This course explores how Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can be used to foster meaningful community engagement for adults with disabilities. It emphasizes overcoming barriers, enhancing social connections, and creating inclusive community activities to support sustainable belonging. Participants will learn practical tools and strategies to improve social inclusion, manage anxiety, and build lasting friendships.
This course goes beyond the scope of the current BCBA and BCaBA Task Lists by integrating Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to foster community engagement and psychological flexibility among adults with disabilities—areas not explicitly addressed in existing task list content. It remains behavior-analytic in nature by emphasizing functional assessment of social participation, values-based behavior planning, interventions rooted in both environmental contingencies and contextual alignment, and the promotion of autonomy through client-centered repertoires. Designed for certified and aspiring behavior analysts, this course equips professionals with practical, ethically grounded strategies to create inclusive, supportive environments that enhance social connection, meaning-making, and well-being for neurodiverse adults.
This Ethics course provides 2 CEU credits for BACB, QABA, and IBAO.
Author/Speaker
Katherine Saint, PhD, LPC, BCBA-D, Katherine has her doctorate in Behavior Analysis and is a Licensed Professional Counselor. Katherine presents locally and internationally on topics related to autism, mental health and behavior analysis. Katherine has a private practice focusing on mental health counseling and is the Director of Training at Fox Valley Autism Treatment Program in Appleton, WI. Katherine has designed college courses as well as published books and articles related to mental health. Katherine also teaches master level behavior analytic
courses at Pepperdine University.
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Carlos Torres, B.S., Carlos is a published author, coach and Program Director of Transitions, a young adult program for people with disabilities. He creates curriculum and designs groups to develop social skills, vocation skills, leisure skills, and relationship skills. Carlos’ model for the young adult program has been studied and then replicated in Tokyo, Japan. Carlos presents locally and internationally on working with young adults with disabilities.
Instructor Qualifications
Dr. Saint’s extensive experience designing programs for young adults with disabilities—including creating a comprehensive assessment and curriculum for independent living—directly supports her expertise in building community. Her work at the Transitions Young Adult Program demonstrates her ability to integrate ABA strategies to teach functional skills while leveraging ACT principles to promote psychological flexibility and social connection. Combined with her published work on autism and depression and her ACT-focused presentations at ABAI, she is uniquely qualified to deliver a course that merges ABA and ACT to foster community engagement for adults with disabilities.
