Cresanna Kahrl, BCBA, LBA

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

If I notice these skills are missing or inconsistent, I follow up with additional assessment of joint engagement.
05/08/2026

If I notice these skills are missing or inconsistent, I follow up with additional assessment of joint engagement.

Connection is built one moment at a time.
05/06/2026

Connection is built one moment at a time.

Most babies enjoy attention … in early infancy they discover that eye contact, coos, and wiggles are reinforced with car...
05/03/2026

Most babies enjoy attention … in early infancy they discover that eye contact, coos, and wiggles are reinforced with caregiver approach, smiles, and voices.

In babies with autism, this critical early connection may be disrupted:

🔹 the baby may be overstimulated by eye contact, voices, and touch and quickly become dysregulated, or
🔹 the baby may be absorbed by environmental stimuli such as lights or fans, failing to respond consistently to caregiver interactions

In both situations, caregivers are likely to feel confused and discouraged by their baby’s unexpected response.

Through coaching, we can support caregivers to recognize engagement opportunities, respond in ways that support engagement, and experience more moments of connection with their child.

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.

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