Cresanna Kahrl, BCBA, LBA

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

For learners with delays in social awareness and orienting, initial goals may focus on learning to sit (for the child wh...
08/21/2026

For learners with delays in social awareness and orienting, initial goals may focus on learning to sit (for the child who is never still), to respond to auditory cues in the environment (e.g., their name, someone entering the room), or to shift attention between objects and people.

These are just a few examples - always individualize for your learner's unique needs!

Need help getting started? Comment below!

Have you ever tried to establish rapport with a child that is in constant motion? Learning to be in proximity and orient...
08/18/2026

Have you ever tried to establish rapport with a child that is in constant motion?

Learning to be in proximity and orient to others may be missing behavioral cusps for these learners, but it can be established with patience and shaping.

When assessing an early learner, don’t rush into “testing” skills. Take time to observe, to approach slowly, to notice d...
08/16/2026

When assessing an early learner, don’t rush into “testing” skills. Take time to observe, to approach slowly, to notice details.

Is the child comfortable with sharing space?

Do they notice you or are they absorbed in objects or stereotypy?

Will they sit down or are they constantly in motion?

These observations, and others discussed in the slides, are key to pinpointing delays in social awareness and orienting. Taking the time to identify these barriers allows you to design effective programming to establish joint engagement.

What does this child enjoy? In order to build joint engagement, we need to identify what types of interaction are most p...
07/03/2026

What does this child enjoy?

In order to build joint engagement, we need to identify what types of interaction are most preferred.

Try out a few from each category and pay close attention to what gets a smile, approach, eye gaze, shared enjoyment, or anticipation.

Joint engagement skills develop step by step; starting with awareness and observation of others. As each domain gets str...
06/30/2026

Joint engagement skills develop step by step; starting with awareness and observation of others. As each domain gets stronger, skills from the next domain begin to emerge.

What component skills of joint engagement should I assess? Let's start by identifying the 4 domains we need to consider.
06/28/2026

What component skills of joint engagement should I assess? Let's start by identifying the 4 domains we need to consider.

06/12/2026

Slipping away unnoticed within the home may seem harmless at first, but it can be an early warning sign of future elopement risk.

For our free guide on elopement prevention, see link in comments.

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.

Address

Knoxville, TN
37922

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Cresanna Kahrl, BCBA, LBA posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category