Balance: Review + Q&A

**This is a non-CEU course**

The Balance program helps caregivers teach young children to communicate, cope with hearing “no,” and cooperate before problem behavior becomes severe. In this informal Q&A, Dr. Kelsey Ruppel answers practitioners’ questions about using Balance in real-world settings: who it’s for, how it compares to skill-based treatment and Preschool Life Skills, and how to support families when life gets in the way of practice. The session ends with a walkthrough of the Balance data sheet.

What is covered

• How Balance differs from SBT, and when severe problem behavior calls for a professional-led PFA/SBT first
• Why simply observing problem behavior can carry more risk than a well-designed functional analysis
• Using Balance alongside SBT as a caregiver training tool
• Balance vs. Preschool Life Skills, and adapting for group homes, preschools, siblings, RBTs, and multiple caregivers
• Who may benefit
• Practical tips for busy households
• Keeping the EO meaningful, progressing it within a trial, and how to score those trials
• When to expect generalization and how to plan for it across contexts
• Building caregiver buy-in, common barriers, and when a technician vs. a parent should lead
• Telehealth coaching using a discreet earpiece
• A walkthrough of the Balance data sheet

Meet the Hosts

Dr. Kelsey Ruppel, BCBA-D, has more than 14 years of experience serving children, adolescents, and adults with autism and related diagnoses. She began as a teaching assistant in a specialized school, then earned a master’s degree in special education from Johns Hopkins University and became a licensed special education teacher. She has worked as a school, home, clinic, and inpatient hospital BCBA, taught as a faculty fellow at Western New England University, and served as associate director of Dr. Greg Hanley’s Life Skills Clinic. Her doctoral work at WNEU, completed under Dr. Hanley, focused on preventing problem behavior in young children with autism. She is a consultant with FTF Behavioral Consulting.

Moderated by Hillary Laney, BCBA

Published July 2022