Recorded: Utilization of ACT methodology to assist with arousal-related sensory overload in Autistic clients

**This course will provide the participant with 1 General Learning Type BACB CEU**

Description of General Learning Type CE Event: Sensory overload is a common experience in Autistic humans’ lives, and feels incredibly uncomfortable, beyond the experiences common to being neurotypical, even when facing sensory discomforts. Add in, then, the powerful sensations correlated with sexual arousal, and there can be a recipe for disaster in some folx’s lives -- traumatizing sexual experiences that result in avoidance of intimacy with partners, and sometimes even with the self. This 1-hour session is designed to help Behavior Analysts empathize further with Autistic clients experiencing sensory overload and to provide a clear method by which clients can be assisted in addressing such so they can more comfortably experience aspects of sex they express they want.

Instructor Bio: Nicholas Maio-Aether owns Empowered: A Center for Sexuality in St Louis, where he and his occasional teams of partnered Universities' students work to assist humans with and without disabilities achieve sexual access, sexual freedom, gender affirmation, and self-control of compulsive behaviors. Nicholas works throughout the US training BCBAs/Behavior Analysts so persons in Individualized Supportive Living (ISL) programs gain access to applicable and generalizable comprehensive sex ed and sexual opportunities. Nicholas provides Sexual Behavior Analysis, and has assisted polycules, kinksters, gay couples, trans and nonbinary humans, among others, on their journeys. Trained by GLSEN in 2003, Nicholas started Gay-Straight Alliances across Alaska while in high school, and provided them sex ed materials and trainings. Nicholas spent five years managing Hustler Hollywood in St Louis before moving into Behavior Analysis, and joined AASECT, where he currently sits on two committees. He then completed a Sex Therapy practicum under Linda Weiner, LMSW, CSTS, in 2019 before getting a second Masters in Marriage & Family Therapy, and meeting those hour requirements under Angela Skurtu, LMFT, CST, along with his LGBTQIA+ Family Systems Specialist certificate in 2021.

Target Audience: Behavior Analysts who work with Autistic clients of any age from 9+.

To earn credit, you will be required to attend the live online session and pass a quiz about it with a score of 100%. You can retake the quiz as many times as needed, but you may not receive exactly the same questions each time.