Essential Learning
People sometimes struggle to understand the differences between Behavioural Cusps and Pivotal Behaviours. These videos provide clear explanations and examples.
Video 1: PsychCore – Understanding the differences between Cusps and Pivotal Behaviours.
Video 2: Hacking ABA – Overview of Behavioural Cusps.
Optional Resources
If you’re still finding it difficult to distinguish between pivotal behaviours and behavioural cusps, this additional video may help:
Video 3: Pass the Big ABA Exam – Differences and similarities between pivotal behaviours and behavioural cusps.
Pivotal Response Training (PRT): PRT is an approach sometimes used by behaviour analysts to promote adaptive behaviours and improve quality of life by targeting pivotal behaviours that have a wide-reaching effect on development and functioning. PRT should be implemented by qualified professionals who can adapt interventions to individual needs.
The video below shows three short clips of a young autistic child named Peter: one early in the intervention process, one during a later PRT session at the University of California–Santa Barbara, and one at age 6.
Conversation Exercise
Use FRED, our AI-powered chatbot, to discuss how you would identify a behaviour as a cusp or pivotal behaviour, and to explore when you might use PRT in practice.
Click the conversation icon in the bottom right of your screen, or open the chat interface directly.
If you have not already, read our guide on getting the most from your conversations with FRED.
Reflection Exercise
Before you start, have you read our article on completing reflection exercises?
Write a reflection using the prompts below. Your response should be:
- Between 100 to 500 words (approximately 5–7 sentences minimum)
- Written in any language you prefer
- Focused on deep engagement, not grammar or spelling
Reflection Prompts (choose one or more):
- Summarise Key Concepts: How would you describe the difference between a behavioural cusp and a pivotal behaviour?
- Define in Your Own Words: How would you explain one example of a cusp or pivotal behaviour to a colleague?
- Importance and Relationships: Why are these concepts important, and how do they relate to other ABA principles?
- Practical Application: How could identifying a cusp or pivotal behaviour change your intervention planning?
- Application to Your Practice: Provide an example of a potential cusp or pivotal behaviour in your work and how you would address it.
- Interesting Insights: Did anything in the videos challenge or confirm your understanding?
Example Reflection:
Before these videos, I thought a behavioural cusp and pivotal behaviour were essentially the same. Now I see that a cusp opens access to new environments and learning opportunities, whereas a pivotal behaviour influences many other behaviours indirectly. The PRT example showed me how targeting just a few pivotal behaviours can create broad improvements…
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