Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) represent a class of treatment approaches that blend developmental science with the principles of applied behavior analysis. This course, presented by Kara Ratliff, examines how NDBIs can serve as a vehicle for delivering assent-based and neurodiversity-affirming treatment.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Women in Behavior Analysis
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Join Free →Naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBIs) are treatment approaches that blend practices rooted within child development frameworks with those derived from the science of applied behavior analysis (ABA). Common developmental NDBI strategies include the adult interventionist positioning their body to be face-to-face and within the child's social spotlight, following the child's lead, narrating play, using exaggerated affect, modeling language and play at the child's developmental level, imitating vocalizations and play actions, and balanced turns (Frost et al., 2020). Common ABA-based strategies within NDBIs include the use of antecedent manipulation and environmental arrangement strategies (e.g., communication temptations, preferred items in sight and out of reach, playful obstruction techniques); systematic prompting hierarchies; time delays; and natural reinforcement during direct teaching episodes. NDBIs are considered to be ecologically-valid and effective intervention approaches for children on the autism spectrum; however, they are not widely used in practice by BCBAs (D'Agostino et al., 2022). It has been argued that NDBI frameworks hold promise to bridging the anti-ABA and neurodiversity movements. Neurodiversity is the belief that autism and other neuro-differences are not flaws in the human experience, and each neurodivergent individual deserves a seat at the decision-making table. A key consideration when providing ABA treatments to neurodivergent individuals in early childhood is ensuring the individual's ability to both assent and dissent from treatment at any time using current repertoires that may not, initially, be easily understood by others. This requires individualized and operationally defined indicators of assent and assent withdrawal that can be reinforced and shaped into functional and social communication repertoires. Given additional inherent qualities of NDBIs such as teaching within meaningful and pleasurable routines as well as sensitivity and responsiveness to the child's communicative attempts and indicators of assent and assent withdrawal align with the core principle of the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts to treat others with compassion, dignity, and respect. This panel is comprised of ABA community professionals and self-advocate Autistic individual.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | Ethics |
Kara is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Manager of Clinical Operations for Elevated Kids, bringing naturalistic and neurodiversity-affirming early intervention and autism care to the greater Austin, Texas area. She has over a decade of experience as a BCBA specializing in early intervention and nearly 20 years of experience supporting individuals diagnosed with autism and related developmental disabilities and their families in various capacities. Kara’s graduate and post-graduate school experiences have helped her hone her play-based and child-led approach to connecting with young children and teaching new skills, with her first priority always being to “find the smile.” Kara is a native Texan and has lived in Austin since 2003. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from St. Edward’s University and her master’s degree in Education with a specialization in Special Education and concentration in Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis from Texas State University. Kara is a loving wife and mother of two beautiful and silly daughters. Kara’s passions include music, reading, and developing educational content to help others understand, accept, and appreciate the beauty and difference of autism.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
256 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.