Neurodiversity & Behavior: Ethical Supports via BCBA Collaboration

Neurodiversity & Behavior in General Education: Ethical Supports Through BCBA Collaboration

Summary:

Join The NIA for an insightful and solution-focused session designed to empower educators, BCBAs, and school-based professionals in effectively supporting neurodiverse students in general education settings. This training will explore the unique behavioral and emotional profiles of learners, highlighting how these differences can be misunderstood as misbehavior.

Description of Presentation

This session will explore how neurodiverse learners—such as students with anxiety, autism, ADHD, sensory processing differences, PDD, or PDA—may present unique behavioral and emotional profiles in general education settings. Participants will learn how to support behavior that stems from skill deficits rooted in neurodiversity, with a focus on preventing misinterpretation and reducing punitive or exclusionary practices.

This presentation will provide practical and proactive strategies for supporting students in inclusive classrooms. Emphasis will be placed on embedding ethical, individualized, and data-driven behavioral supports that promote safety, dignity, and learning.

Attendees will also explore the critical role of the BCBA in collaborating with general education staff to implement these supports effectively. This includes training and coaching educators to recognize neurodiverse needs, respond with compassion, and foster a classroom environment that is both inclusive and responsive to all learners.

Designed for BCBAs, educators, and school-based professionals, this session aims to bridge the gap between behavior support and neurodiversity-affirming practices in today’s classrooms.

Questions??

Please email Tisha Seward at tseward@thenia.org or call 779-248-2341

3 - ACE CREDITS

3 - ISBE PD CREDITS

Megan Pennington, M.A., BCBA

Megan Pennington is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst with a career dedicated to supporting individuals with developmental disabilities across the lifespan. She began her work in the field as a high school autism teacher and has since held a variety of roles, including Executive Director of a service coordination agency, provider of home-based PBIS, early intervention specialist, and school-based behavior analyst.

Megan earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a K–12 emphasis in Special Education and a master’s degree in General Special Education Programming with a focus on autism from Marshall University. She later completed her certification in Applied Behavior Analysis through the University of Cincinnati. Among her professional accomplishments, she authored her state’s first Title XIX waiver curriculum credentialing behavior support professionals.

Her special interests include Practical Functional Assessment and Skills-Based Treatment (PFA & SBT), the Balance Program, and strategies for increasing active engagement. Megan is passionate about empowering learners, families, and professionals through evidence-based, compassionate approaches to behavioral support.