Roadmapping: A Guide to Lasting Independence

This 1.5-hour workshop introduces behavior analysts to "Road Mapping," a person-centered planning framework designed to build sustainable, long-term independence for learners. Moving beyond isolated target behaviors, participants will explore how to anchor behavior plans to client-chosen values and systematically structure daily intervention toward long-term goals. Using a travel-based conceptual model—Vacation (long-term goal), Itinerary (task analysis and prompt fading), Excursions (adaptation and troubleshooting), Length of Stay (timelines and outcome measurement), and Leave a Review (interdisciplinary collaboration)—this presentation equips practitioners with functional tools to adapt programming without compromising the learner's terminal vision. The session includes an interactive case workshop where attendees apply the five-stage road-mapping protocol.

Applied behavior analytic interventions frequently succeed in teaching immediate discrete skills, yet service delivery can struggle with seamless generalization and lasting client self-determination. This presentation provides an applied, five-stage framework—"Road Mapping"—that integrates core behavior-analytic technologies (task analysis, stimulus fading, objective data tracking) into person-centered, values-directed programming. Attendees will examine how to operationalize long-term client destinations into graduated milestones and manageable daily steps. The session also details data-driven decision-making strategies to navigate clinical plateaus, behavioral regressions, and environmental transitions without losing sight of the overarching goal. In addition, the course emphasizes ethical and collaborative practice by structuring regular feedback mechanisms that elevate the learner’s voice, align multi-disciplinary team members, and set measurable timelines for fading behavioral supports. The workshop concludes with an applied practice activity where attendees construct a sample road map using provided workshop materials.

1.5 CEUs (1 learning, 0.5 ethics) · 90 min

1. 1By the end of this 1.5-hour session, participants will be able to:
2. 2Formulate meaningful, observable, and socially valid long-term independence goals centered on learner values and input from their circle of support (BACB Task List: H-1, H-2).
3. 3Design an individualized instructional itinerary by task-analyzing complex long-term outcomes into sequential milestones and integrating systematic prompt-fading procedures (BACB Task List: G-11, G-14).
4. 4Apply data-based decision rules to modify behavioral programming when facing client plateaus, setbacks, or environmental shifts while preserving the terminal target (BACB Task List: H-6, H-7).
5. 5Develop an interdisciplinary review schedule and fading timeline that incorporates multi-tiered stakeholder feedback, prioritizing client assent and autonomy (Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts: Section 2.01, 2.09, 2.11).