Can We Improve Outcomes for Adults with Autism by Changing the Behavior of Behavior Analysts. matters because it changes what a BCBA notices when decisions have to hold up in school teams and classroom routines, adult services and community participation.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via ABA Centers
Take This Course →Including ethics, supervision, and topics like this one. New live CEU every Wednesday.
Join Free →For many individuals on the autism spectrum, Graduation from High School (whether at age 18- or 21-years) is also a time of "aging out" of entitlement services guaranteed under IDEA. Unfortunately, research indicates that most graduates with autism will have "a difficult time following high school for almost any outcome you choose - working, continuing school, living independently, socializing and participating in the community, and staying healthy and safe. To complicate matters, many such youth begin their journey into adulthood by "stepping off a services cliff" (Roux, et al, 2015, p. 8). Part of this might be understood as resulting from the limited availability of appropriate services in adulthood. But some of the responsibility can be attributed to the limited or, at times, simply inadequate, transition programming provided by schools. This session will provide a brief overview of some of the challenges to the provision of effective transition programming, discuss the importance of focusing on instruction and intervention outside of the classroom, and provide recommendations moving forward.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1.5 | General |
Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D., is the Executive Director of the EPIC Programs in Paramus, NJ. Dr. Gerhardt has over 40 years of experience utilizing the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis in support of adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders in educational, employment, residential, and community-based settings. He has authored or edited several publications, including “Make it Meaningful: Creating Programs that Matter into Adulthood for Learners with Autism Spectrum and Related Disorders“ (Make it Meaningful Press, 2024) with Dr. Shanna Bahry, “Clinician’s Guide to Sexuality and Autism” (Academic Press, 2024) with Drs. Jessica Cauchi, Mary Jane Weiss, and Justin Leaf and “The Handbook of Quality of Life for Individuals with ASD” (Springer, 2022), on which he is a co-editor. He has presented nationally and internationally on these and related topics. Dr. Gerhardt serves as Co-Chairman of the Scientific Council for the Organization for Autism Research and is on numerous professional advisory boards, including the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. He serves as Affiliate Faculty in the Institute for Applied Behavioral Science at Endicott College. Dr. Gerhardt received his doctorate from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey’s Graduate School of Education.
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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.