Who should attend this event?

The webinar is designed for clinicians, researchers, and professionals working in developmental assessment, early intervention, and behavioral health who are interested in the role of objective data in clinical decision-making.

Can I watch the webinar after the live event?

Yes. Anyone who registers in advance can access the full recording on-demand through BehaviorLive, including CEU credit options for eligible participants.

Who Opens the Door: Ethical Implications of Illinois' New Autism Diagnostic Pathway for Children in Early Intervention

Who Opens the Door: Ethical Implications of Illinois’ New Autism Diagnostic Pathway for Children in Early Intervention

Behavior analysts do not diagnose autism. But for most families, a diagnosis is the front door to behavior-analytic services, and who is allowed to open that door is changing. Illinois Public Act 104-561, which takes effect January 1, 2028, creates a pathway for appropriately trained, licensed speech-language pathologists to diagnose autism in children under age 3 who are enrolled in Illinois Early Intervention and have no known co-occurring medical conditions. The law grew from Northwestern University’s Reduce the Wait research, which examined whether trained Early Intervention clinicians could shorten long diagnostic waits while maintaining diagnostic quality.

In this episode of The EarliPoint Exchange, Dr. Cheryl Tierney and Kirsten Yurich, BCBA, are joined by Megan York Roberts, PhD, CCC-SLP, Professor and Associate Chair in the Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northwestern University, whose research helped inform the Illinois legislation, and Rose Griffin, MA, CCC-SLP, BCBA, founder of ABA Speech, whose work focuses on collaboration between speech-language pathologists and behavior analysts. Together, they examine what this change means for behavior-analytic practice through the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.

The conversation addresses three practice questions. First, how do behavior analysts and dual-credentialed clinicians follow legal requirements, define their professional role, and stay within their scope of competence when a neighboring profession’s scope expands? Second, what should a behavior analyst confirm when a young client arrives with a diagnosis made through a newer pathway, including medical referral, assessment before intervention, collaboration with the diagnosing clinician, and transparent referrals? Third, how do behavior analysts weigh timely access to services against diagnostic accuracy while involving families in informed decisions for children under 3?

Designed for BCBAs and BCaBAs. Relevant Code standards include 1.02, 1.04, 1.05, 2.01, 2.02, 2.09, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, 2.13, 3.12, and 3.13.

Disclosure: The EarliPoint Exchange is affiliated with EarliPoint Health, which develops an FDA-cleared eye-tracking technology used to support autism diagnosis. Co-host Dr. Cheryl Tierney is Chief Medical Officer of EarliPoint Health. This affiliation is disclosed to all participants prior to registration. No guests were compensated, and neither guest held a relationship with EarliPoint Health outside of this event.

The webinar will be held on October 27, 2026, from 12PM-1PM, and includes 1 BACB® GEN CEU. Attendance is included free with a BehaviorLive subscription, and registrants will also have access to the recorded session on-demand for CEUs.

Learning Objectives

- Explain how Ethics Code standards on legal requirements, defined role, and scope of competence (1.02, 1.04, 1.05, 2.01) apply to behavior analysts and dual-credentialed clinicians when a state expands who may diagnose autism.
- Identify at least two actions a behavior analyst should take when accepting a young client whose autism diagnosis was made through an expanded diagnostic pathway, consistent with Code standards on medical needs, assessment, collaboration, and referrals (2.10, 2.12, 2.13, 3.13).
- Describe how behavior analysts can balance timely access to services with diagnostic accuracy while involving families in informed decisions for children under age 3 (2.02, 2.09, 2.11, 3.12).

Pete Polgar

VP of Marketing

Pete Polgar is the Vice President of Marketing at Earlipoint. He leads the company’s marketing strategy, focusing on brand positioning, demand generation, and digital growth. With a background in performance marketing and content strategy, Pete works on aligning marketing initiatives with business development to drive measurable results and expand Earlipoint’s market presence.