Schedule & Sessions

Clinical PRACTICE & REsearch

Characterizing Sex Differences in Autism
Stephen Kanne, PhD

In this presentation, the historical literature and past theories underlying sex differences in autism will be reviewed. Several new findings will then be presented in the areas relevant to the core symptoms of autism, such as social communication and restricted and repetitive behaviors, as well as a deeper look at camouflaging.

Objectives:
1. Attendees will critically review the existing sex differences literature to improve the clinical care of autistic individuals.
2. Attendees will differentiate the phenotypic and clinical presentations of autistic girls and boys in the area of social communication.
3. Attendees will distinguish sex difference in the areas of restricted areas of interest in autistic individuals.

CE Available: APA, ASHA, CME, NASP

EDUCATION & Community

Socialization in Electronic Spaces: From Cyberbullying to Friendship Development
Chad Rose, PhD

Cyberbullying has emerged as an immediate concern for youth, including those with ASD. However, youth are also using virtual spaces to engage in socialization and friendship development. This session will outline warning signs of cyberbullying, the escalation of friendship development in online spaces, and strategies for preventing cyberbullying while teaching youth the skills necessary to engage in socially appropriate behavior online.

Objectives:
1. Attendees will identify how youth are socializing in electronic spaces.
2. Attendees will describe the warning signs of cyberbullying.
3. Attendees will discuss the components of effective digital citizenship programming.

CE Available: APA, ASHA, CME, NASP

Behavior Analysis IN PRACTICE

Addressing Problem Behavior
Sungwoo Kahng, PhD, BCBA-D

Description Coming Soon!

Clinical Practice & ReSEARCH

Understanding and Addressing Feeding Difficulties in the Context of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Alana Telesford, PhD

Though my children display “picky” eating, youth with ASD are more likely to experience chronic feeding problems than non-autistic peers. Given the complexity of feeding disorders, evidence-based evaluation and treatment requires a multidisciplinary team approach. This session will provide an overview of typical and atypical feeding development and review strategies for supporting youth and families coping with chronic feeding problems.

Objectives:
1. Attendees will describe typical and aytpical feeding development in early childhood and the feeding challenges commonly exhibited by youth with ASD.
2. Attendees will identify behavioral and cognitive interventions for feeding challenges in youth with ASD.
3. Attendees will discuss the role of a multidisciplinary team and telehealth services in feeding assessment and treatment.

CE Available: APA, ASHA, BACB, CME, NASP

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY

The Black Aspie and Intersectionality
Anand Prahlad, PhD

Description Coming Soon!

Behavior Analysis in Practice

Trauma Informed ABA
Camille Kolu, PhD, BCBA-D

Description Coming Soon!

Clinical Practice & RESEARCH

Autism and Infancy
John Pruett, MD, PhD

Description Coming Soon!

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY

Current Trends in Social-Emotional and Behavioral Practices
Robin Ellis, PhD, BCBA-D
Mary Rose Sallese, PhD

Wondering how (or if) to integrate recently popular social-emotional practices like mindfulness, calm down corners, fidgets, and flexible seating in your practice? In this session, presenters will (a) review the research and theory for common social-emotional practices, (b) discuss the importance of a comprehensive approach, and (c) offer implementation recommendations based on the research outcomes and the central tenants of applied behavior analysis.

Objectives:
1. Attendees will analyze the research-base for four popular social-emotional strategies.
2. Attendees will explain the theory behind promising social-emotional practices (i.e., mechanism of action, “why it works”), and describe best practices in implementation.
3. Attendees will identify at least two trustworthy sources for resources and research-to-practice translation related to social-emotional practices.

CE Available: APA, ASHA, BACB, CME, NASP

Behavior Analysis in Practice

Economics of Extinction: Adding Nuance to Discussions of the Viability of Extinction as an Intervention
Joseph Lambert, PhD, BCBA-D

Extinction bursts, or temporary increases in rates and intensities of behavior during extinction, often preclude the inclusion of extinction in intervention packages meant to suppress severe challenging behavior. Notwithstanding, extinction is often necessary to effectively address this class of behavior. The purpose of this talk is to present a line of inquiry which was explicitly developed to provide insight into how practitioners might enhance interventions for severe challenging behavior while also mitigating the undesirable collateral effects (i.e., extinction bursts) of therapeutic action (i.e., extinction). Behavioral economics and consumer-demand theory have proven highly useful to the conceptualization of this line and will be spotlighted to establish both the line’s theoretical precedent, as well as its framework for data interpretation.

