Soar Autism Center

For young autistic learners with emerging communication, challenging behavior often serves as a primary, functional mode of communication to express wants and needs and control their environment. When topographies like vocal protests, property destruction, aggression, or self-injury persist across sessions, conducting functional assessment is critical to understanding the learner's escalation cycle, protecting rapport, and maintaining assent.

Drawing from frameworks like the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM, 2nd Edition), this presentation highlights two specialized assessment approaches: the Play-Based Precursor Analysis (PBPA) and the Interview-Informed Synthesized Contingency Analysis (IISCA). The PBPA offers a brief, trial-by-trial assessment designed to identify early precursor behaviors and inform antecedent-based strategies within a single session alongside caregivers. For higher-magnitude target behaviors, including severe aggression and self-injury, the IISCA provides a safe, efficient, and televisable analysis to assess synthesized contingencies while prioritizing safety and the therapeutic relationship. Outcomes from these assessments directly inform compassionate, assent-based interventions, including an ESDM-based approach and Skill-Based Treatment (SBT).

Attendees will learn how to select and implement these two assessment tools, synthesize findings with caregiver input, and integrate the ESDM Curriculum Checklist with SBT. Practical strategies will be provided for writing meaningful, long-term goals and individualized Behavior Intervention Plans that systematically build functionally equivalent replacement behaviors while maximizing safety and learner joy.

BCBAs who watch the entire webinar recording and complete the course assessment and survey will receive 1 General Learning CEU.