Individuals with developmental disabilities face disproportionate risks related to health and safety emergencies, yet systematic preparation for these situations remains one of the most underdeveloped areas of behavioral programming. The intersection of vulnerability, communication challenges, and limited independence creates conditions where emergencies, from medical crises to natural disasters to community safety situations, can have severe and sometimes fatal consequences for individuals who lack the skills and supports needed to respond effectively.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Women in Behavior Analysis
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Join Free →Individuals with developmental disabilities are at an elevated risk for injury, health and safety, and even death when confronted with emergencies. According to the 2021 National Autism Indicators Report: Family Perspective on Services and Supports (Roux et al., 2021) families reported inadequate planning for health and emergencies. Resilient leadership emphasizes adaptability, empathy, and decisive action to steer an organization through recovery from a health and safety crisis and to plan for the future. The following panel will describe how health and safety are being navigated and prioritized based on past critical safety scenarios encountered and share data from their recent study teaching fire safety skills. This panel will provide attendees with ways that ABA leaders can empower independence is by prioritizing health and safety in their assessment and ongoing treatment procedures.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | Ethics |
| COA | 1 | — |
Kelly has been a certified BCBA since 2003 and has over 30 years’ experience working with children and adults with developmental disabilities. She has published 2 books on the topic of social skills and early intervention. Her most recent book, The Group Experience can be found on Amazon or at Different Roads to Learning. She has completed research and done training in the areas of oral health care and safety for those with autism and other developmental disabilities. She is co-founder of the September 26th project, a website designed to help ABA provider work with families to ensure they are prepared in the event of a fire or natural disaster. Kelly is a founder of New Vista School, a Middle School and High School in California for children, and Spirit League, a sports league for children and adults on the autism spectrum. Kelly was previously an adjunct professor at Chapma University. Kelly currently works at Easterseals, Southern California as Director of Center-based ABA.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
280 research articles with practitioner takeaways
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
236 research articles with practitioner takeaways
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.