Brain and Behavior: Science of Happiness
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.
Watch Next
Studying Social Motivation in Young Children
Barbara Thompson, PhD
Dr. Thompson will share her current research on the development of social motivation in neurodiverse and typically developing children.
Autism in the Wild: Creating Technologies to Support More Effective Interventions in Real-World Environments.
Dr. Matthew S. Goodwin
How can technology help us better understand and support autistic people in daily life? In this presentation, Matthew Goodwin, PhD,…
The Evaluation and Care of the Individual with Autism Having Aggressive or Self-Injurious Behavior
Lauren Moskowitz, PhD, Stephen M. Edelson, PhD
Aggressive and self-injurious behavior may occur in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and can present significant clinical, ethical, and safety…
2026 Research Updates: GI Symptoms & Behavior
Bradley Ferguson, MA, PhD
Dr. Bradley Ferguson, PhD, a 2024 research grant recipient, will share emerging research on the interaction of GI symptoms and behavior in…