PEAT NI - Parents Education as Autism Therapists

08/09/2025

📸 The conference in Japan has now come to an end. This picture shows some of the giants in the field of Applied Behaviour Analysis

Among them, a country the size of Northern Ireland had two representatives: Professor Mickey Keenan and Emeritus Professor Karola Dillenburger. ✨ When you think of it, it’s truly remarkable that these professionals are so well-renowned and respected globally — and yet here at home, Mickey and Karola are NOT consulted in the development of behavioural support or autism strategies set out by our government.

This makes their achievement even more inspiring. They reached this stage with little encouragement, and despite the challenges of working in Northern Ireland’s current system. That’s something to be proud of. 👏

But it also highlights an important truth: we need to do more. Parents, families, and allies have a vital role to play. Your voices can help ensure Mickey and Karola’s expertise is recognised, their efforts are supported, and that evidence-based behavioural support is made accessible to every family who needs it.

🌍 Let’s make sure Northern Ireland is not just represented abroad, but also listened to at home. Stand with Mickey and Karola — add your voice, ask questions, and let decision-makers know that parents expect more.

2025 World Autism Summit
Organisers and keynote speakers in Hakodate, Japan


Centre for Behaviour Analysis

08/09/2025

Emeritus Professor Karola Dillenburger presenting on the role of parents as therapists for their autistic children at the recent World Autism Summit in Japan.

During the talk she discussed Simple Steps - a free online training package for parents - made in collaboration with PEAT

https://simplestepsautism.com

Again thank you Dr Michael Nicolosi for the synopsis

05/09/2025

PEATs Founder Prof. Mickey Keenan presenting today at the tsunageru ABA: World Autism Summit in Japan

Thank you to Dr Michael Nicolosi for the synopsis

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CZtLWjmDY/?mibextid=wwXIfr

30/08/2025

🎒💬 ABA & School Refusal: Helping Autistic Children Face School with Confidence 💬🎒

And just like that we are back to school!!!

For some autistic children, going to school can feel overwhelming — changes in routine, social pressures, or past negative experiences can lead to school refusal. 😟🏫

If your child struggles with getting to school, you’re not alone — and ABA therapy can help.

🌟 How ABA Supports Children with School Refusal:

🔹 Identifying Triggers: ABA starts by understanding why school refusal is happening. Is it the morning rush? Separation from a parent? Using tools like ABC data, we find patterns and pinpoint the cause.

🔹 Teaching Coping Skills: ABA helps children learn ways to manage being in school — from relaxation strategies to asking for help appropriately.

🔹 Gradual Exposure: For many children, ABA uses systematic desensitisation — slowly and gently building tolerance for school-related tasks, from just getting dressed in the morning to walking into the school building.

🔹 Positive Reinforcement: ABA uses reinforcement and encouragement to help children associate school with positive experiences and success.

🔹 Collaborating with Parents & Schools: ABA professionals work closely with families and educators to create consistent routines, strategies, and supports across environments.

❤️ With the right support, children can learn to feel safe, capable, and even excited about school again.

You don’t have to face this alone. ABA can be a powerful part of the solution — bringing structure, understanding, and support to your child’s journey back to school.

24/08/2025

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40614-025-00468-y

‘In Defense of Applied Behavior Analysis and Evidence-Based Practice’, a powerful new commentary showing that ABA is rooted in compassion, choice, and meaningful outcomes for autistic individuals and others with developmental disabilities. We’re proud to support a humanistic, evidence-based approach to behavior that honours autonomy, strengthens wellbeing, and empowers individuals to flourish. 💛🧩

This commentary critically appraises attacks on applied behavior analysis (ABA) from outside and—increasingly—within the field. Commonly repeated attacks are that ABA is coercive and suppresses individual identity, aligns with the medical model, causes trauma, and, in more extreme cases, constit...

