Pivotal Response Treatment and Autism Ranking:

There are a number of limitations to all of the research studies published to date. For example

The vast majority of the studies had 3 or fewer participants and used a single-case design, such as a multiple baseline or alternating treatments design.
The one study (Baker-Ericzen, Stahmer and Burns, 2007) which had more than 100 participants was a retrospective case series, lacking any kind of experimental control.
Some of the controlled studies (such as Stahmerand Schreibman, 2006) were non-randomised and/or non-blinded.
Some of the studies (such as those involving staff from the Koegel Institute) were undertaken by researchers who were not independent of the intervention being studied. Those researchers may therefore have been biased towards the intervention, however unconsciously.

For a comprehensive list of potential flaws in research studies, please see ‘Why some autism research studies are flawed’

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