WAVE Prosocial Training
LIVE on Zoom
June 2, 2026
12pm-6pm CST
6 BACB CEUs
WAVE Prosocial is a live virtual training led by Dr. Ruth Anne Rehfeldt that introduces a contextual behavioral approach to teaching meaningful, cooperative, and value-driven social behavior. Developed in collaboration with Dr. Mark R. Dixon, this training is designed for professionals seeking a more functional and scientifically grounded way to support social development within Applied Behavior Analysis and related fields.
For many years, social skills instruction has focused on teaching isolated behaviors such as making eye contact, initiating conversation, or following social rules. While these skills are important, they often do not translate into meaningful relationships or a true sense of belonging. In other cases, approaches that emphasize connection and community lack the behavioral precision needed to assess and support measurable change. The WAVE Prosocial Curriculum is designed to bridge this gap.
Rooted in Contextual Behavior Science, Evolutionary Science, and Acceptance and Commitment Training, WAVE provides a framework for understanding social behavior within the context of relationships, environments, and shared values. Rather than teaching social behavior as a checklist of discrete skills, the curriculum focuses on building flexibility, awareness, and engagement in ways that support authentic connection and cooperation.
A key strength of this model is its emphasis on prosocial behavior as something that develops within real interactions. Instead of relying on rigid rule-following or scripted responses, WAVE supports learners in navigating social situations with greater adaptability and responsiveness. It recognizes that meaningful social behavior involves perspective-taking, shared experiences, and actions guided by values, not just compliance with social expectations.
During this live Zoom training, Dr. Rehfeldt will introduce the conceptual foundation of the curriculum, explain how prosocial repertoires can be assessed and developed, and demonstrate how the model can be applied across settings. Participants will explore how to support learners in building social connection, increasing behavioral flexibility, and engaging in cooperative behavior within schools, clinics, and community environments. The training will also highlight how the curriculum connects the learner, caregivers, and broader social systems into a more cohesive approach to social development.
This course is ideal for BCBAs, educators, school staff, therapists, behavior technicians, and other professionals who want practical tools for supporting social connection in a way that is both compassionate and behaviorally sound. Attendees will leave with a stronger understanding of the framework, greater clarity on how prosocial behavior can be conceptualized and taught, and ideas for how to begin applying the model in real-world settings.
This is more than an overview of a curriculum. It is an opportunity to learn directly from Dr. Rehfeldt as she presents a model that integrates scientific rigor with human connection, offering a more functional path for building meaningful, value-driven social behavior.
Dr. RuthAnne Rehfeldt
PhD, BCBA-D, LBA
Dr. RuthAnne Rehfeldt is the Vice President for Clinical Services at Emergent Learning Centers, as well as an adjunct instructor for Endicott College. Ruth Anne is a Contextual Behavior Scientist whose current interests focus on cultivating Prosocial repertoires in autistic individuals and persons with other developmental disabilities. Dr. Rehfeldt has published approximately 300 articles and book chapters in behavior analysis, as well as three text-books. These include: “Derived Relational Responding: Applications for Learners with Autism and other Developmental Disabilities (2009),” “Applied Behavior Analysis of Language and Cognition;” with Mitch Fryling, Jonathan Tarbox, and Linda Hayes as co-editors (2020), and a recent text with Traci Cihon and Erin Rasmussen as co-editors entitled, “Women in Behavior Science: Observations on Life Inside and Outside the Academy” (2023). Dr. Rehfeldt served as the Editor and business manager for The Psychological Record for 12 years, a journal started by J. R. Kantor and for which B. F. Skinner was one of the first editorial board members. She is or has been an editorial board member for a number of prominent behavior analytic journals and held a number of leadership positions within the Association for Behavior Analysis International, including President. Some recent accomplishments include being awarded Fellow designation for both the Associations for Behavior Analysis International and Contextual Behavior Science, designations awarded for exemplary contributions in the areas of research and scholarship, service, and teaching.
Example Curriculum
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WAVE Objectives
- Understand the Prosocial Framework:Participants will describe the key principles of the Prosocial movement, including its foundations in Contextual Behavioral Science and Evolutionary Science, and explain how these principles promote cooperation and collective well-being.
- Identify Evolutionary and Behavioral Needs for Connection: Participants will summarize research linking social connection to human health and happiness, and discuss the implications of loneliness and social isolation—particularly for individuals with developmental disabilities.
- Analyze Limitations of Traditional ABA Approaches:
Participants will critically evaluate the gaps in existing behavior analytic strategies for teaching friendship and relationship skills, particularly regarding contextual learning, rigidity, and rule-governed behavior. - Apply Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) Principles:
Participants will practice incorporating ACT processes—such as mindfulness, acceptance, and values clarification—into social skill and community engagement programs. - Develop Contextual Prosocial Teaching Strategies:
Participants will design and role-play lessons from the Wave Prosocial Curriculum that foster behavioral flexibility, empathy, and cooperation within natural social environments. - Integrate Prosocial Practices Across Settings:
Participants will generate individualized plans to implement prosocial interventions in clinical, educational, and community contexts, including adaptations for adolescents and young adults with autism. - Evaluate Community Design Through a Prosocial Lens:
Participants will examine Seaside’s “New Urbanist” design as a case study in environmental support for prosocial behavior and discuss how physical and cultural settings can be structured to enhance connection and belonging.