, PlayDoh is even more special because it provides:

• Sensory stimulation: The soft, moldable texture is soothing.
• Fine motor practice: Rolling, squishing, and cutting help develop hand strength and coordination.
• Opportunities for learning: You can teach colors, shapes, and even how to mix new colors by combining two pieces of PlayDoh.

Plus, you can make your own PlayDoh at home, which is a fun activity all on its own!

My two children, one of whom is Autistic and one of whom is not, both absolutely love to play with PlayDoh.

There are excellent PlayDoh recipes and I actually prefer the homemade ones because as much as PlayDoh is fun to play with, some have a smell.

I DO NOT like this smell and as a result I cannot touch any PlayDoh with that certain type of plastic smell.

Even as a kid I had severe issues with smell on my hands.

And I have serious issue with some kinds of plastics.

As I mentioned above, I am also autistic and I also have sensory issues.

Anyway.

The homemade ones are fun to make and make for an excellent sensory activity.

You get to chose which colours to make and also the intensity of the colours.

A fun fact to know is that you can mix the PlayDoh together.

SO if you have Yellow and Blue PlayDoh, you can knead them together to make Green PlayDoh.

It really also makes for a very fun educational lesson about which colours to mix in order to achieve what colour.

Ask your child or children to mix two PlayDoh colours to see and experiment what colour they can get out of it.

Normally, we choose a day when the kids are off school because this can easily fill up an entire day for us.

Truly.

How We Use PlayDoh for PRT Speech Therapy

Here is a step-by-step guide to how I use PlayDoh during PRT speech therapy sessions with my child.

1. Making PlayDoh Together

We start by making PlayDoh from scratch.

Here is why this is a great activity:

• It involves steps like measuring and mixing, which naturally create opportunities for communication.
• Your child learns to ask for things, like a spoon or a bowl, instead of grabbing them.

Getting the ingredients ready and having them measured out.

Ask your child if they want to help mix it.

Most likely they will say yes.

Depending on your child, and the level of speech of your child, you should tell them what you expect them to ask you.

If your child is anything like mine, you might have to spoon-feed them what to say.

I tell my child to say, “Can I help mix Please?”

Or just, “Mix Please”.

It really depends on your child’s vocabulary and already established speaking skills.

Once they repeat the sentence you are asking from them repeat the sentence again yourself.

Do not ask your child to repeat themselves again unless you know they are half-arsing it.

You know what your child is capable off, so do not allow them to get away with the bare minimum.

Make them give you what they are capable off.

But you must repeat it.

So for example the conversation would go like this:

Darling, ask Parent, “Can I Help Mix Please?”

Child: “Can I help Mix Please?”

Parent: “Can I help Mix Please!” “Wooooow, excellent job asking me”

And then immediately reward them with allowing them to mix.

Alternatively 

Darling, ask me, “Can you help add ingredient?”

Child: “Can you help add ingredient?”

Parent: “Can you help add ingredient”, “Woow, good job sweetheart, that was very good speaking”

2. Choosing Colors and Tools

Do not give your children the different colours of PlayDoh.

Once the PlayDoh is ready, I hold up two colors and ask, “Which one do you want?” If my child says, “Blue,” I will respond, “Blue! Great choice!” and give it to them right away.

If they do not say the color, I gently prompt them: “Say, ‘I want blue.’” With time, they get better and faster at asking.

Do this EVERY SINGLE TIME they want a new colour.

The point is to get them to speak so much that they naturally will speak all the time.

And having them asking questions will teach them that staying silent will get you no where.

Asking for something you want, is the way to get what you want.

Because no one can give you anything that you have not made clear you want.

Then you might get something else.

Basically, asking for what you want gets you ahead of those that stay silent.

Using the PlayDoh Asking method.

Hold up the object next to your head.

The same goes for tools like rolling pins, cookie cutters, or scissors.

Each item is an opportunity for them to practice asking questions or making requests.

3. Making Shapes and Characters

During PlayDoh time, I like to ask my child what shapes or characters they would like to make.

For example:

• “Do you want a snake or a snail?”
• “Let’s make a pizza! What toppings should we add?”

This keeps the activity engaging while encouraging them to use their imagination and practice new words.

4. Practicing Eye Contact

Now.

We know that people with Autism struggle with eye contact.

It is very confrontational and feels direct and somewhat threatening to some degree.

So we tend to avoid eye contact as much as possible. Especially as children.

We are very non confrontational and we absolutely do not like aggression.

However.

Eye contact is extremely important in everyday life and in everyday conversation.

It is something that comes natural to typical people but not to us.

Autistic people need to be taught to remember to hold eye contact with every person that we interact with.

Linking eye contact in with PRT Speech Therapy.

Every time you tell your child to ask for something from you, make sure to hold the object by/next to your head.

This will divert the eyes of your child next your head. If not complete eye contact at this stage just yet. Having your child looking next to your head or eyes is good enough.

Do not say anything about it to your child. Let the process happen naturally.

Even if your child does not look at the object but still asks for it, reward them. Immediately.

Pivotal Response Treatment Therapy is really all about baby steps.

It really is a natural and unforced therapy that feels like natural learning to a child.

Eventually with enough PRT speech therapy sessions, your child will shift their eyes from next to your head, to your head, to your eyes.

Even if the eye contact is very brief it is still an amazing achievement!

Over time, they start making brief eye contact without even realizing it.

Trust me!

5. The Importance of Immediate Rewards

As soon as your child asks for something and asks for it properly be sure to give it to them.

The reward to their speaking needs to be immediate!

Otherwise, eventually they will lose their motivation to speak and ask for things that they want or need and this is not good.

Be sure to give lots of verbal praise and make sure to let them know that they are doing a good job.

Even if their sentences are basic you need to make sure that you acknowledge their efforts and reward them for it.

If you child tries to half ass the sentences, it is important to NOT GIVE IN, until you know that they are speaking to you to the best of their ability.

Also, if you wish to do more Pivotal Response Treatment Therapy with your child, I have another post where I explain how you can do with using a ball.

You can read that post here, ‘PRT Speech Therapy at home using ball.

Eventually you need only hold up the object and your child will immediately ask for it without being prompted verbally. And the stage after that is asking for it when the object is not even in their sight.

That is what we are working towards eventually.

Our Journey With PRT Speech Therapy

We have been using PRT speech therapy with PlayDoh for nearly two years now, and the results have been incredible.

When we started, my child could only say “Mama” and “Papa.” Now, they are using full sentences and can hold simple conversations. It has been a slow but rewarding journey, and I am so proud of how far they have come.

Of course, it is not just about PRT speech therapy. It is also about building connections, reducing frustration, and helping your child feel understood.

That is the real magic of PRT speech therapy.

You can read about that post here and how you can also do PRT Speech Therapy with your child at home too, ‘6 PRT Speech Therapy Techniques for children with Autism and also, ‘Helping speech development by play.

Final Thoughts

If you are thinking about trying PRT speech therapy at home, I encourage you to give it a go.

All you need is a little patience, a lot of encouragement, and some PlayDoh!

Remember, every small step is a big victory. Celebrate the progress, no matter how small, and enjoy these moments with your child.

If you have questions or want to share your own experience with PRT speech therapy, I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Let us support each other on this journey!