15/08/2025

Using ABA for You, Not Just Your Kids 💛

When we hear “Applied Behaviour Analysis” (ABA), we often think about strategies to help children learn new skills or reduce behaviours of concern.
But here’s the thing—ABA isn’t just for kids. It’s for all of us.

Parents, you can use ABA principles to help manage your own stress and wellbeing too. Here’s how:

✅ Identify your triggers. Notice what situations or times of day leave you feeling tense. Awareness is the first step to change.

✅ Set yourself up for success. Just like we do for our kids, adjust your environment.
• Need a calm start to the day? Prep lunches the night before.
• Struggle with overwhelm? Break tasks into smaller, manageable steps.

✅ Reinforce yourself. Celebrate the small wins—whether it’s a quiet cup of tea after school drop-off or watching your favourite show at the end of a busy day. Reinforcement isn’t just for kids

✅ Replace, don’t just remove. If you want to reduce an stress-triggering habit (like doomscrolling before bed), replace it with something that meets your needs-like listening to calming music or reading.

✅ Track your progress. Even jotting down one positive thing each day can help you see growth and keep going.

Remember—behaviour change isn’t about being perfect. It’s about noticing what works for you, and doing more of that.

The same principles we use to help our children can be powerful tools to help us be calmer, more balanced, and more present.

Because when you take care of yourself, you’re better able to take care of them. 💕

13/08/2025

Hi all

Mid-week reminder

Our next FREE Parent Training in ABA is this Saturday morning

See the link below for details

12/08/2025

2025 new EABA Blog about the summerschool
by Scott Graham

When summer rolls around, I usually picture beach trips, barbecues, and long walks with my dog. But after attending the 2025 EABA Summer School, I’ve got a new highlight to look forward to each year.
Now, some people might think that spending part of your summer in lectures and workshops sounds dull. But judging by the hundreds of people, from all around the world, who joined (around 800 participants for each ABA session and 600 for the EAB session), there are plenty of us who know better.
So, what made my first EABA Summer School so worthwhile? Let me take you through it.

The first session was led by Rasmi Krippendorf, focusing on the application of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) in mainstream schools—a topic close to my heart.
What resonated most was Rasmi’s emphasis on collaboration. He highlighted the importance of working closely with teachers and schools, ensuring interventions are evidence-based and fit within real classroom contexts. One key takeaway was that sometimes, to earn trust and buy-in, behaviour analysts need to start the implementation process themselves. By showing teachers the impact in action, we make it easier for them to embrace and sustain new strategies.
This wasn’t just theory; it was a refreshing, pragmatic approach to bridging the gap between behavioural science and day-to-day teaching. The lesson, though, was topped off by Rasmi’s singing. Yes, you read that right! You can watch the talk here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNYEuY46swE&t=1614s

Next, Dr. Tia Martin delivered a powerful session on behavioural training for critical safety skills, a topic that is as urgent as it is important.
Tia outlined some sobering statistics: autistic children face heightened safety risks in areas such as water safety and road safety, risks that contribute to higher mortality rates in the autistic population. The message was clear: prevention is vital. Or as Tia (and Benjamin Franklin) put it, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
What made this session stand out was the practical focus. Tia didn’t just share examples of safety programs; she demonstrated how crucial it is to practice and transfer these skills from the controlled environment of the classroom into real-world (safe) situations. It was a vivid reminder that teaching skills is only half the job. Ensuring they stick when they’re needed most is the other half. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz-Hnpssi8E&list=PL5foR0WsEMRPlUqRIrJA7KUg7-oSWcJSQ

Then came a shift in focus, from individual safety to societal harmony. Dr. Colin Harte took us on an eye-opening journey into how Relational Frame Theory (RFT) can be used to analyse political polarisation.
In today’s climate of increasingly entrenched political and societal divides, this session could not have been more relevant. Through a combination of conceptual insights and empirical evidence, Colin unpacked the behavioural principles underpinning polarisation, explaining how language, context, and relational networks reinforce and deepen divisions.
Even more inspiring were the practical suggestions for change. Colin outlined ways behavioural science could be applied to encourage more open dialogue, reduce conflict, and, dare I say, help create a more harmonious world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u55jRSmAbU&t=72s

