The Methodology and Implementation of Soma Rapid Prompting Method
Soma RPM(Rapid Prompting Method) is an academic-based method for improving
academic success for persons with autism and related conditions.
This presentation will be an overview of the methodology and implementation of
the Rapid Prompting Method . Clips of 1:1 student instructional session will
also be shown demonstrating how to begin using RPM
Soma Mukhopadhyay, BS Chemistry with Honors,MS Chemistry, B.Ed
A native of India, Soma is a teacher and mother who developed her trademark Rapid Prompting Method(RPM) to instruct her son Tito who is now a published writer and poet, in spite of his severe autism. Soma and Tito have been featured on 60 Minutes II, PBS,Good Morning America, Scientific American, the New York Times, National Geographic , CNN , HBO documentary " A Mothers Courage" and numerous other media.
Soma has instructed thousands of students (youth to adult) with autism and similar disorders at the HALO Clinic located in Austin, Texas which is a 501 ( c) (3) Non Profit organization established in January 2004. She uses RPM to teach academics and communication by eliciting responses through intensive verbal, auditory, visual and/or tactile prompts. Her prompting is designed to keep students focused and successful. Somaʼs approach presumes competence and comprehension at age level, and it is a
very low-tech method requiring only paper and pencil. Student responses evolve from picking up answers, to pointing, to typing and writing which reveals studentsʼcomprehension, academic skills and eventually conversation .
Cornell University conducted a peer reviewed study of Soma Rapid Prompting Method ,
titled " Harnessing repetitive behaviors to engage attention and learning in a novel therapy for autism: an exploratory analysis" which was published February 2011 in the Frontiers in Psychology Journal.
