Supporting Health and Wellness in Developmental Disabilities: Session 330: Brandon May, Maggie Pavone, and Kate Heersink

In this episode, I'm joined by Drs. Brandon May and Maggie Pavone, and Kate Heersink to talk about how we can better support healthier lifestyles for individuals with developmental disabilities.

We start by digging into how each of them came to this work. Maggie shares some early experiences working as a direct support professional, where she began to notice patterns between food-related variables and challenging behavior. Brandon talks about coming into behavior analysis through the health and fitness world, and seeing firsthand how difficult it was to support individuals in building healthier routines without a clear behavioral framework. Kate adds her perspective from working with individuals with brain injury, where the connection between physical health and overall functioning is hard to ignore.

We also spend some time acknowledging that this isn't entirely new territory. There's a solid body of work—both within and outside of behavior analysis—focused on physical activity and health for individuals with disabilities. At the same time, there's still a gap when it comes to practical, easy-to-implement tools that can be used by the people doing the day-to-day work.

From there, we get into the early development of the Fit 4 All program and how it's currently being implemented in a day program setting for adults with developmental disabilities. Kate walks through what a typical session looks like, including:

• Starting the day by ensuring wearable tech (e.g., a Fitbit) is in place
• Using a token system tied to individualized goals (hydration, movement, functional fitness, and nutrition skills)
• Embedding physical activity throughout the day (walking, fitness videos, etc.)
• Teaching basic nutrition concepts using structured learning trials
• Incorporating functional skills like cooking where appropriate

One of the things I appreciated about this approach is how integrated it is. Rather than treating exercise or nutrition as separate, isolated targets, they're woven into the flow of the day and supported through clear contingencies and reinforcement systems.

We also talk about the importance of working within real-world environments. This isn't about creating tightly controlled, clinic-based interventions—it's about meeting people where they are and building systems that can be implemented by direct support staff, teachers, and caregivers in the settings where individuals actually live and spend their time.

This is very much a "boots on the ground" application of behavior analysis—figuring out how to increase things like step count, heart rate, and water consumption in ways that are practical, sustainable, and individualized. And like a lot of good ABA work, it involves ongoing problem-solving—adjusting activities, testing different approaches, and using data to guide decisions.

If you're a BCBA, or someone working directly with individuals with developmental disabilities, this conversation is a good reminder that health and wellness is an area where our science has a lot to offer—and probably more room to grow.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Health behaviors (movement, nutrition, hydration) are behavior—and can be addressed using behavior-analytic principles
• Many professionals feel underprepared to support these areas without a structured framework
• Embedding interventions into natural environments (e.g., day programs) increases feasibility and sustainability
• Simple systems (token boards, wearable data, clear goals) can support meaningful behavior change
• Effective programming in this area requires flexibility, creativity, and ongoing data-based decision making

🧩 Why This Matters

Individuals with developmental disabilities are often at higher risk for health-related issues tied to sedentary behavior and diet. At the same time, these are areas that don't always receive systematic attention in programming.

This is one place where behavior analysis can have a meaningful impact on long-term quality of life.

📚 Resources Mentioned

• Prior episode with Brandon (Session 127: What is Behavioral Sports Psychology?)
• Researchers mentioned:
  • James Rimmer
  • Ray Miltenberger
  • Matt Normand
  • Tim Hackenberg
• DeLuca and Holburn (1992). Effects of a variable-ratio reinforcement schedule with changing criteria on exercise in obese and nonobese boys

Sponsors

• CEUs from Behavioral Observations. Learn from your favorite podcast guests while you're commuting, walking the dog, or whatever else you do while listening to podcasts. New events are being added all the time, so check them out here. 
• The BOP Patreon. Do you want to get the show ad-free and before everyone else? Click here to learn how!
• The Whoop Strap. If you want to take control of your health and fitness, start by getting the data you need with the Whoop Strap. And by using this link, you'll get your first month free!