The final session brought us back to the classroom with Dr. Janet Twyman and her talk, ‘Seven Superpowers of Behaviour Change Agents’.
Janet’s presentation was both uplifting and practical. She shared clear, actionable strategies for improving student academic outcomes, reducing disruptive behaviour, and, I would suggest, reducing teacher stress. The “superpowers” were not mystical abilities, but concrete, research-based practices that anyone in education can adopt to make meaningful change.
I found myself scribbling notes at lightning speed, not just because of the wealth of ideas, but because I could immediately see how they could be applied in my own work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTZtRyKK7p0

Looking back, the 2025 EABA Summer School gave me much more than I expected. I gained new knowledge, discovered innovative strategies, and left feeling deeply inspired.
From Rasmi Kruppendorf’s reminder that collaboration is the bridge between evidence and practice, to Dr. Tia Martin’s call for real-world safety skill training, to Dr. Colin Harte’s behavioural blueprint for addressing polarisation, and Dr. Janet Twyman’s empowering toolkit for educators - every session added something valuable to my professional toolkit.
And yes, I’ll admit it, the free CEUs were a nice bonus.
So, as the summer of 2025 draws to a close, I’m already anticipating next year’s event. In addition to the usual summer countdown to beaches, BBQs and walks with my dog, my calendar now has a new, brightly circled highlight: EABA Summer School 2026.
Because when learning is this engaging, practical, and inspiring, it’s not just professional development, it’s something to look forward to all year.

NB, to earn free CEUs for 2025EABA summer school talks go to www.behaviorlive.com. You will find the talks under 'courses on demand'.


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11/08/2025

📢 Update on Our Efforts to Get ABA into the Mainstream 📢

A few weeks ago, Peat submitted two Freedom of Information (FOI) requests—one to the Department of Health and one to the Department of Education—asking a very straightforward question:

Has the misinformation about ABA been corrected, or what actions have been taken to correct it?

Sadly, the responses were exactly what many might expect… no action has been taken to put the record straight.

In response to this, Professor Mickey Keenan and Professor Karola Dillenburger have written the letter linked below. This letter has been sent to the leaders of all political parties in Northern Ireland, and to the country’s biggest radio show—The Stephen Nolan Show—so the issue cannot be ignored.

We believe in being open and transparent with parents. You deserve to know that we are doing everything we can to ensure ABA becomes part of the mainstream, so that families don’t have to pay out of pocket for evidence-based supports that their children deserve.

📄 Read the full letter here:

Shared with Dropbox

06/08/2025

🧠🌟 Teaching New Skills with ABA: The Power of Prompting 🌟🧠

When teaching new skills to children, one key ABA strategy makes a BIG difference: prompting.

🔹 What is prompting?
Prompting means giving a gentle “nudge” — like a gesture, a verbal cue, or physical guidance — to help a child successfully complete a task or behaviour they’re still learning.

👉 Whether it’s brushing teeth, asking for help, or following directions, prompts help set the stage for success. Instead of waiting for a child to fail or get frustrated, we step in just enough to guide them toward doing it correctly.

💡 Why is prompting so important in ABA?

✅ It builds confidence and reduces frustration

✅ It increases the chances of immediate success

✅ It teaches the right behaviour from the start

✅ It helps children learn through repeated success

✅ It gives them the support they need — and slowly fades away as they gain independence

💬 Think of it like training wheels — helpful at first, but not forever.

When done correctly, prompting isn’t just about getting a child to do something — it’s about building their skills, confidence, and independence one step at a time. 🌱

Want to learn more? Our next FREE parent training in ABA session is August 16th at Ulster University Belfast Campus 10am-12pm . Keep an eye out for further information.