The authors.

Peter F. Gerhardt, Ed.D.

Executive Director, the EPIC Programs · Affiliate Professor, Endicott College

Dr. Gerhardt is the Executive Director of the EPIC Programs in Paramus, New Jersey, which provide comprehensive and individualized behavior analytic supports and interventions to children and adults with autism. He also serves as an Affiliate Professor and doctoral advisor at Endicott College’s Institute for Applied Behavioral Sciences.

He has nearly forty years of experience applying the principles of applied behavior analysis in support of adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders, in educational, employment, residential, and community-based settings. He is the author, co-author, or editor of numerous articles, chapters, and books on the needs of adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder, and is a highly regarded speaker sought out nationally and internationally.

Dr. Gerhardt serves as Founding Chair of the Scientific Council for the Organization for Autism Research, which has funded more than $4 million in applied research grants to date. He sits on numerous professional advisory boards, is a trustee of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, and reviews for several behavior-analytic and autism-specific journals. He received his doctorate from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey’s Graduate School of Education.

Shanna Bahry, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Board Certified Behavior Analyst — Doctoral · LABA (MA) · LBA (RI)

Dr. Bahry is a board-certified, doctoral-level behavior analyst and a licensed behavior analyst in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She has worked with individuals with autism spectrum and related disorders for over fifteen years, across a wide range of ages, abilities, and severity of challenging behavior, and in a wide range of settings.

She received her Ph.D. in applied behavior analysis from Endicott College under the advisement of Dr. Peter Gerhardt. She has authored several publications and presented nationally and internationally on adaptive behavior programming leading to optimal outcomes in adulthood — including teaching practitioners the skills needed to target meaningful goals with effective and efficient teaching methodologies.

Dr. Bahry is the Executive Director of Meaningful HOPE, an agency committed to helping practitioners and families support individuals with disabilities in preparing for a meaningful life in adulthood. She is also the author of Make Sure It’s Meaningful, the parent-facing companion to this book.

Find her on LinkedIn, ResearchGate, and Instagram.