Child Development Across ABA Domains

Why this summit

One class in grad school was never going to cover it.

Language
Motor
Social
Cognitive
Feeding
Executive functioning
School
Sexual development and puberty

Most of us got one child development class in grad school. It usually wasn't taught by a behavior analyst, and it rarely connected to anything we do with clients.

This summit is the child development education you wish you got in grad school. Five behavior analysts each take one area of development and walk through what typical looks like at each age and how it should shape assessment, target selection, and goals.

Built for clinicians

If you write programs, supervise treatment, or make clinical decisions for kids, this is for you. Expect examples you can use with your clients next week.

The agenda · Friday, Nov 6

Five sessions, from the first years through puberty.

Each session is 60 minutes live, with a 10 minute break between sessions. All times are Eastern.

12:00PM ET
Session 1
Child Development for Behavior Analysts: The Foundations
Kristen Byra, PhD, BCBA-D, Founder of Upskill ABA4.87★ from 239 ratings
You'll leave withA working map of typical development, infancy through adolescence, across language, motor, social, and cognitive domains, to hold any treatment plan up against.
About this session
The opening session lays out the developmental framework the rest of the day builds on. Kristen Byra covers what typical development looks like from infancy through adolescence across language, motor, social, and cognitive domains, and why a child's age should shape how we assess, pick targets, and judge progress. You'll leave with a working map you can hold any treatment plan up against.
1:10PM ET
Session 2
Feeding Through a Developmental Lens
Genevieve Covington, MA, BCBA, pediatric feeding specialist
You'll leave withA way to tell a developmental feeding pattern from a clinical concern, and a clearer sense of when to bring in another discipline.
About this session
Feeding skills develop in a fairly predictable order, and a lot of feeding programs skip steps in it. Genevieve Covington walks through how chewing, texture acceptance, self-feeding, and mealtime behavior develop in early childhood. The session covers how to tell a developmental feeding pattern from a clinical concern, how development should shape feeding assessment and goal selection, and when to bring in another discipline.
2:20PM ET
Session 3
Executive Functioning: What Develops When
Nicole Hood, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
You'll leave withWhich executive functioning skills to expect at which ages, and how to teach them inside an ABA program at the right developmental level.
About this session
Planning, impulse control, working memory, and flexibility don't show up all at once. Nicole Hood looks at how executive functioning skills emerge across early and middle childhood, what that means for the expectations we set for our clients, and how to teach and support these skills inside an ABA program at the right developmental level.
3:30PM ET
Session 4
Child Development in Schools
Shari Malta, BCBA
You'll leave withSchool-based goals that match where a student actually is, and a way to work with teachers on supports that fit the student's age and stage.
About this session
School asks different things of a child at every grade. Shari Malta covers how developmental expectations play out in the classroom, how to write school-based goals that match where a student actually is, and how behavior analysts can work with teachers and school teams on supports that fit the student's age and stage.
4:40PM ET
Session 5
Sexual Development and Puberty in ABA Practice
Shalini Solomon, MA, BCBA, LBA, Founder of Elevate & Align Behavior
You'll leave withHow to tell typical sexual development from behavior that needs attention, and how to approach body safety, privacy, and puberty with families.
About this session
Sexual development is part of child development, and it's the part most of us were never trained on. Shalini Solomon covers typical sexual development from early childhood through puberty, how to tell typical behavior from behavior that needs attention, and how to approach body safety, privacy, and puberty education with clients and their families.

All five sessions and 5 BACB Learning CEUs for $37.

Registration and payment are handled securely by OpenCEU.

From the people who were there

What clinicians say after our live talks.

Every review on this page was written by an attendee of an OpenCEU or Behaviorist Book Club talk. The ones with a gold border are from Kristen Byra's child development talk, the session that opens this summit.

15,270CEU certificates earned
3,935clinicians have earned CEUs with us
4.73★average from 6,492 ratings across 71 talks
97%of attendees would recommend

Opens this summit

★★★★★

It was super helpful getting a refresher on developmental milestones! Dr. Byra had great insight on goal planning while keeping age and typical development in mind.

Jocelyn C.Child Development for Behavior Analysts

★★★★★

This really expanded my understanding of what to do when you don’t earn assent.

