Assent: Don't just say Yes!-

Abstract This practical session moves beyond “assent withdrawn → back off” and into what to do next. Attendees learn a simple decision process for responding to assent withdrawal: quickly analyze what’s worth moving away from vs. toward, modify the environment, and re-present with altered conditions. Using an intuitive “shrink the bad / grow the good” framework (a matching-law lens), the talk shows how to rebalance contingencies by (a) reducing aversives (duration, difficulty, sensory load, task formatting) and (b) increasing appetitives (embedded preferences, interest alignment, values linkage, richer schedules). The session integrates skill acquisition—toleration, communication, and cooperation repertoires—to make tough contexts easier, and uses response-class thinking to shape severe withdrawal into safer, earlier precursors. Concrete guardrails (e.g., “3 withdrawals → call the BCBA,” faster pivots when risk is high), enhanced-choice arrangements, and school/caregiver buy-in tactics (show-then-tell) round out a fully operational, dataable approach to assent-based care.