Laura Walsh Martino, MEd, BCBA, and Sarah McCarthy, MA, BCBA, are clinical leaders with Amal Behavioural Health Supports at Amal Youth & Family Centre in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Together, they have played a central role in developing and expanding a compassionate, behaviour-informed service model supporting children, youth, adults, and families with complex needs across community, residential, and clinical settings.
Both Laura and Sarah specialize in working with individuals who present with significant challenging behaviour, including those with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and experiences of trauma. Their work is grounded in a shared commitment to dignity, safety, and meaningful quality of life, with an emphasis on relational, trauma-informed, and neurodiversity-affirming care.
They hold advanced credentials in Practical Functional Assessment and Skills-Based Treatment (PFA-SBT) and are deeply committed to translating behaviour analytic principles into accessible, real-world practice. Laura is currently completing her PhD in Community Health at Memorial University, focusing on social justice and equity in health, while Sarah brings over 15 years of experience in frontline and leadership roles, with a foundation in Child and Youth Care and Relational Practice.
Together, they are passionate about bridging theory and practice, centering lived experience, and supporting teams to create more compassionate, accessible systems of care.
Breakout Session:
Accessible by Design: Reimagining Behaviour Support Through Relationships and Lived Experience
This presentation examines how challenging behaviour can be understood and addressed through a relational, compassionate, and behaviour-informed framework in school and support settings. Rather than positioning behaviour as something to be controlled, this approach recognizes behaviour as meaningful communication shaped by environmental, relational, and systemic factors.
Framed within the broader context of accessibility and inclusion, this session highlights how adult responses, environmental design, and relational safety contribute to creating spaces where individuals can meaningfully participate, engage, and thrive. Participants will be introduced to foundational behaviour analytic concepts translated into practical strategies, including co-regulation, proactive environmental supports, and the use of clear, compassionate boundaries. To enhance applied understanding, the session incorporates video examples from real-world practice, illustrating how these approaches can be implemented in authentic contexts. These examples support participants in translating theory into accessible, responsive practice across settings.
Grounded in trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming principles, this work is informed by lived experience through Amal Behavioural Health Supports, where individuals, families and front-line staff play a central role in shaping assessment, intervention, and decision-making. This collaborative, person-centered and relational approach reflects a commitment to designing services that are responsive to the diverse needs, voices, and experiences of those we support. By centering relationships, lived experience, and thoughtful design this work contributes to a future where accessibility is embedded in everyday practice, not added as an afterthought.
