Examining Behavioral Interventions for Infancy and Early Toddlerhood: A Systematic Review of Intervention Effects, Parameters, and Participants.
Behavioral work is moving into the crib years—watch for chances to begin communication shaping before age two.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team hunted for every paper that tested a behavioral fix with babies under two.
They found 69 studies covering 1,735 infants and toddlers.
Most aimed to spark first words or early gestures.
What they found
Behavioral tricks are already being used on the youngest kids.
Communication targets topped the list, but the review gives no pooled score card.
How this fits with other research
Whiteside et al. (2022) zoomed in on parent-training for autism-likely babies. They show moms and dads learn the moves, yet kid gains only show up when parents actually do them.
Erturk et al. (2018) looked at self-injury in the same age band. They saw most toddlers cut SIB after a behavioral plan. The new review folds those SIB studies into the bigger baby-intervention map.
Granieri et al. (2020) asked if play lessons work for tiny tots. They found positive signs but weak study quality. Byiers et al. (2025) now updates the field by adding fresher trials and still flags the same rigor gap.
Why it matters
You can start ABA before the second birthday. Coach parents, track babble, and watch for SIB or play delays. The science is young, so keep data tight and adjust fast.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Rapid advancement is paving the way to identify children who would likely benefit from early intervention during the first years of life, prior to the onset of significant delays in development. With the widely acknowledged benefits of early intervention, key questions arise: Does behavioral intervention targeted to infancy and early toddlerhood improve developmental outcomes? What procedures might be used, and under what circumstances? Who do these interventions work for? The current review comprehensively examined the literature on behavioral interventions based in operant learning, focused on key developmental areas with children in the first two years of life. We located and synthesized 69 studies with unique participant cohorts that included 1735 children. The search revealed many studies focused on the first year of life, of which a large proportion investigated approaches to increase communication. We provide implications, limitations, and future directions on how behavioral interventions for infants and young toddlers can inform current practice and future intervention research this population.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2025 · doi:10.1017/S0305000909990328