The Brain and Behavior: Science of Happiness

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What is the #1, most important way to assess if autism treatment is working? If you are a parent, it will come as no surprise….Your child’s HAPPINESS. But many professionals simply don’t include happiness, quality of life, or well-being assessment in programs. Hear professional and personal advice for supporting happy, successful children with autism, ADHD, anxiety disorders, and related neurological differences. The presentation includes existing research, curricula, and strategies for measuring happiness, making ‘treatment' more enjoyable, building relationships with kids, and creating programs that build on strengths. And, they explain brain and behavioral science behind why professionals often inadvertently increase anxiety and make intervention unpleasant – and what to do about it. Most importantly, they share the surprising good news that spending time on happiness and stress reduction, for kids and families, can facilitate learning, skill development, and cooperation overall.
Robyn Catagnus, Ed.D., BCBA-D, is Associate Professor and Chair of the Online campus of the Applied Behavior Analysis Department at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is a member of the Trustee of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, a reviewer for the APA journal Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, Diversity in Behavior Analysis section, and a member of the editorial Board for The Behavior Analyst, the flagship journal of ABAI. She is also the Former Founding President Multicultural Alliance of Behavior Analysts, a special interest group of the Association of Behavior Analysis.

Bobbie Gallagher, Ph.D., BCBA, holds the position of Director of Office of Placement and Training for The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, as well as being the owner of the Autism Center for Educational Services in Brick NJ. She is the author of "A Brick Wall: How a Boy with No Words Spoke to the World” a memoir of raising two children with an ASD.