Mitch is a Masters student at the university of Waikato. He has completed his PgDip in Science and a Bachelor of Health Science, both majoring in psychology from the University of Canterbury. Mitch has seven years of experience worked with children and adults with developmental disabilities in both community support and behaviour support roles. Mitch’s interests include complex behaviour, restraint reduction, and empowering individuals.

Kia ora! Ko Justin tōku ingoa. I whakapapa back to 香港｜Hong Kong, but have called Aotearoa my home for the past 12 years. I graduated with a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Behaviour Analysis in 2020, and proceeded to work in the Ministry of Education, and the Department of Corrections, supporting our tamariki and people in our care. I am currently a Masters in Applied Psychology (ABA) student at the University of Waikato, writing a thesis on teaching children living with Autism Spectrum Disorder to make mands for missing items, without reliance on their environment.

I hold a BA and BSc (Hons) in Psychology from Victoria University of Wellington and am currently completing my Master’s thesis at the University of Waikato. My research focuses on using ABA interventions to support children with developmental delays or communication needs. I am particularly interested in meta-analysis using single-case design and exploring AR/VR tools to enhance intervention strategies. My goal is to contribute to a more comprehensive approach in ABA and utilize innovative methods to improve the quality of life for children with developmental disabilities.

Dr. Carnett is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the Univesity of Waikato, New Zealand, and an Research Affilate at Victoria University of Wellington. She is a doctorate level Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA-D). Dr. Carnett initially trained in human rights and Political Science at the University of North Texas for her bachelors degree. She later went on to work in educational settings with individuals with developmental disabilities, which led her to pursue studies in behaviour analysis at Texas State University for her master's degree. She completed her doctorate degree in Educational Psychology, specializing in behaviour analysis and communication interventions at Victoria University of Wellington. She has over 15 years of experience working in the field of behaviour science and developmental disabilities. Her research is focused on developing interventions to help individuals develop autonomy within their environments and increase their overall quality of life. She believes this best achieved by interventions that target issues associated to generalization of skills, as well as ensuring social significance through stakeholder participation. Her research interest can be classified into two overlapping categories: communication interventions and  adaptive functioning.