Juliana P.Assent: Don't just say Yes!

Opens this summit

★★★★★

Very engaging, it was great to hear Dr. Byra's voice again. A lot of reassurance in this talk and I plan to share with my BTs as well to make sure they are always looking at the big picture

Lisa B.Child Development for Behavior Analysts

★★★★★

I would recommend this training because it gave me a new perspective on harm reduction and showed how ABA principles can be used to promote safer choices while respecting client autonomy.

Lori O.Harm Reduction Within ABA Practice

★★★★★

Love learning more about PDA, especially across the different levels of learners

Emma H.PDA: Collaborating for Success

Opens this summit

★★★★★

It was very informative to help with seeing some milestones and age appropriate goals.

Joshua G.Child Development for Behavior Analysts

★★★★★

Love seeing different areas covered instead of just being ABA. This is an amazing resource!

Danielle M.Increasing Competence and Confidence in Helping People with Disabilities through Grief

★★★★★

I appreciated the examples and the visual representation of the practices in a session.

Kari A.When the Foundations Are Right: Unlocking Advanced Verbal Repertoires

★★★★★

This is a brilliant idea. The Office is FULL of ethically questionable scenes, and it makes me so happy you used this for a CEU.

Shelby F.Dunder Mifflin’s Guide to BCBA Ethics: Lessons from The Office

Opens this summit

★★★★★

It was super helpful getting a refresher on developmental milestones! Dr. Byra had great insight on goal planning while keeping age and typical development in mind.

Jocelyn C.Child Development for Behavior Analysts

★★★★★

This really expanded my understanding of what to do when you don’t earn assent.

Juliana P.Assent: Don't just say Yes!

Opens this summit

★★★★★

Very engaging, it was great to hear Dr. Byra's voice again. A lot of reassurance in this talk and I plan to share with my BTs as well to make sure they are always looking at the big picture

Lisa B.Child Development for Behavior Analysts

★★★★★

I would recommend this training because it gave me a new perspective on harm reduction and showed how ABA principles can be used to promote safer choices while respecting client autonomy.

Lori O.Harm Reduction Within ABA Practice

★★★★★

Love learning more about PDA, especially across the different levels of learners

Emma H.PDA: Collaborating for Success

Opens this summit

★★★★★

It was very informative to help with seeing some milestones and age appropriate goals.

Joshua G.Child Development for Behavior Analysts

★★★★★

Love seeing different areas covered instead of just being ABA. This is an amazing resource!

Danielle M.Increasing Competence and Confidence in Helping People with Disabilities through Grief

★★★★★

I appreciated the examples and the visual representation of the practices in a session.

Kari A.When the Foundations Are Right: Unlocking Advanced Verbal Repertoires

★★★★★

This is a brilliant idea. The Office is FULL of ethically questionable scenes, and it makes me so happy you used this for a CEU.

Shelby F.Dunder Mifflin’s Guide to BCBA Ethics: Lessons from The Office

Opens this summit

★★★★★

Wonderful! I enjoyed the layout and all the examples that were provided. I also enjoyed the resources provided, as they are extremely helpful for parent education and our treatment planning!

Andrea S.Child Development for Behavior Analysts

★★★★★

Great to see content in the anxiety area since we overlap with mental health so frequently. Will share with others, thank you!

Margaret D.Hey, Chillax Man! Understanding the Logic of Anxiety

Opens this summit

★★★★★

it was so well constructed and placed valuable information into such a short time

Hattie-angelys F.Child Development for Behavior Analysts

★★★★★

Really appreciated all the topics and recommendations that Lauren spoke to! Such a refreshing CEU opportunity to hear from someone as wholesome and creative as Lauren Donovan!

Chandni P.Supervising Beyond Technical Skills: Professionalism, Communication, and Clinical Judgment

★★★★★

Thank you both for putting this together! I believe the impact can be tremendous should this be embedded into clinicians' course sequence before becoming a BCBA. Thank you again!

Yu H.PDA Caregivers, Complex Profiles, Replacement Behaviors, and Being Trauma Informed

★★★★★

Was very good, informative, and motivating. The topics were presented clearly and in an organized way, with practical examples that made the information easy to understand and apply.