Objectives:
1. Attendees will articulate at least two challenges to effective intervention presented by the potential occurrence of extinction bursts in applied settings.
2. Attendees will describe how the accurate identification of environmental determinants of extinction bursts might be useful to treatment planning and design.
3. Attendees will identify at least one reason to consider dynamic interactions between child- and caregiver-tendencies when considering the appropriateness of extinction as a treatment option.

CE Available: APA, ASHA, BACB, CME, NASP

CLINICAL PRACTICE & RESEARCH

The Importance of Context: Family and Cultural Considerations in Autism Research and Services Across the Life Course
Kristin Long, PhD

The experiences of autistic individuals and their families are influenced by the contexts in which they live. Yet, contextual considerations are inconsistently applied to autism research and practice. There are opportunities to improve the way we design research and services to be more inclusive across cultural, racial, ethnic, and familial backgrounds. This session will include presentation of research findings and how we have applied findings to services for autistic individuals across the life course, with an emphasis on adolescence and adulthood. This includes (1) a discussion of how cultural values may influence youth and family experiences and goals related to the transition to adulthood, (2) an overview of race- and ethnicity-based differences in post-transition outcomes, and (3) approaches to program development that proactively and explicitly incorporate diverse perspectives across culture, primary language, family factors, and experiences of autism.  

Objectives:
1. Attendees will articulate the rationale for considering cultural and family factors in autism-related research and services.
2. Attendees will identify best practices for increasing cultural responsiveness in autism research and services .
3. Attendees will describe how cultural factors and race/ethnicity-based inequities influence autistic youths’ and families’ experiences of the transition to adulthood.

CE Available: APA, ASHA, BACB-ethics, CME, NASP

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY

Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Mendy Minjarez, PhD, BCBA-D

Rooted in both applied behavior analysis (ABA) and developmental theory, Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBI) are some of today’s most effective, evidence-based interventions for autism spectrum disorder. The focus of this talk will be to expand the skillset of professionals already providing services to individuals with autism spectrum disorder by introducing them to the tenets of NDBI and associated strategies for implementing ABA interventions in a naturalistic and developmentally friendly format. Background information including a review of models and their empirical support, an overview of empirically supported treatment strategies that are recognized across a range of NDBI models, and a review of the core concepts and foundational principles that underlie and guide NDBI will be provided. Strategies for following the child’s lead, using shared control and embedding teaching trials into natural routines, interactions and activities will be discussed.

Objectives:
1. Attendees will articulate both the developmental and behavioral features of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs).
2. Attendees will identify three examples of NDBIs in the literature and identify three common features among them.
3. Attendees will describe how to embed teaching trials within natural routines and interactions, including providing examples across at least 2 skills that include how shared control is used.

CE Available: APA, ASHA, BACB, CME, NASP

Behavior Analysis in Practice

Why Don’t Behavior Analysts Study School Avoidance?
ABA Inside Track

Up to 10% of children engage in problematic absenteeism from school. Despite this prevalence, behavior analysts rarely target this behavior. In this talk, we will review the knowledge base around assessment and treatment of school avoidance as well as how behavior analysts can contribute to solving this socially significant problem.

Objectives:
1. Attendees will understand the prevalence and risk factors for school attendance problems.
2. Attendees will describe the hypothesized functions of school refusal behavior and frequent treatment options.
3. Attendees will reflect/discuss/review limitations to the assessment and treatment processes and ways in which behavior analysts could support future research.

CE Available: APA, ASHA, BACB, CME, NASP

Clinical Practice & RESEARCH

Genomic Psychiatry: Implementing Precision Medicine for Autism and Developmental Disorders
Daniel Moreno de Luca, PhD

Description coming soon!

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY

Disability Culture and Inclusivity in Schools
Elizabeth Harkins, Ed.D.

Special educational programming is rooted in deficit thinking, or thinking that defines a diagnosis by its challenges. For example, professionals often focus on how to treat, fix, or minimize specific features of a student’s disability (Ong-Dean, 2005) to help them better access what is considered ‘typical’ learning. This presentation will explore how this pathological approach can be shifted into a strengths-based model to help autistic students succeed in our classrooms.

