Cresanna Kahrl, BCBA, LBA

Cresanna Kahrl, BCBA, LBA Board Certified Behavior Analyst
Case consultation, Clinical mentoring, Autism therapy, Parent coaching, AAC support

Joint engagement is not…- rote social scripts- tacting on demand- scripted responses- following a task analysis to “play...
03/27/2026

Joint engagement is not…

- rote social scripts
- tacting on demand
- scripted responses
- following a task analysis to “play a game with peers”

It is flexible, spontaneous, and joyful!

Joint engagement leads to collateral improvements in other untrained skills, and brings the learner into contact with ne...
03/24/2026

Joint engagement leads to collateral improvements in other untrained skills, and brings the learner into contact with new reinforcers and contingencies.

Did you know that joint engagement is both a pivotal behavior and a behavior cusp? Follow along to get the upcoming post...
03/22/2026

Did you know that joint engagement is both a pivotal behavior and a behavior cusp? Follow along to get the upcoming posts on how I break down these essential early social skills and turn them into measurable goals!

Even with older learners, consider whether these critical early social skills are present. Look for where their social ...
03/20/2026

Even with older learners, consider whether these critical early social skills are present. Look for where their social development stalled and start intervention there.

Being able to perform a social skill on cue isn’t connection. Skills taught by rote are often prompt-dependent, stilted,...
03/17/2026

Being able to perform a social skill on cue isn’t connection. Skills taught by rote are often prompt-dependent, stilted, and difficult to generalize.

Do you struggle to tie goals to the core deficits of autism? Let's talk about treating core deficits and how we can desi...
03/15/2026

Do you struggle to tie goals to the core deficits of autism? Let's talk about treating core deficits and how we can design our interventions and goals to build a strong foundation for play and language by targeting social engagement first!

01/22/2026

Don’t freak out, but, autistic selective eating is ✨NOT always about sensory issues.✨

Yes, texture, smell, temperature, taste, and predictability matter…BUT, research also points to RIGIDITY as a major contributor to “picky eating”.

From the autistic perspective, the rule often isn’t
❌“I can’t eat this because it feels bad.”

It’s more like:
✅“I can’t eat this because I don’t eat this.”

Once a food is categorized as “not something I eat,” that rule can be surprisingly hard to break, even if the sensory experience itself wouldn’t be terrible.

I notice this every time I travel.
Almost every trip, I come home with a new food I’m suddenly willing to eat.

Sometimes it’s a food I’ve genuinely never been exposed to before,
(most recently, clam chowder).

Other times, it’s a food I stopped eating years ago…but while traveling, the usual rules get disrupted and the rigidity breaks.

Once that rule is broken I’m often willing to eat it again at home.

The sensory experience didn’t magically change. What changed was the mental rule around it.

So when we talk about autistic eating, it’s worth remembering that…

Sometimes the most effective support isn’t avoiding new foods or assuming every refusal is sensory-based.

Rather, thoughtful exposure (done respectfully), without pressure is what actually expands flexibility.

This definitely doesn’t mean that exposure works the same way for everyone.

But it does mean recognizing that for many autistic people, rigidity can be just as powerful a barrier as sensory discomfort.

📆 Report due? You got this! Break it into sections, find a starting point, and get writing.
01/16/2026

📆 Report due? You got this!

Break it into sections, find a starting point, and get writing.

⌛ If progress reports tend to sneak up on you, break down the steps and put them on your schedule. I work backward from ...
01/14/2026

⌛ If progress reports tend to sneak up on you, break down the steps and put them on your schedule.

I work backward from the due date and give myself one focus each week: reviewing goals, then updating the assessment, baseline probes, and then writing.

📓📓📓 We all know the feeling when multiple reports end up due together! That's me this month.Here's how I break down the ...
01/12/2026

📓📓📓 We all know the feeling when multiple reports end up due together! That's me this month.

Here's how I break down the steps and finish by the deadline.

What are your favorite tips and strategies for report writing? Share in the comments and save this for your next "crunch time".

Sometimes the best reset is bringing it back to play: pause, join, support engagement, expand, and build little moments ...
01/09/2026

Sometimes the best reset is bringing it back to play: pause, join, support engagement, expand, and build little moments of connection.

Save this for the next time you feel the urge to push - when a reset would work better.
01/06/2026

Save this for the next time you feel the urge to push - when a reset would work better.

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