Abed S.Supervision Articles Deep Dive

★★★★★

I really like how B made the information very clear and understandable.

Tina W.PDA: What it is and What it isn't

★★★★★

The presentation was informative and practical. It provided a clear understanding of grief support for people with disabilities and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Fatematuz Z.Interdisciplinary Grief Support for People with Disabilities: Enhancing Outcomes Through BCBA-LPC Collaboration

★★★★★

This ceu expands the use of ABA in a way that can be used across diagnoses.

Cearah S.Reframing Behavior through an ADHD Lens

Opens this summit

★★★★★

Wonderful! I enjoyed the layout and all the examples that were provided. I also enjoyed the resources provided, as they are extremely helpful for parent education and our treatment planning!

Andrea S.Child Development for Behavior Analysts

★★★★★

Great to see content in the anxiety area since we overlap with mental health so frequently. Will share with others, thank you!

Margaret D.Hey, Chillax Man! Understanding the Logic of Anxiety

Opens this summit

★★★★★

it was so well constructed and placed valuable information into such a short time

Hattie-angelys F.Child Development for Behavior Analysts

★★★★★

Really appreciated all the topics and recommendations that Lauren spoke to! Such a refreshing CEU opportunity to hear from someone as wholesome and creative as Lauren Donovan!

Chandni P.Supervising Beyond Technical Skills: Professionalism, Communication, and Clinical Judgment

★★★★★

Thank you both for putting this together! I believe the impact can be tremendous should this be embedded into clinicians' course sequence before becoming a BCBA. Thank you again!

Yu H.PDA Caregivers, Complex Profiles, Replacement Behaviors, and Being Trauma Informed

★★★★★

Was very good, informative, and motivating. The topics were presented clearly and in an organized way, with practical examples that made the information easy to understand and apply.

Abed S.Supervision Articles Deep Dive

★★★★★

I really like how B made the information very clear and understandable.

Tina W.PDA: What it is and What it isn't

★★★★★

The presentation was informative and practical. It provided a clear understanding of grief support for people with disabilities and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Fatematuz Z.Interdisciplinary Grief Support for People with Disabilities: Enhancing Outcomes Through BCBA-LPC Collaboration

★★★★★

This ceu expands the use of ABA in a way that can be used across diagnoses.

Cearah S.Reframing Behavior through an ADHD Lens

Opens this summit

★★★★★

Lots of helpful info! Loved the specific examples of aiming too high or too low.

Jessica Q.Child Development for Behavior Analysts

★★★★★

Great presentation and very informative. I learned how to decrease stress levels when searching for articles that I may need to further my knowledge in my field of ABA.

Rene D.Research to practice - extending past the pages

Opens this summit

★★★★★

It was a great course, I'm so used to neurodivergent kids that a refresher of what typical development looks like was needed.

Andrea C.Child Development for Behavior Analysts

★★★★★

I enjoyed this presentation from both presenters. I especially enjoyed seeing the steps to desensitization and data from client M

Terre J.Hey, Chillax Man! Understanding the Logic of Anxiety

★★★★★

This helped shape my thoughts on treating ADHD. As well as, thinking about what works for me personally, as someone who also has ADHD

Mirella P.Reframing Behavior through an ADHD Lens

★★★★★

The information in this training was relevant and well presented. I will look for CEUs with this presenter in the future.

Amaria B.Building a Supervision System That Actually Works

★★★★★

I appreciate the relatability of the teach method as well as emphasis on the first caregiver goal not being a clinical one.

Aneesa H.Compliance to Commitment: Seven Habits of the Highly Effective Caregiver Trainer

★★★★★

I appreciated the overview of PDA and the case studies. The practical examples helped connect the concepts to real-world situations.

Vessela I.PDA: What it is and What it isn't

★★★★★

This course helped in understanding how things can go wrong and how to fix them, but also to give greater focus to how the program is designed to give a greater chance of success in the first place.

James S.Assent: Don't just say Yes!

Opens this summit

★★★★★

Lots of helpful info! Loved the specific examples of aiming too high or too low.

