“Real Talk” Empowered and Educated Autism Care Workforce with a
Weekend of Specially Curated Engagements

With a steadfast commitment to improving the autism workforce through empowerment and education, ABA Centers, the nation’s fastest growing autism care provider, hosted its first ever clinical conference, “Real Talk,” this past weekend at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.

This dynamic two-day clinical conference commenced with an afternoon of exclusive educational sessions for the ABA Centers team – and served as a platform for a number of team members to publicly present for the first time. Clinical Quality Coordinator, Ullasitha Jagadish, provided insights on “Bridging Bilingualism and Behavior Analysis: Supporting Language Acquisition in Autistic Children Across Cultures,” while Clinical Director, Aly St. Ours, and Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Philanda Hodges, teamed up to discuss “Cultural Significance and Its Impact on Clinical Decisions in Applied Behavior Analysis.”

The first day of the conference wrapped with a special gala where 14 awards were presented to the ABA Centers team, including such honors as BCBA of the Year, the Family Impact Award, and the Clinical Innovation Award. Remarks of gratitude were marked with tears of joy.

Real Talk’s second day of educational offerings was open to all board certified behavior analysts and all other professionals looking to gain insight into the autism care field. The programming provided continuing education units to those who desired, with a total of five BACB LRN continuing education units available to be earned.

ABA Centers’ own Quatiba Davis, Chief Clinical Officer, and Emily Santagati, Vice President Clinical Operations, kicked-off the Saturday symposium and brought it to a close, while throughout the day, Real Talk attendees had the opportunity to engage in the following informative sessions:

• “Can We Improve Outcomes for Adults with Autism by Changing the Behavior of Behavior Analysts?” presented by Peter Gerhardt (Ed.D), Executive Director of Epic Programs
• “Compassionate Care in Behavior Analysis: Advances in Definition, Measurement, and Integration into Practice” presented by Mary Jane Weiss (Ph.D., BCBA-D, LABA), Dean of the Institute for Applied Behavioral Science
• “Advances in Assessment & Treatment of Problem Behavior” presented by Robert LaRue (Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA), Clinical Professor at Rutgers University
• “Equipping the Village: Empowering Parents, Educators, and Paraeducators with Evidence-Based Tools” presented by Art Dowdy (PhD, BCBA-D), Assistant Professor at Temple University
• “The Art and Science of ABA with Children with Autism” presented by Joanne Gerenser (Ph.D.), Executive Director of Eden II Programs

“When care providers have access to experienced mentors and robust continuing education opportunities, they sharpen their skills, stay current with evolving best practices, and ultimately deliver more effective, compassionate care for the families they serve,” said Ms. Davis. “ABA Centers designed this conference to create the kind of connections and learning moments that elevate the entire field – to the benefit of children and families across the country.”

Philadelphia was chosen as the location for this inaugural conference thanks to ABA Centers’ longstanding allyship with Temple University. ABA Centers was founded by Temple alum Christopher Barnett, who committed to give back to the school and to have a positive impact throughout the greater Philadelphia metro area after obtaining his degree. Last year, ABA Centers opened three autism care clinics in southeastern Pennsylvania and the company has plans to open six more in the coming year. ABA Centers, in partnership with Temple, has also established the ABA Centers Autism Lab, a multidisciplinary hub that conducts research, trains students, and offers diagnostic services to patients regardless of their ability to pay.