Abstract of the Speech.

Pre-conference Workshop:
Flexing the Hexaflex: The Science and Practice of ACT with Children
This skills-based pre-conference workshop advances Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for children and early adolescents within a developmentally attuned, process-based framework grounded in functional contextualism, Behavior Analysis and Relational Frame Theory (RFT). Particular emphasis is placed on two complementary conditions of application: (1) cases in which verbally mediated processes (e.g., rule-governed behavior, cognitive fusion, rigid evaluative repertoires) constitute the primary source of suffering, and (2) cases in which distress is largely organized by the direct contingencies of learning. Instruction focuses on formulating each case along this continuum (verbally mediated ↔ contingency-shaped), identifying  therapeutic targets, and selecting parsimonious therapeutic kernels to influence those targets while clearly distinguishing procedures from processes. Child-adapted ACT methods (“flexing the hexaflex”) are illustrated through developmentally appropriate metaphors and experiential exercises to cultivate defusion, willingness, self-as-context/perspective-taking, and values-based action when verbal processes dominate; when direct contingencies are central, functional integration with ABA-consistent procedures (e.g., stimulus control, shaping, token economies, schedule thinning) is specified to alter context and function. Developmental considerations (AARR growth, rule-governed behavior, behavioral cusps) guide adaptation across home and school, with emphasis on pairing and caregiver-mediated coaching. Experiential demonstrations, structured role-plays, and formulation labs are used to practice measurement-based, session-by-session monitoring and explicit pivot rules for maintaining or revising targets when processes do not change.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Differentiate cases primarily governed by verbally mediated processes versus those shaped by direct contingencies of learning, listing ≥3 observable indicators for each pathway in children aged 7–14.
2. Formulate an idiographic, process-focused case map that locates the case along the verbal–contingency continuum, selects 1–2 primary targets, and specifies contextual levers (home/school) and functional hypotheses.
3. Select and justify therapeutic kernels matched to the dominant pathway: at least two child-adapted ACT procedures (e.g., defusion, willingness, self-as-context, values/committed action) when verbal processes predominate, and at least two ABA-consistent procedures (e.g., stimulus control, shaping, token economy) when contingencies predominate.
4. Implement ≥3 developmentally appropriate micro-interventions and coach caregivers through one structured sequence (set-up → model → rehearsal → plan → troubleshoot) for home/school generalization.
5. Monitor change using 2–3 session-by-session markers per target process and document data to inform decisions.
6. Apply explicit pivot rules/decision thresholds to maintain, augment, or switch targets when process markers do not improve within 2–3 sessions.
7. Integrate interventions into school and home routines by producing a two-week plan with embedded practice opportunities and supports (cues, reinforcement, step-downs).

Plenary Session
Equity in Uncertainty: How Science Thrives Through Diversity and Inclusion
Science grows at the edges of what we don’t yet know. When the destination is uncertain, progress depends on generating variety—more kinds of questions, more possible answers, more ways to test them, and more people bringing different experiences to the table. In this light, equity, diversity, and inclusion are not just ethical commitments; they are methodological tools. They widen the space of ideas we consider, lower the chance that a team makes the same mistake in the same way, and make conclusions sturdier across settings and populations.
There is a risk on the other side: ideological hardening. When researchers fuse with their beliefs—treating preferred theories as facts—they filter out disconfirming data, cling to familiar methods, and narrow inquiry just when it should be most open. That kind of fusion slows learning and limits what science can do.
Within the Contextual Behavioral Science (CBS) perspective, the epistemology and method are already oriented toward this uncertainty-aware stance. A functional–contextual approach, a pragmatic truth criterion (what predicts and influences with precision, scope, and depth), and methodological pluralism (from single-case designs to mixed methods) fit naturally with process-based thinking and inclusive co-production of questions and outcomes. In short, CBS builds the habits that keep inquiry flexible and cumulative.
Those habits can—and should—be cultivated as skills. Scientific work benefits from defusion (seeing thoughts as thoughts rather than facts) and acceptance (tolerating frustration from null or negative findings and the many stretches of “groping in the dark”). Anchoring these skills to values of sharing, inclusion, and prosociality helps teams act accordingly. Here, Elinor Ostrom’s principles for governing the commons offer a practical map: shared norms, transparency, reciprocal monitoring, fair credit, fast and fair conflict resolution, and polycentric governance. Practiced this way, EDI is more than training—it promotes everyday prosocial conduct among researchers and professionals, accelerating reliable discovery and, ultimately, expanding what we can do to reduce human suffering.

In-Congress Half-Day Workshop
ACT for Autism: Complementing ABA with a Process-Based Approach
This skills-based workshop presents Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a process-based complement to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for autistic children and adolescents. A functional contextual account is used to map cases along a continuum from behavior primarily shaped by direct contingencies to behavior primarily governed by verbally mediated processes (e.g., rule-governed behavior, pliance/tracking/augmenting, cognitive fusion), clarifying when ACT processes are the proximal targets and when ABA procedures are the primary levers. Developmentally attuned adaptations of ACT (defusion, willingness, self-as-context/perspective-taking, values/committed action) are illustrated alongside ABA-consistent kernels (stimulus control, shaping, token economies) to alter contextual functions across home and school. Emphasis is placed on neurodiversity-affirming practice, caregiver-mediated coaching, and measurement-based decision-making with explicit pivot rules when process markers do not change. Brief demonstrations and case labs show how to integrate RFT-informed analysis of verbal processes (including deictic and hierarchical framing) with contingency-level interventions to address inflexibility, experiential avoidance, and context-bound rigid patterns often co-occurring with anxiety and mood symptoms in autism.

Learning Objectives
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Differentiate presentations primarily governed by verbal processes vs direct contingencies, listing ≥3 observable indicators for each pathway in autistic youth.
2. Formulate an idiographic, process-focused map that locates a case on the verbal–contingency continuum, selects 1–2 primary targets, and specifies contextual levers (home/school).
3. Select and justify ACT procedures when verbal control predominates (defusion, willingness, self-as-context, values/action) and ABA-consistent procedures when contingency control predominates (stimulus control, shaping, token economies).
4. Implement ≥3 developmentally appropriate micro-interventions and coach caregivers via a structured sequence (set-up → model → rehearsal → plan → troubleshoot).
5. Monitor change with 2–3 session-by-session markers per target process and apply pivot rules to maintain, augment, or switch targets within 2–3 sessions.