A plethora of research in early evidence-based behavior-analytic interventions consistently yield promising outcomes for teaching young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) a variety of social, adaptive, behavioral, and functional skills. Given the promising results of previous basic experimental research with infants, we examine here the application of behavior-analytic interventions specifically designed for infants at risk of ASD. The present chapter first provides an overview of the various early markers, indicators, and behavioral characteristics reliably observed in infants, which are later associated with a diagnosis of ASD in early childhood. We review relevant content areas in the realm of infant social behavioral development from a behavior-analytic perspective, including the development of attachment, fears, precursors to language and social communication, like eye contact, vocalizations, joint attention, and social referencing. In this process, we also emphasize the unique role of the infant's environment as a dynamic variable influencing the development of these various skills and provide general behavioral strategies derived from evidence-based behavior-analytic interventions with typically developing infants. Other nonbehavioral mainstream, eclectic, and emerging evidence-based approaches are offered as well. Lastly, we delineate guidelines and recommend ethical considerations when developing behavioral interventions for infants at risk, while outlining specific codes in the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts. These recommendations include the responsibilities and competency of the practitioner, appropriate assessment procedures, identifying and defining goals, arranging the environment, designing methodology, and developing intervention and treatment specifics. Overall, our chapter illustrates how early behavior-analytic interventions can effectively establish pivotal social behavioral phenomena among infants at risk of ASD within their natural environment.
