ABAI’s 20th Autism Conference

By: Terry Falcomata and Christopher Newland

The 20th ABAI Autism Conference will take place Manhattan, in the heart of New York City! At the 2026 conference, we will hear from a variety of speakers across a range of topics focusing on collaboration with families and partners, stakeholder perspectives, service delivery, procedural applications, historical aspects of applied behavior analysis (ABA) and its application with autistic individuals and other disabilities, issues pertaining to profound autism, biomarkers of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and translational research. And, if that is not enough, evenings will be free for the exploration of all the cultural offerings of New York City such as Broadway theaters, world-renowned eateries, and world-class museums of art and history. We look forward with great anticipation to the 2026 Autism Conference, to be held at the Sheraton Times Square, New York City, January 15-17, 2026.

Workshops

The conference begins with two workshops. Dr. Nicole Gravina will conduct one on the “Driving Staff Excellence: Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) Strategies for Clinical Supervisors and Leaders” with a focus on staff performance, engagement, and retention. Among the issues to be covered include the application of organizational behavior managements strategies to enhance the performance and job satisfaction of clinical staff.

The second workshop, “PECS and functional communication: A short history and review” will be held by Dr. Andy Bondy.Participants will hear from Dr. Bondy about several aspects of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) including information about its early development, the PECS process itself, and recent research that has focused on aspects of the treatment approach.

Voices from Clients, Advocates, and Collaborators.

We continue to feel that it is vital that we hear from the individuals we serve including their parents and other care providers. Lori Unumb, the parent of an autistic individual will discuss her experiences as a parent and advocate with “Favors, Facts & Fishnets: Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Autism, and the Parental Voice.” Her session will focus on the lessons learned from her participation in the parent-led autism insurance reform movement. She will also discuss how advocacy strategies might be applied to address necessary policy reforms.

It is also important that our field continue enhance our collaborations with families and other care providers. We will hear two presentations on the topic of collaboration efforts to facilitate positive outcomes with ASD. Dr. Liliana Mayo will present “The Power of Two: How Families and Professionals in Peru Are Transforming the Future of Children With Autism” in which she will describe a partnership model for working together with families to increase positive outcomes with the children they serve. Dr. Mayo will describe strategies for intervention, support, and partnerships within the context of her collaborative model.

Also focusing on collaboration and with an emphasis on culturally responsive practice, Dr. Corina Jimenez-Gomez will discuss “Supporting Learners With Autism Through Culturally Responsive, Community-Based Collaboration.” In her talk, Dr. Jimenez-Gomez will describe culturally responsive collaborative strategies involving stakeholders, teachers, and ABA providers to enhance quality of previously constrained services.

Profound Autism: Voices in Pursuit of Clarity

How autism is defined and how distinct groups on the autism spectrum are identified continue to be debated and discussed. This issue has clear and fundamental implications for clinical and research practices for individuals with profound autism who have high support needs. Dr. Matthew Siegel will present “Defining Profound Autism: Seeking Clarity to Advance Services and Science” in which he will focus on adaptive functioning as well as key factors in the development of the term “profound autism” and the approaches used to determine it.

Voices from Child Psychiatry

We believe it is important that we continue to expand and diversify our knowledge and incorporate findings of researchers and professionals from other empirical-based disciplines, including partners in the field of child psychiatry. Dr. James McPartland will present “Can Biomarker Development Advance Behavior Analysis in Autism?” In his presentation. Dr. McPartland will discuss his research focusing on brain-based indicators, or biomarkers, including biomarkers relevant to autism and the potential utility of focusing on biomarkers in ASD.

Service Delivery Voices

Along with our field’s focus on science and empirically-support practices, it is important that we continue to investigate models by which we facilitate our clients’ access to our services. Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh will present “The Secret to Lasting Impact: Where Science, Service and Business Converge” in which she will share perspectives on successful ABA organization. She will discuss several aspects of ABA service delivery including vital business and financial considerations that impact sustainability of clinical services.

Telehealth has been established as a viable and effective service delivery strategy with continued growth across a variety of areas of clinical needs experienced by our clients. Dr. Kelly Schieltz will discuss telehealth-related issues with “Exploring the Clinical Applications and Conditions for Effective Telehealth in Behavior Analysis.” Dr. Schieltz will describe different applications of telehealth in ABA, conditions in which telehealth-based clinical services can be appropriate and desired, and future research directions in the area of telehealth.

Voices on Application

We continue to believe that it is important that we understand our roots as a field, where we came from, and how our field developed in terms of application. In the spirit of providing important historical viewpoints, we will again platform a voice with insight and perspective from the early days of our field through today. Dr. Patrick McGreevy will provide history and context in “Components of Applied Behavior Analysis Often Necessary With Children and Adults With Very Limited Skill Repertoires.” In his talk, Dr. McGreevy will emphasize a focus on functional skills programming across a variety of everyday living skills; and he will do so while providing narratives from his own experiences as a seasoned applied behavior analyst.

Although procedural fidelity is often prioritized less than other elements of clinical practice, it is a crucial component of effective and ethical ABA-based services. Dr. Claire St. Peter will present on the vital topic of procedural fidelity in “Doing What We Say: Practical Strategies for Measuring Procedural Fidelity.” In her presentation, Dr. St. Peter will discuss procedural fidelity, its purpose, different approaches to its measurement, strategies for improving it, and ethical considerations for monitoring it in applied settings.

Translational and Conceptual Voices

Translational research fills the gap between the basic behavioral lab and ABA clinical practice. As usual, translational voiced will be heard at the conference. One area of particular concern for applied behavior analysts who serve individuals who engage in problem behavior is the worsening of treatment effects over time. Dr. Brian Greer will present on the topic of clinical relapse with “What Relapse Research Has Taught Us About Treatment Durability and Effectiveness.” In his presentation, Dr. Greer will discuss common challenges to treatment when function-based procedures are applied as well as general and specific strategies for improving the durability and effectiveness of function-based interventions.

In addition to hearing from our translational voices, it is also important that there be a focus on conceptual issues. Dr. Andy Bondy will present “Gradualism: A Unifying Concept Across Teaching Strategies.” In his presentation, Dr. Bondy will discuss a variety of teaching strategies (e.g., prompting, shaping, fading procedures, errorless learning)in terms of both concepts and procedures. He will describe a conceptualization referred to as gradualism which, he will discuss as potentially alleviating the confusion that exists around and among the variety of teaching strategies that we employ as applied behavior analysts.

Dr. Tom Cariveau will present a talk that is both highly conceptual and translational, but also practical, on the topic of stimulus control during learning in “Learner-Centered Approaches to Skill Acquisition: Stimulus Control, Applied Practice, and the Golden Goose.” Dr. Cariveau will present on the concept of inconsistencies between “what is learned” and what the applied behavior analyst “intended to be learned” with a focus on stimulus control. He will discuss strategies for ensuring strong links between what is taught and what is acquired by the learner.

We hope to see you in New York City for the 20^th Annual Autism Conference in January!