Thursday, September 15, 2022

Virtual Format

Keynote Address

Adithyan Rajaraman, Ph. D., BCBA-D, LBA

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Adithyan (Dithu) Rajaraman has been blessed to teach, interact with, and learn from children and adolescents with and without disabilities for 14 years. Dithu completed his Doctorate in Behavior Analysis at Western New England University, under the advisement of Dr. Greg Hanley. In 2019, he joined the faculty at UMBC, where he taught and mentored undergraduate and graduate students in behavior analysis. In the fall of 2022, Dithu joined the faculty in the department of Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he serves as Director of Behavior Analysis Research within the Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD). Dithu has published research in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Analysis in Practice, and Autism. Dithu’s research and practice interests include the assessment, treatment, and prevention of dangerous behavior, with an emphasis on investigating compassionate, trauma-informed approaches to behavioral assessment and intervention. This research aim is intimately connected to the goal of being able to provide safe, dignifying, yet highly effective behavior-analytic services to underrepresented individuals in underserved communities.

Invited Speakers

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Katie Saint, Ph.D., LPC, BCBA-D

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Katherine Saint 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.

Amy Gravino, Autism Sexuality Advocate

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Amy Gravino is an autism sexuality advocate and Relationship Coach in the Center for Adult Autism Services at Rutgers University. She is also the President of A.S.C.O.T Consulting, which offers autism consulting, college coaching, and mentoring services for organizations, schools, individuals on the autism spectrum, and their families. Amy is an international speaker who has given TED talks, spoken twice at the United Nations for World Autism Awareness Day, and presented worldwide to audiences on a variety of topics related to autism, with a dedicated special focus and research on the subject of autism and sexuality. Ms. Gravino obtained her Masters degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Caldwell University in 2010 and currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Specialisterne North America, Yes She Can, Inc. and the Golden Door International Film Festival of Jersey City, as well as the Scientific Advisory Board of Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research (SPARK). She is an award winning writer who has co-authored a chapter on autism and sexuality in the Handbook of Quality of Life for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and her work has been featured in Spectrum, the leading online news source for autism research, and other outlets. Visit http://www.amygravino.com to learn more.

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Meredith Molina, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA

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Meredith Molina is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and A Licensed Behavior Analyst in Arizona. She has worked with autistic individuals and their families since 2013 and has been a BCBA since 2019. She has worked in homes, schools, and clinics with children, teens, and adults. Her areas of interest and expertise include behavioral feeding support, Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), parent support and guidance, and compassionate, ethical care.

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Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LABA

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Mary Jane Weiss is the Associate Dean of Applied Behavior Analysis and Director of the Ph.D. Program in ABA at Endicott College, where she has been for 11 years. She also works with the research and training teams at Melmark. She has worked in the field of ABA and Autism for over 35 years. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University in 1990 and she became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2000. She previously worked for 16 years at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers University. Her clinical and research interests center on defining best practice ABA techniques, integrating compassionate care and cultural responsiveness into ABA service delivery, exploring ways to enhance the ethical conduct of practitioners, training staff to be optimally effective at instruction and at collaboration, and maximizing family members’ expertise and adaptation.  She serves on the Scientific Council of the Organization for Autism Research, is on the board of Association for Science in Autism Treatment, is a regular contributor to the ABA Ethics Hotline, is on the editorial board of Behavior Analysis in practice, and is an advisor to the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. She is a regular presenter at national and international conferences and is a frequent member of service committees for a variety of organizations.

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