These trainings are designed to prepare providers to delivery high quality, evidence-based interventions to support children, adolescents, and adults with autism spectrum disorder. Some trainings stand alone in that they do not require prior completion of other modules; others have pre-requisites. The first two modules, “Understanding the Nature of Autism Spectrum Disorder” and “Evidence-Based Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder”, should be completed before other modules are taken.

Our training modules have been developed by doctoral-level behavior analysts with expertise in assessment and treatment of core and associated features of autism spectrum disorder.

Trainings are designed to be delivered via remote learning to large or small groups. Many modules include consultation and supervision which will prepare the learner to implement the skills taught in the module with fidelity.

We also can provide tailored trainings as well as on-site trainings at May Institute upon request.

For more information about scheduling a training, please contact: lsolotar@mayinstitute.org

TRAINING TOPICS (click to drop to each section)

Understanding the Nature of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Evidence-Based Interventions and Applied Behavior Analysis
Team Meetings: Working Effectively with Parents and Caregivers
Assessing Skills and Developing an Intervention Plan
The Importance of Play
Building a Foundation for Intervention: Rapport Building and Play
Social Communication and Interaction: Teaching Foundational Skills
Social Communication and Interaction: Building Communication Skills
Understanding Challenging Behavior
Severe Challenging Behavior
Stereotypical and Repetitive Behavior
Mealtime Concerns
Teaching Independence in Bathroom Routines
Increasing Daily Living Skills and Adaptive Behavior
 

Understanding the Nature of Autism Spectrum Disorder
2-hour training
This training will cover: 

• Core and associated features of autism spectrum disorder
• Behavioral excesses and deficits associated with core and associated features
• Overview of research on etiology of autism spectrum disorder
• Prevalence of autism and discussion of why we are seeing an increase in cases

Evidence-Based Interventions and Applied Behavior Analysis
2-hour training
This training will cover: 

• Importance of using evidence-based interventions
• Interventions without evidence—examples
• Review of evidence-based interventions

Team Meetings: Working Effectively with Parents and Caregivers
1/2-day training
This training will cover: 

• Building rapport with parents using ABA
• Identifying parent goals for intervention
• Reaching agreement
• Scheduling meetings and providing feedback 

Assessing Skills and Developing an Intervention Plan
1-day training + case consultation and supervision (minimum 2 hours)
This training will cover:     

• Assessing child skill deficits and excesses
• Identifying functional goals
• Incorporating family goals and preferences
• Linking assessment to intervention
• Developing a sequential intervention plan
• Progress monitoring

The Importance of Play
1/2-day training
This training will cover: 

• Play as a foundation for instruction
• Teaching play (e.g., independent play, increasing activities, group play, imaginative play) using technology of behavior analysis
   

Building a Foundation for Intervention: Rapport Building and Play
1-day training + case consultation and supervision (minimum 2 hours)
This training will cover: 

• Understanding the nature of communication and interaction
• Foundational skills (e.g., engagement, rapport, indicating interest) 
• Rationale for targeting foundational skills
• Using ABA to enhance skills
• Strategies to enhance engagement 
   

Social Communication and Interaction: Teaching Foundational Skills
1-day training + case consultation and supervision (minimum 2 hours)
This training will cover: 

• Requesting and intentional communication
• Teaching requesting: Setting up the context
• Communication modalities (e.g., vocal, sign language, pictures, augmentative communication)
• Teaching requesting using ABA
   

Social Communication and Interaction: Building Communication Skills
4-day training + case consultation and supervision (minimum 6 hours)
This training will cover: 

• Communication and social interaction skills to target
• Continuing assessment: Prioritizing skills and setting a teaching sequence
• Teaching skills using ABA
   

Understanding Challenging Behavior
1-day training + case consultation and supervision (minimum 2 hours)
This training will cover: 

• Commonly observed types of challenging behavior
• Understanding challenging behavior: Why it might occur
• Understanding self-injury, severe aggression, and other dangerous behavior (e.g., ingesting inedible objects)
• Functional behavior assessment: identifying why a behavior is happening
• Function-based support: Developing interventions
• Training others to implement interventions
• Supporting parents in improving their child’s behavior

Severe Challenging Behavior
2-day training + case consultation and supervision (minimum 2 hours)
This training will cover: 

• Understanding self-injury, severe aggression, and other dangerous behavior (e.g., ingesting inedible objects)
• Advanced functional assessment and functional analysis
• Function-based support for severe problem behavior
   

Stereotypical and Repetitive Behavior
1-day training + case consultation and supervision (minimum 2 hours)
The training will cover:

• Understanding repetitive behavior
• Identifying repetitive behavior
• Interventions for repetitive behavior
• Enhancing variability in play
• Teaching tolerance 

Mealtime Concerns
1-day training + case consultation and supervision (minimum 2 hours)
This training will cover: 

• Mealtime behavior: A developmental approach
• Recognizing mealtime concerns (e.g., using a utensil, overly selective, not eating enough, not using a cup to drink)
• Ruling out medical and physiological causes
• Assessing mealtime difficulties to build an intervention
• Using ABA to enhance mealtimes
   

Teaching Independence in Bathroom Routines
1-day training + case consultation and supervision (minimum 2 hours)
This training will cover: 

• Bathroom skills (e.g., hand washing, bathing, using the toilet)
• Toilet training: A developmental perspective
• Teaching bathroom skills
• Toilet training
   

Increasing Daily Living Skills and Adaptive Behavior
3-day training + case consultation and supervision (minimum 6 hours)
This training will cover: 

• Understanding adaptive behavior (e.g., dressing, independent play, safety skills)
• Using the Essentials for Living to assess skills and develop treatment goals
• Developing an intervention plan
• Using ABA to teach adaptive behavior and monitor outcomes