Functional Communication Training: An Individualized Approach to Selecting Effective Communication Modalities

This interview with Dr. Joel Ringdahl discusses Functional Communication Training (FCT), an intervention for challenging behavior in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Dr. Ringdahl outlines three key objectives: understanding FCT, recognizing how the function of challenging behavior relates to communication-based interventions, and identifying variables for selecting effective communicative responses in FCT. The interview provides a comprehensive framework for designing and implementing individualized FCT approaches.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with Children: A Panel Discussion on Family-Centered and Process-Based Approaches

This panel session on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with Children offers invaluable insights into family-centered and process-based approaches. Featuring world-renowned experts, the discussion provides actionable strategies, powerful metaphors like "gatekeeper to guide" and "struggling well," and specific techniques such as "Action Heroes" and the "Self-Driven Child" protocol. It emphasizes flexibility, validation, and relationship-building, making it an outstanding professional development resource for any provider working with children and their caregivers.

Clinical Multilingualism- Relational Work and
Navigating Difficult Conversations

Join Dr. Nounja Almasude as she discusses the concept of "clinical multilingualism" as a model of clinical communication that incorporates research, clinical experience, and cultural backgrounds. This framework is not only about what to say in the clinical environment, but is presented as a way of "being together" and navigating the different worlds of the patient, the parent, and colleagues. The session aims to apply key lessons from multilingual and multicultural contexts to clinical settings, bringing conscious awareness to the dynamics, including moving between different languages. It advocates for the implementation of core component skills: humility, curiosity, flexibility, and radical acceptance.

By trusting the wisdom of patients and facilitating innate healing, clinicians can move toward "epistemic justice".

An Evaluation of Backward Chaining to Teach a Mand Topography Using a Speech Generating Device
to Children on the Autism Spectrum

Ryan Ortega's presentation, "An Evaluation of Backward Chaining to Teach a Mand Topography Using a Speech Generating Device to Children on the Autism Spectrum," offers crucial, preliminary evidence for practitioners in applied behavior analysis and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). It demonstrates that backward chaining procedures are an effective method for teaching multi-step requesting (verb-noun combinations) via a Speech Generating Device (SGD) to children with ASD. A key finding is the successful acquisition of this skill by participants using a notably larger visual icon array (up to 42 icons) than typically reported in literature, suggesting a broader potential for SGD implementation. The presentation also highlights the importance of evaluating prerequisite skills and the impact of procedural modifications, providing vital clinical context for professionals seeking to establish functional, multi-step communication skills.