Binyamin Birkan, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Parents of children with autism often find themselves in vulnerable situations when structured teaching environments and professional support systems are not immediately available. In everyday home and community settings, parents may be required to manage challenging situations independently, underscoring the importance of effective parental support, mentoring, and education. This presentation emphasizes the critical role of structured home programming in empowering families and promoting positive outcomes for children with autism. The presentation introduces a home programming model originally developed by Drs. Patricia J. Krantz and Lynn E. McClannahan at the Princeton Child Development Institute and subsequently disseminated across multiple service settings. The model is designed to support parents in implementing evidence-based teaching strategies under a wide range of conditions and contexts. Central to this approach is the use of photographic and written activity schedules as the foundational framework for home programs, allowing for consistency, independence, and generalization of skills beyond clinical environments. Rationales for delivering intervention services within the home are discussed, with particular attention to promoting skill generalization, enhancing parental competence, and preparing families for situations in which external supports are limited or unavailable. The presentation highlights how systematic parent mentoring and structured home programming can extend the impact of autism intervention, strengthen family capacity, and support meaningful skill use across daily routines and community settings. 

Kristin C. Figuerora, M.A., BCBA 
Eric Rozenblat, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA
Delivering effective ABA services for autistic adolescents and adults requires programming priorities that extend beyond reducing challenging behavior to include meaningful, quality-of-life outcomes. This presentation reviews comprehensive yet practical considerations designed to increase happiness, independence, and community participation as adolescents transition into adulthood across home, school, work, and community settings. Emphasis is placed on selecting socially valid goals that support long-term success, including vocational skill development aligned with individual strengths and interests, workplace-relevant social and communication skills, functional daily living skills, and self-advocacy. Additional focus is given to expanding leisure repertoires to promote enrichment, reduce isolation, increase access to naturally reinforcing activities, and strengthen meaningful relationships with friends and family. Programming strategies for continued language development will also be reviewed. A central theme is designing instruction so skills can be performed successfully without 1:1 support, with systematic planning for independence, generalization, and maintenance across natural environments. Each content area will be supported with clinical examples of instruction supported by videos and data demonstrating skill acquisition of meaningful outcomes. 

Mehmet MIDIK 
Inclusion remains one of the most widely debated issues in the education of children with autism. Inclusion refers to the placement of children with developmental disabilities in general education classrooms with appropriate support, allowing them to share learning experiences with typically developing peers. While inclusion is a desirable goal, research suggests that outcomes may vary depending on the child’s level of developmental need. Studies of preschool inclusion programs indicate that children with more significant developmental disabilities often make greater progress in specialized settings, whereas those with milder disabilities may benefit more from inclusive classrooms. These findings continue to inform discussions regarding optimal placement decisions. Although participation in general education is an important objective, the literature emphasizes that children must meet specific readiness criteria to benefit meaningfully from inclusive environments. Carefully individualized and systematically designed instructional programs have been shown to facilitate successful transitions to general education settings. This presentation will discuss data-based transition criteria for effective inclusion and describe a structured special education program designed to prepare children with autism for general education classrooms. Particular emphasis will be placed on how individualized supports are systematically faded over time to promote independence, ensure skill generalization, and support long-term success within inclusive educational environments. 

Christine M. Fry, M.Ed. 
Amanda S. Freeman, Ph.D., BCBA 
The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the use of an applied behavior analytic approach and evidence-based practices in community-based group homes for adults with autism to increase residents’ independence, dignity, and quality of life.  While ABA is well-established in educational settings, its application in adult residential settings is less common.  The use of activity schedules as an evidence-based practice increases independence and engagement and reduces the reliance on prompts from staff.  The integration of activity schedules into naturally occurring residential routines to improve task completion and increase independence will be explored.  Individualized adaptations include visual, written, and technology-based activity schedules will be highlighted.  Emphasis is placed on socially valid outcomes such as increased choice-making, engagement in meaningful activities, and reductions in restrictive practices.  This presentation will include a discussion of common challenges, including staff training and fidelity, generalization across settings, prompt fading, and sustainable data collection systems.  Ethical considerations relevant to adult services – particularly balancing autonomy with health and safety needs and aligning interventions with person-centered planning – are integrated throughout. 

Joyce MacDuff
Amanda Freeman, Ph.D. 
Early intensive behavioral intervention has long been associated with improved developmental and educational outcomes for young children with autism. This presentation provides an overview of the Early Intervention (EI) program at the Princeton Child Development Institute (PCDI), a model that integrates high-quality clinical instruction with intensive parent collaboration. The program is designed as a half-day educational service, allowing young children to maintain developmentally appropriate routines such as mid-day naps while participating in structured instruction that emphasizes readiness skills and attending skills, communication, social interaction, play, and early learning skills.