Jessica Q.Child Development for Behavior Analysts

★★★★★

Great presentation and very informative. I learned how to decrease stress levels when searching for articles that I may need to further my knowledge in my field of ABA.

Rene D.Research to practice - extending past the pages

Opens this summit

★★★★★

It was a great course, I'm so used to neurodivergent kids that a refresher of what typical development looks like was needed.

Andrea C.Child Development for Behavior Analysts

★★★★★

I enjoyed this presentation from both presenters. I especially enjoyed seeing the steps to desensitization and data from client M

Terre J.Hey, Chillax Man! Understanding the Logic of Anxiety

★★★★★

This helped shape my thoughts on treating ADHD. As well as, thinking about what works for me personally, as someone who also has ADHD

Mirella P.Reframing Behavior through an ADHD Lens

★★★★★

The information in this training was relevant and well presented. I will look for CEUs with this presenter in the future.

Amaria B.Building a Supervision System That Actually Works

★★★★★

I appreciate the relatability of the teach method as well as emphasis on the first caregiver goal not being a clinical one.

Aneesa H.Compliance to Commitment: Seven Habits of the Highly Effective Caregiver Trainer

★★★★★

I appreciated the overview of PDA and the case studies. The practical examples helped connect the concepts to real-world situations.

Vessela I.PDA: What it is and What it isn't

★★★★★

This course helped in understanding how things can go wrong and how to fix them, but also to give greater focus to how the program is designed to give a greater chance of success in the first place.

James S.Assent: Don't just say Yes!

Reviews are quoted as written, with first name and last initial. A few longer ones are shortened.

Tickets

Pick your ticket.

Both tickets include all five live sessions, the session recordings, and 5 BACB Learning CEUs. VIP adds the materials behind each talk.

Standard

$37about $7.40 per CEU

The full live summit and your CEU certificate.

All five live sessions on Friday, November 6
Recordings of every session, with CEUs if you watch instead of attending live
5 BACB Learning CEUs
Certificate issued after you answer each session's attendance codes

Registration and payment are handled securely by OpenCEU.

Add at checkout VIP

$75total

Everything in Standard, plus the materials to keep using after the day.

Everything in the Standard ticket
Transcripts of every session
Session notes
The research articles and summaries behind each talk

How to get VIP: register below, then check the VIP box in the registration form at checkout.

Registration and payment are handled securely by OpenCEU.

CEUs offered by The Behaviorist Book Club, a BACB ACE Provider.

Questions

Before you register.

Registration and payment happen in the form right below this page.

Who is this summit for?

Behavior analysts and clinicians who work with kids. If you write programs, supervise treatment, or make clinical decisions for kids, this is for you. Expect examples you can use with your clients next week.

How do the CEUs work?

Attend each session live and answer the attendance codes that pop up during it, and your certificate is issued. If you watch a recording instead, you also take a short quiz at the end. The full day is 5 BACB Learning CEUs.

What if I can't make it live?

Watch the recordings instead. You still earn the CEUs. Answer the attendance codes that pop up during each recording, pass the short quiz at the end, and your certificate is issued.

What time is it?

Friday, November 6, 2026, live online. Each session is 60 minutes with a 10 minute break between them.

12:00 PMChild Development for Behavior Analysts: The Foundations
1:10 PMFeeding Through a Developmental Lens
2:20 PMExecutive Functioning: What Develops When
3:30 PMChild Development in Schools
4:40 PMSexual Development and Puberty in ABA Practice

All times Eastern. That's 9:00 AM to 2:40 PM Pacific.

Who offers the CEUs?

CEUs are offered by The Behaviorist Book Club, a BACB ACE Provider. You attend and get your certificate on OpenCEU.

What's included with VIP?

VIP is $75 total. It includes everything in the Standard ticket plus transcripts of every session, session notes, and the research articles and summaries behind each talk. Add it with the VIP checkbox in the registration form.

One class in grad school was never going to cover it.

Built for clinicians

Five sessions, from the first years through puberty.

Child Development for Behavior Analysts: The Foundations

Feeding Through a Developmental Lens

Executive Functioning: What Develops When

Child Development in Schools

Sexual Development and Puberty in ABA Practice

What clinicians say after our live talks.

Pick your ticket.

Before you register.

Register Now