Presentation Overview

Assessing and Supporting Severe Challenging Behavior within ESDM

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) and Practical Functional Assessment and Skill Based Treatment, this presentation highlights how higher-magnitude behaviors, including severe aggression and self-injury, can be assessed safely and efficiently using the IISCA. Outcomes from the IISCA directly inform compassionate, assent-based interventions, including Skill-Based Treatment (SBT). Attendees will learn about how challenging behavior is supported within the ESDM, how the PFA process can be used to assess severe behavior, and how to 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.

Learning Objectives

What you'll learn...after completing this presentation, participants will be able to

  • Utilizing strategies from the Early Start Denver Model to incorporate play into the design and assessment of challenging behaviors.

  • Selecting assessments approaches based on caregiver report, behavior severity, and client safety.

  • Synthesizing assessment findings with developmental frameworks from the ESDM to inform compassionate, assent-based interventions.

  • Designing individualized BIPs that incorporate principles from Dr. Hanley’s Skill-Based Treatment with the ESDM to establish functionally equivalent replacement behaviors that are developmentally informed, while prioritizing safety and rapport.

Continuing Education

The NDBI Navigator is an approved continuing education provider for the BACB, QABA, and IBAO.

Professionals from other disciplines will receive a professional development certificate, which they can submit to their respective licensing boards for consideration.

Your Presenter

Kendra O'Connor, MSEd, BCBA

Kendra O’Connor is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Certified ESDM Therapist currently serving as the Director of Challenging Behavior Support at Soar Autism Center. With extensive experience in Early Intervention and NDBIs, she leads organizational strategy for clinical protocols and provides high-level mentorship to clinical teams. Her professional background includes leadership and clinical roles at the New England Center for Children , where she specialized in managing complex caseloads, supervising large teams of educators , and designing student-centered Individualized Education Plans (IEP). Kendra holds a Master of Science in Education (Severe Special Needs) from Simmons University, where she received the Autism Specialization Award , and completed a post-graduate certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis at Western New England University. Her clinical practice is grounded in a collaborative, client-centered approach, integrating multidisciplinary support and family goals to ensure meaningful, long-term progress. She has worked in school, residential, community, and clinical settings and is passionate about providing high-quality, assent-based care to all learners.

Presentation Content

  1. 1

    • About the Presentation

    • Meet Kendra O'Connor

    • Professional Practice Reminder

    • Video: Supporting Problem Behavior Through a PFA/SBT and ESDM Lens

    • Quiz

    • Survey