Objectives:
1. Attendees will apply a Disability Studies in Education framework to their current pedagogical practices.
2. Attendees will identify and learn to normalize autistic traits.
3. Participants will discuss strength-based research and understand the importance of using it with the autistic community directly.

CE Available: APA, ASHA, CME, NASP

Behavior Analysis in Practice

Preparing Non-behavioral Professionals to Work with Neurodiverse People: Current Research at the University of Houston, Clear Lake
Dorothea Lerman, PhD, BCBA-D

Behavior analysts have a long history of training non-behavioral professionals to implement behavior-analytic procedures. However, the most effective training modalities are often the least efficient, which may prohibit the dissemination of our science to large numbers of professionals. The presenter will discuss research and practice in this area with two types of professionals, law enforcement officers and health care providers. Results suggest that modifications to our evidence-based training procedures can help meet the needs of non-behavioral professionals. The presenter will conclude with implications of the findings and directions for future research.

Objectives:
1. Attendees will describe behavior-analytic procedures recommended for law enforcement officers and medical professionals to engage successfully with individuals with NDD.
2. Attendees will discuss challenges and solutions related to training non-behavioral professionals.
3. Participants will identify potentially more efficient yet effective training approaches.

CE Available: APA, ASHA, BACB, CME, NASP

Clinical Practice & RESEARCH

Addressing Suicide Risk in Autism
Paige Cervantes, PhD, BCBA-D

To address rising youth suicide rates and identify at-risk youth in need of intervention, suicide risk screening and management has been recommended. across pediatric care settings. Unfortunately, despite emerging research demonstrating that individuals on the autism spectrum experience increased rates of suicidality, the unique needs of autistic youth are rarely considered in these recommendations. In this presentation, we will discuss the prevalence of and risk factors for suicidality in autism, common challenges to suicide-related care for autistic children and adolescents, and clinical strategies to support the identification and management of suicide risk in autism, with a specific focus on emergency department care.

Objectives:
1. Attendees will describe the prevalence of and risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and adolescents on the autism spectrum.
2. Attendees will identify common challenges to suicide-related care for autistic children and adolescents across clinical settings and in the emergency department specifically.
3. Attendees will identify clinical strategies that may address challenges and support the identification and management of suicide risk in autism.

CE Available: APA, ASHA, BACB, CME, NASP

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY

ParaImpact: Teacher-as-Coach Model to Support and Train Paraeducators
Rose Mason, PhD, BCBA-D

Individuals with moderate-to-severe disabilities (MSDD) typically require more time and specialized instruction to learn. However, paraeducators who serve these students are typically undertrained. Further, special education teachers report they do not have the skill sets or time to adequately support paraeducators. ParaImpact seeks to address these issues through a teacher-as-coach model. ParaImpact is designed to support the ongoing training of special education teachers to coach paraeducators to increase implementation fidelity of systematic instruction, specifically, setting up the instructional environment, prompting, error correction, and reinforcement. Results of pilot studies supporting initial efficacy will be discussed. We will discuss the procedures for implementation of the professional development package, offer recommendations for potential implementation in classrooms, and paraeducator needs in the classroom setting.

Objectives:
1. Attendees will describe the components of practice-based coaching.
2. Attendees will describe the the components of systematic instruction.
3. Attendees will identify opportunities within the classroom to implement practice-based coaching.

CE Available: APA, ASHA, BACB, CME, NASP

Behavior Analysis in Practice

Parent Implemented Interventions
Geetika Agarwal, PhD, BCBA-D, QBA

Parents and caregivers are indispensable participants in their child’s ABA based therapy and intervention. Their engagement, in addition to several others, is a key factor in the child’s overall progress and success of the therapy. Increasing their participant and involvement should be an important goal for the supervising behavior analyst and the intervention teams. While focusing on their participation, a family’s unique strengths, culturally specific practices and belief can have a significant influence. This session will discuss specific recommendations for make the parent training culturally sensitive.

Objectives:
1. Attendees will describe various levels of parent’s engagement in therapy.
2. Attendees will describe the significance of incorporating culturally sensitive practice while still maintaining the rigor of a parent training.
3. Attendees will list and describe at least 3 examples in which they can develop a culturally sensitive parent training.

CE Available: APA, ASHA, BACB, CME, NASP