Sage Learning Systems

💻 October Webinar | Hosted by The NDBI Navigator
📌 Supervising Behavior Technicians to Implement Flexible Approaches During Free-Operant Play Routines
🎙 Presenter: Tracy Raulston, PhD, BCBA-D
📅 Thursday, October 15, 2026
💰 FREE!
⏰ 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM (CST)
🎓 CEUs: 1 SUPERVISION (BACB, IBAO, QABA)*
🔗 Register Here (click the link below ⬇️)
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MMelvzziQC-u8t3wN_mExQ

Many early intervention programs continue to rely heavily on structured trial-based instruction, even when targeting play, engagement, and social communication skills. Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs), however, emphasize responsive, child-led teaching embedded within natural play routines. This supervision-focused presentation introduces the Play-FIT (Focus, Identify, Teach) model as a framework for helping Board Certified Behavior Analysts® (BCBAs®) train and supervise Registered Behavior Technicians® (RBT®s) implementing play-based instruction during early intervention. Drawing from the tutorial paper, Beyond Trial Counts: Considerations for Measuring Play and Engagement During Early Intervention for Autistic Children, participants will examine how traditional trial-count systems may interfere with flexible, socially meaningful play interactions and explore alternative approaches to teaching and measurement during free-operant play routines. The presentation will highlight supervisory strategies for coaching RBTs to recognize child motivation and engagement, implement responsive teaching strategies, embed learning opportunities within play, and collect practical data that aligns with naturalistic intervention contexts. Attendees will leave with supervision strategies, performance feedback ideas, and practical tools for supporting high-quality implementation of NDBI-aligned practices in community ABA settings.

Presenter Information: Tracy Raulston, PhD, BCBA-D
Continuing Education Information (1 Supervision CEU)
*This live event is open to all to attend and learn. CEUs are FREE for NDBI Navigator Essentials members or available for purchase for $15 (BACB, IBAO, or QABA) for non-members. To receive CEUs, professionals must attend the full presentation and complete the required quiz.

🚨 Happening next week!

FREE September Webinar
What if we stopped asking autistic children to play the "right" way... and started celebrating the many ways they already connect, engage, and experience joy? Join The NDBI Navigator for an inspiring webinar that explores a neurodiversity-affirming approach to social play through the innovative Play Dojo program.

🎙Supporting Social Play and Connection in Autistic Children Through the Neurodiversity-Affirming Social Play Program "Play Dojo"
👩‍🏫 Presenters: Dr. Marija Čolić, PhD, BCBA-D & Dr. Sho Araiba, PhD, BCBA-D
📅 Thursday, September 10, 2026
🕐 1:00–2:00 PM (CST)
💻 Live on Zoom
💰 FREE to attend!
🎓 1 Learning CEU (BACB, IBAO & QABA)*
👇 Reserve your FREE spot today!
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2VheVdFcQqqYaz5pyOFnyA

During this webinar, you'll learn:
✨ Why there is no single "correct" way to play
✨ How Play Dojo supports authentic social connection through children's interests
✨ Practical strategies for fostering peer interaction while honoring neurodivergent play styles
✨ Ways to build joyful, meaningful, relationship-based play opportunities in your own setting
✨ How educators, clinicians, and community programs can implement neurodiversity-affirming social play experiences

This session is perfect for behavior analysts, therapists, educators, early intervention professionals, and anyone passionate about supporting autistic children through strengths-based, relationship-focused practice.

🎓 Students—there’s still time to apply
We’re offering 28 student scholarships to attend the 3rd Annual NDBI Connections Conference!
💻 https://www.thendbinavigator.com/ndbiconference

Learn from leaders in the field, explore practical NDBI strategies, and connect with a global community passionate about supporting young autistic children.

28 scholarships. Your spot could be one of them (due 9/15/26).
👉 Apply today! https://forms.gle/LuMMaM6bhciVeCFs7

💻 August Webinar | Hosted by The NDBI Navigator
📌 Play First, Communication Follows: Growing Speech and AAC Through Naturalistic Play Chains
🎙 Presenter: Tamara S. Kasper, MS, CCC-SLP, BCBA
📅 Thursday, August 20, 2026
💰 FREE!
⏰ 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM (CST)
🎓 CEUs: 1 Learning (BACB, IBAO, QABA)*
🔗 Register Here ( click link below ⬇️)
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iAdW-WiQQ4uR6qAzberv8Q

Early communicators often produce subtle, easily overlooked behaviors—glances, gestures, shifts in proximity, vocalizations—that reflect genuine attempts to engage and influence their environment. Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) emphasize capturing and expanding these early social signals, yet clinicians can benefit from collaboration with Speech Pathologists to develop systematic frameworks for shaping early social signals toward robust communicative repertoires. Social Behavioral Play Chains, a common element of most NDBIs, are a structured yet naturalistic method to shape early indicating responses (IRs) and potentially communicative behaviors (PCBs) into increasingly intentional, persistent, and flexible communication. Participants will learn how to embed speech production shaping and AAC use within Play Chains to support the development of speech and multimodal communication. Procedures include shaping successive approximations, expanding syllable complexity, and using phonetic hand cues to improve speech production. Practical examples, video illustrations, and step‑by‑step decision-making tools will be provided to help clinicians integrate this approach into NDBI‑aligned practice while maintaining fidelity to developmental and behavioral principles.

