Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is a decision-making framework that helps practitioners make ethical, effective, and individualized decisions within behavior analytic service delivery. EBP involves considering three key elements when making decisions: the best available evidence from research and data, the client’s characteristics and context, and the practitioner’s own competence and clinical expertise.

This presentation will describe EBP decision-making as both an ethical framework for clinical practice and a supervisory model for practicing and strengthening EBP skills through training. Drawing from recent scholarship, the session will highlight how EBP aligns with ethical principles and professional codes while supporting high-quality supervision. Practical examples will be shared from diverse practice contexts—including school and clinical settings, across age groups, and within varied service models. Examples will illustrate how EBP can guide decisions related to functional assessment, staff performance, program development, and ethical practice. Attendees will leave with concrete strategies for integrating EBP as a guiding framework across ethics, supervision, and training to strengthen decision-making and improve outcomes in behavior analytic practice.

3 Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the three core components of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP).
2. Describe how an EBP decision-making framework can support ethical and effective decision-making in behavior analytic services.
3. Describe how EBP can be used as a framework for supervision and professional development to strengthen practitioner competence.

About the Presenter

Audrey N. Hoffmann

Audrey N. Hoffmann, PhD, BCBA-D, is an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling at Utah State University and co-director of Behavior Support Services at the Sorenson Center for Clinical Excellence. She is a licensed behavior analyst whose work spans school-based ABA, organizational behavior management (OBM), and training staff, parents, and teachers to implement behavior analytic practices. Her research interests also extend to behavioral gerontology and building competence in ABA applications for Alzheimer’s and dementia services, as well as the role of technology and reinforcement in shaping behavior. As director of the Research-to-Practice Lab at USU, Dr. Hoffmann brings her passion for mentoring students and applied research to the forefront, working to connect science with practice so it makes a meaningful difference for schools, families, and communities. Outside of work, she stays busy with her three children and loves recharging through time outdoors and at live music events.