Pivotal Behaviorย is a type ofย behaviorย that, once acquired, leads to changes in other, untrained behaviors. Learning a pivotalย behaviorย can create broad, positive changes in multiple areas of functioning, reducing the need to teach each individualย behaviorย separately.
Example
Teaching a child with autism how to self-initiate by asking for help is a pivotalย behavior. Once the child learns to ask for help independently, it may result in improvements in other untrained areas, such as problem-solving, social interactions, and reduced frustration during tasks. This single skill can positively affect various aspects of the childโsย behaviorย without direct instruction for each one.