Pivotal Response Intervention I: Overview of Approach

The purpose of this article is to present an overview of several pivotal response interventions. Our research at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has been focused on attempting to identify pivotal areas that, when changed, result in concomitant positive changes in other areas. Pivotal areas that are discussed include responsivity to multiple cues, motivation to initiate and respond appropriately to social and environmental stimuli, and self-regulation of behavior, including self-management and self-initiations. The trend to streamline intervention by targeting behaviors that will have widespread effects on development, rather than targeting individual behaviors one at a time, is discussed.