| At a glance: Princeton Child Development Institute Program (PCDI) |
Type of therapy
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Behavioural
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The claim
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Teaches basic life skills and promotes independence
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Suitable for
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Children with ASD
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Research rating
Find out more about this rating system in our FAQs. |
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Time
Estimate of the total time for family in hours per week and duration. |
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High time commitment of 5.5 hours a day, 5 days a week, 11 months of the year |
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Cost
Estimate of cost to family per session/item or week. |
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The program is not offered in Australia, so there is no information available on costs. |
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This program is not currently available in Australia. It might be offered as part of a service within Australia or in a modified form. Your local autism advisor might be able to help you find out more.
About this intervention
What is it?
The Princeton Child Development Institute Development (PCDI) program is a school-based program based on the principles of Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA). In this program, intensive behavioural interventions and picture schedules help children learn to initiate activities, make choices and be more independent.
Who is it for?
The PCDI program is for children with ASD.
What is it used for?
The PCDI program is used to teach communication and social interaction skills to children with ASD.
Where does it come from?
The program was developed at the Princeton Child Development Institute. The institute was founded in New Jersey in 1970 by Peggy Pulleyn and Pamela Machold, and has been providing intervention programs for children and adults with autism since the mid-1970s.
What is the idea behind it?
The PCDI program is based on ABA and other behavioural intervention principles and approaches. The idea is that intensive, evidence-based intervention can help children with autism learn new skills. In this program, ‘intensive’ means about 30 hours of intervention each week for preschoolers and school-aged children.
What does it involve?
Children are evaluated individually, and each child receives an individualised behaviour program that targets basic skills. Children can attend the day education and treatment program from three years of age. They participate in the program for 5.5 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 11 months of the year.
Between classes, there are changes in activity, classroom and teacher. Picture schedules are used to help with the transitions. Children’s progress is periodically assessed, and specific goals are revised.
Cost consideration
This therapy doesn’t appear to be available in Australia, so we can’t provide information about costs.
Does it work?
This program has not yet been rated.
Who practises this method?
Practitioners are professionals with training in ABA who have completed an internship at the Princeton Child Development Institute.
Parent education, training, support and involvement
Families use behaviour programs from school in their homes. This helps children generalise their skills – that is, take the skills they learn at school and use them in other contexts. A programmer from PCDI usually visits families twice a month to facilitate this process.
Where can I find a practitioner?
This therapy does not appear to be practised in Australia at the moment.
