2026 Positive Support Conference

Welcome to the Minnesota Positive Supports Get Together

Minnesota Leading Forward: Reimagining Systems That Work for Everyone  Rachel Freeman, Stacy Nonnemacher, Stacy Danov, Rebecca Lambert, Beth Johnson,  and Terri Williams

Systems Navigation: Accessing Care for Children and Adults with Developmental Disabilities and Behavioral Needs Across Systems, Services, and Positive Supports in Minnesota (Session 1a, Room 2360)

Accessing needed care, supports, and services for children and adults with developmental disabilities and behavioral needs often requires navigation of multiple systems and processes. Barriers to care access can prevent or delay when people access services and supports, with disparities in wait times and care access in rural regions in Greater Minnesota and for racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse populations. The current presentation will discuss evidence-practices and current initiatives, such as Project Extension for Community Healthcare (Project ECHO) models, to promote regional capacity and systems navigation in Minnesota. Jessica Simacek and Danelle Dunphy

Category: Systems

People Planning Together (Session 1b, Room 2370)

People Planning Together is a type of Person Centered Training that is focused more on people with disabilities/self-advocates than professionals like typical Person-Centered trainings are. It is taught by a person with a disability, and the audience is people with disabilities. Participants talk about the things that are important to and for them, their strengths, and their hopes for the future. They come away with a plan to make that happen, and more confidence to advocate for it. This session will be an overview of the People Planning Together Curriculum and will highlight strategies that support meaningful collaboration, elevate the voice of the person, and ensure plans reflect what is important to and for the individual.  Cortney Cressin, Randall Oldenburg, Brittany Wood, and Sophie Iverson

Category: Practice

Key Principles and Practices in Trauma-informed Supports (Session 1c, Room 2380)

This presentation targets both the principles involved, and core effective practices used in developing trauma-informed supports. The presenter addresses the features of self-regulation and intentionality as key to understanding what safety feels like and means for the individual. Building that safety involves being prompted by what you are seeing, and responding to the trigger and the context, rather than responding with a strict behavioral procedure. Tips and tools on building effective trauma-informed supports are presented.   Margaret Moore

Category: Practice

Details on this Regional Network session coming soon (Room 2360)

Details on this PBS Workbook session coming soon (Room 2370)

Details on this Tier 3 Trauma session coming soon (Room 2380)

A Box Lunch will be provided for those attending in person. Additional Information Coming Soon

Using Coaching Strategies Across Tiers: Supporting Staff by Creating Career Pathways in Positive Supports (Session 3a, Room 2360)

This presentation will highlight the key elements of coaching in positive supports across different implementation tiers. Different types of coaching strategies will be shared with examples from Minnesota organizations. Coaching staff in positive supports involve attending to social well-being, providing learning opportunities that work for each person, relationship building, and ongoing positive learning opportunities. Come learn more about how one organization in Minnesota is piloting a career pathway for direct support staff to learn more about positive supports to encourage professional growth and development within their jobs. Heather Wilford & Rachel Freeman

Category: Systems
Level: Not Introductory

What’s the Status of Seeing the Vision Fulfilled: Where Have We Come From and Where Are We Going? (Session 3b, Room 2370)

This session will review the originating vision of a person-centered support system, and the history of what has transpired in Minnesota in the shift from a system-centered, agency-centered system to a more person-centered one. Participants will have a chance to evaluate where we are now in this transition, and identify some key directions to both maintain where we are and to identify what needs to expand in the future. Angela Amado & Stacy Danov

Category: Practice
Level: Not Introductory

Integrating Positive Behavior Support with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Treat Anxiety in Individuals with Autism and IDD (Session 3c, Room 2380)

Despite the high risk of anxiety disorders in autistic individuals, few clinical services address this need, especially for those with Intellectual Disability (ID). This presentation will explore how to treat anxiety in individuals with autism and/or IDD using a multicomponent framework that integrates Positive Behavior Support (PBS) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). We will demonstrate how to blend traditional CBT strategies (like gradual exposure and cognitive restructuring) into a PBS Prevent-Replace-Respond framework. Attendees will learn actionable PBS strategies to minimize anxiety triggers, replace anxious behaviors with approach/coping behaviors, and positively reinforce approach/coping behaviors.  Lauren Moscowitz

Category: Practice
Level: Not Introductory

Learn More About How Organizations are Implementing Systems Change and Positive Supports in Minnesota (Session 4a Room 2360)

Moving beyond “one-shot” workshops to implement positive support practices that are person-centered and provide people with lived experiences with services they can choose from as they build on their dreams for the future can be challenging. This presentation will include multiple examples from greater Minnesota describing how organizations are implementing systems change to improve their services and set the stage for positive supports to be sustainable over time. Rachel Freeman, Melanie Eidsmoe, Amber Bryant, and Danelle Dunphy

Category: Systems

Details on this Direct Care and Treatment session coming soon  (Session 4b, Room 2370)

The Impact of Medication on Functional Analysis Outcomes (Session 4c, Room 2380)

Psychotropic medications are prescribed for challenging behavior in over 50% of autistic children (e.g., Mandell et al., 2008) and nearly 80% of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (e.g., Yoshida, Lunsky, Muller, & Desarkar, 2025). For many individuals, psychotropic medications are used alongside behavioral assessments and interventions. A series of studies in which a functional analysis was conducted prior to and during medication trials will be presented. The studies looked at the effects of antipsychotic medication (e.g., Risperdal) as well as stimulant medications (e.g., Adderall) on a variety of interfering behaviors. Results demonstrated that outcomes of functional analyses were affected by dosage, timing, and reductions in medications across 22 participants. Whether medications have a function-specific effect or not, will be discussed. In addition, a case example will be presented and participants can provide suggestions about next steps for the individual described. Jennifer Zarcone

Category: Practice
Level: Not Introductory

Closing Session

Coming Soon