Presenter Information: Tamara S. Kasper, MS, CCC-SLP, BCBA
Continuing Education Information (1 Learning CEU)
*This event is open to all to attend. CEUs are FREE for NDBI Navigator Essentials members or available for purchase for $15 (BACB, IBAO, or QABA) for non-members. To receive CEUs, professionals must attend the full presentation and complete the required quiz.

🎉Registration is NOW OPEN for the 3rd Annual NDBI Connections Conference!

Join professionals from around the world for an incredible event focused on Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs), neuroaffirming practice, early autism intervention, implementation science, play-based learning, and meaningful developmental support for young autistic children.

📅 October 24, 2026
💻 Fully Online (BehaviorLive)
🎥 6 Months + On-Demand Access
🔗 Register Here: https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/NDBI2026/home

This year’s conference will feature:
✨ internationally recognized speakers
✨ practical “how-to” implementation sessions
✨ neuroaffirming and developmentally grounded content
✨ dedicated Professional Development & Behavior Technician track (10/24/26; more info coming soon)
✨ research-to-practice presentations
✨ global perspectives on NDBI implementation

Whether you are a BCBA, SLP, OT, educator, early intervention provider, SPED, psychologist, researcher, student, or behavior technician — this conference is designed to provide actionable strategies you can immediately apply in practice.

🎓 Student scholarships available: https://forms.gle/Coh4BHXXEfLgeKQD7
🌍 International discounts available (25%, 50%, 75% off)
🔥 Early Bird Pricing: 5/20/26–7/18/26

We cannot wait to bring this incredible global community together again for another year of learning, collaboration, and connection.

SAGE is now The NDBI Navigator!
💻 January Workshop | First Event of the Year
📌 ABA and Supporting Children with ADHD: Ethical Responsibilities, Clinical Understanding, and Informed Practice
🎙 Presenter: Nicole Skotz, MS., BCBA
📅 Thursday, January 22, 2026
💰 FREE!
⏰ 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM (CST)
🎓 CEUs: 1 Ethics (BACB, IBAO, QABA)
🔗 Register Here ( click link below ⬇️)
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/9717665148987/WN_XKn7up51S-WlpXn762PKPQ

Behavior analysts frequently support autistic children, and many of those learners also have co-occurring ADHD. Are your intervention decisions truly aligned with how these children learn and regulate, or are they based only on observable behavior?

Ethical and effective intervention requires more than addressing observable behavior—it requires understanding how differences in attention, regulation, and learning shape behavior. This 50-minute webinar invites ABA professionals to examine their ethical responsibilities when working with children with ADHD, both as a primary diagnosis and as a co-occurring condition with autism. Participants will explore key features of ADHD brain functioning, how these differences influence behavior and learning, and why implementing behavior plans without this context can place clinicians at ethical risk. Through reflection and practical discussion, attendees will evaluate whether their current programming truly aligns with how children with ADHD learn best, emphasizing thoughtful, context-aware, and ethically grounded practice within one’s scope of competence.

Rather than asking “How do we reduce this behavior?”, we’ll explore the more essential question: “Are we designing intervention in a way that makes learning possible for this child?

NDBI CEU Event
Dr. Ariana Boutain, Ph.D., BCBA-D from the Atlanta Autism Center will be presenting a webinar on NDBIs and the integration of assent-based practices in clinical settings.
🗓 Date: Thursday, 1/30/25
⏰ Time: 10-11:00 am (CST)
🎓 CEU: 1 Ethics CEU for BACB, IBAO, and QABA professionals
🔗 Register Here
https://community.thendbinavigator.com/checkout/ndbi-essentials-subscription

This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from an expert in the field and explore practical ways to ensure clinical practices are compassionate, collaborative, and aligned with the latest research.

Start the year by deepening your knowledge and fostering meaningful, ethical practices.

We’re thrilled to share some exciting updates with you! Your courses are now part of The NDBI Navigator, powered by SAGE Learning Systems—a fresh new brand designed to enhance your learning experience.

If you’ve saved or bookmarked the course website, please update your link to the new domain: https://courses.thendbinavigator.com/

If you have any issues accessing your course content, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me for support at [email protected].

Thank you for being part of The NDBI Navigator community. We’re excited to continue supporting your journey with fresh content, practical tools, and a brand-new experience.

Warm regards,
Dr. Jamie

The NDBI Navigator Team
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