A central feature of the program is the strong partnership with families. In addition to direct services provided at the Institute, parents receive individualized training to implement instructional strategies and learning opportunities within the home environment during the second half of the day. This coordinated approach extends intervention across settings and maximizes the child’s opportunities for learning throughout daily routines.

The presentation will describe key program components, including curriculum design, transition services, and parent collaboration systems. Case examples will illustrate how this collaborative model supports skill acquisition and generalization. Outcomes will also be discussed, highlighting the role of early intervention in supporting successful transitions to less restrictive educational environments.

Susan Vener, Ph.D.
Alison Gillis, Ph.D.
A core symptom of autism spectrum disorder is a deficit in social communication and interaction skills. The script-fading procedure is an effective behavior-analytic strategy that can be used to teach people with autism to interact with others. This presentation will demonstrate the effectiveness of the script-fading procedure in teaching peer interactions at RISE NY. Moreover, we will address the various ways in which scripts can be presented, the script-fading process, and strategies to promote independent, generative language.

Kevin J. Brothers, Ph.D., BCBA-D 
Autism intervention programs have a number of responsibilities; however, the most important responsibility is to provide effective intervention to the individuals served to produce meaningful outcomes for them and their families.  Programs that operate from the science of behavior analysis and consistently implement systems that ensure the organization operates successfully at every level, are far more effective in producing positive outcomes.  The efficacy and strength of the systems oulined by McClannahan and Krantz (1993) are evaluated continuously at ASAI member agencies.  This paper will focus on system variables that promote perpetual student skill acquisition, staff development, parent mentorship and successful organizational management. 

dr Anna Lubomirska, IWRD 
dr Marta Wójcik, IWRD 
dr Marta Wójcik, dr Anna Lubomirska, Instytut Wspomagania Rozwoju Dziecka (IWRD), Alliance for Scientific Autism Intervention (ASAI)
Dorobek naukowy IWRD i jego zastosowanie w praktyce
Skuteczne wspieranie dzieci ze spektrum autyzmu (ASD) wymaga łączenia wiedzy naukowej z rozwiązaniami możliwymi do zastosowania w codziennej praktyce terapeutycznej i edukacyjnej. Szczególne znaczenie mają praktyki oparte na dowodach naukowych (evidence-based practices), których dobór powinien uwzględniać indywidualne potrzeby, możliwości i cele rozwojowe dziecka. Istotnym wyzwaniem pozostaje jednak przełożenie wyników badań na konkretne decyzje dotyczące planowania terapii, organizacji procesu uczenia oraz monitorowania postępów.
Celem wystąpienia jest przedstawienie wybranych projektów badawczych realizowanych w Instytucie Wspomagania Rozwoju Dziecka (IWRD) oraz pokazanie, w jaki sposób wyniki badań nad skutecznością oddziaływań terapeutycznych i edukacyjnych są wykorzystywane w praktyce pracy z dziećmi z ASD.
W wystąpieniu zostaną omówione wybrane podejścia badawcze i praktyki stosowane w IWRD w obszarze rozwijania kompetencji komunikacyjnych, społecznych i poznawczych oraz wspierania procesu uczenia się. Omówione zostaną również sposoby planowania oddziaływań, doboru metod nauczania oraz monitorowania skuteczności podejmowanych działań. Szczególny nacisk zostanie położony na znaczenie systematycznego zbierania danych i wykorzystywania ich do modyfikowania procesu terapeutycznego. Zostanie także zaprezentowany proces włączania dzieci z ASD do rówieśników neurotypowych.

Uczestnicy wystąpienia dowiedzą się:

1. Jak identyfikować i dobierać praktyki oparte na dowodach naukowych odpowiednie do celów i potrzeb dziecka z ASD.
2. Jak przekładać wyniki badań naukowych na planowanie terapii i procesu edukacyjnego, w tym proces włączania do grupy rówieśników neurotypowych, z uwzględnieniem indywidualnych różnic między dziećmi.
3. Jak wykorzystywać systematyczny pomiar i analizę danych do monitorowania postępów oraz podejmowania decyzji terapeutycznych.
4. Jak indywidualizować proces uczenia, aby zwiększać jego skuteczność i funkcjonalność w codziennym życiu dziecka.
5. Jak łączyć perspektywę naukową i praktyczną, aby wyniki badań mogły realnie wspierać terapeutów, nauczycieli i rodziny w organizowaniu skutecznego wsparcia dzieci z ASD.