| Abstract: Recently, early and intensive behavioral intervention for young children at risk for diagnoses has received increased attention (Weiss, 1999). Early intervention services are provided to a variety of children: low-income families (Campbell & Ramey, 1994), developmental disabilities (Ramey & Ramey, 1998), deaf and hard of hearing (Moeller, 2000), and pervasive developmental disorder and autism (Smith, Groen, & Wynn, 2000). Panelists will discuss the importance of intervening as early as possible for at risk children. Some children with missing repertoires may require direct intervention to establish generalized verbal perceptual skills that Luciano et al. (2001) argue are necessary for equivalence to emerge. In early intervention, learner readiness skills can be targeted, which allows the intervention plan to build a foundation to teach more complex social and verbal skills (Higbee, 2009). Children at risk for developmental delays may also require early and intensive treatment to induce joint attention, which is related to the acquisition of language (Tomasello & Farrar, 1986). Joint attention is crucial when establishing critical language prerequisites (Pelez, 2009). It is clear that relational responding has much to contribute to early intervention, and the panelists will discuss this, as well as progressions and limitations in the field. |