Turn Autism Around

Is your child or client not responding to their name? Dr. Mary Barbera shares three essential steps to help teach a child to respond, drawing from her experience as both a parent and professional. Response to name is a key skill for safety, social development, and communication. She'll also discuss a common concern: does this mean autism? Learn practical tips to reinforce name response in a positi...

Dr. Mary Barbera sits down with Dr. Jamie Hughes-Lika, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, to talk about effective strategies for fostering joint attention, social engagement, and motivation in young children with autism. Learn how to meet children where they are, engage them in meaningful ways, and build foundational skills that support their social and communicative development. Implementing the...

Dr. Mary Barbera shares her top 3 pieces of advice for parents and professionals supporting children with autism, from toddlers through teens. Drawing from decades of experience, Dr. Barbera explains the importance of starting with a comprehensive assessment, preventing problem behaviors by fostering positive environments, and building strong collaboration between parents and professionals. 

Dr. Mary Barbera discusses the 10 early signs of autism in young children. Drawing from her personal experience as a mom and professional background as a registered nurse and behavior analyst, she breaks down common signs such as speech delays, lack of pointing, repetitive behaviors, and more. She also shares practical strategies that parents and caregivers can use to support children showing earl...

Dr. Mary Barbera explores the growing conversation around virtual autism—a term used to describe autism-like symptoms in young children, potentially linked to excessive screen time. Is virtual autism real, and can it be prevented? She'll share insights from my professional experience and personal journey with my son, Lucas, as well as real-life examples from my clients. She explain the potential e...

Dr. Mary Barbera discusses the controversial cry-it-out method often used in sleep training. As a behavior analyst and mother, Dr. Mary Barbera has seen firsthand how this method can negatively impact a child's emotional development, particularly for children with autism or speech delays. She explains why she doesn't recommend the cry-it-out method, explores its potential downsides, and shares alt...

Dr. Mary Barbera reviews the popular parenting book "Good Inside" by Dr. Becky Kennedy, which has gained significant attention in the gentle parenting community. As both a parent and a professional working with children with autism, Dr. Barbera has wanted to explore how Dr. Becky's insights can be adapted to support kids with autism and speech delays. She'll share the five big ideas from the book...

Dr. Mary Barbera discusses the critical role that parents play in multidisciplinary teams, especially during IEP meetings and autism therapy sessions. As both a parent and professional, Dr. Mary Barbera shares practical strategies on how to partner effectively with parents to create the most impactful IEP goals and intervention plans for children with autism. Learn about the importance of assessin...

Dr. Mary Barbera guides you through the essential autism screening process by exploring and comparing key assessment tools, including the M-CHAT, ADOS, Vineland, and her own BECA assessment. She'll discuss how each tool functions—whether it's identifying early signs of autism, diagnosing developmental delays, or crafting effective intervention plans. She also shares how the BECA assessment she dev...

Dr. Mary Barbera reviews new research and gives a critical analysis of Gestalt Language Processing (GLP), going over its definition and implications for children with autism. Dr. Barbera discusses what she has learned about the Natural Language Acquisition Protocol (NLA) teaching methods for GLP and evaluates whether these are the best approaches. 

Dr. Mary Barbera highlights three common mistakes with teaching pronouns: introducing pronouns too early, using turn-taking pronouns like "my turn" and "your turn" with minimal language skills, and starting with receptive pronouns instead of expressive ones. She provides strategies to avoid these pitfalls, focusing on building vocabulary first, using simple language, and starting with expressive p...

Taking a child with autism to the dentist can be challenging, but it doesn't have to be. In this episode, Dr. Mary Barbera share five steps to make dentist visits positive experiences. Learn why holding kids down at the dentist should be avoided, and strategies for desensitizing dental visits, creating realistic plans, and practicing in familiar settings. With preparation and gradual exposure, den...

Dr. Mary Barbera shares three effective tips for improving sleep issues in children with autism, drawing from her personal experience with her son, Lucas. These tips include preventing bed entry, calmly returning the child to their bed, and using positive reinforcement. She also discusses common sleep problems in children with autism, such as irregular melatonin levels, sensory sensitivities, and...

Dr. Mary Barbera interviews Nadia, a mother who successfully supported her 2-year-old son Muhammad's speech development and managed his autism-related behaviors using Dr. Barbera's verbal behavior techniques. Nadia shares her journey from Pakistan to Australia, the challenges of long waitlists, and how her son's speech and behavior have improved significantly. Dr. Mary Barbera covers strategies fo...

Dr. Mary Barbera interviews Rose Griffin, a Speech-Language Pathologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst, about solving speech articulation errors in children, particularly those with autism and speech delays. They discuss the importance of early identification and intervention, typical speech sound development, and practical strategies for improving speech articulation. Rose emphasizes the ne...

Dr. Mary Barbera goes over the importance of timing and effective methods for teaching colors. Teaching colors too early to children with autism or speech delays can hinder language development, it's important to wait until children have a solid vocabulary of 50-100 nouns and are developmentally ready (typically around 30 months). You should also be focusing on using sorting activities with constr...

Dr. Mary Barbera compares her two bestselling autism books, "The Verbal Behavior Approach" and "Turn Autism Around." Mary also touches on which book best fits your needs for supporting children with autism. You'll learn about unique strengths and insights each book offers, discussing their differences.

In this rebroadcast, Dr. Mary Barbera discusses how to use techniques from Miss Rachel's popular YouTube channel, "Miss Rachel Songs for Littles," to support children with speech delays or autism. Miss Rachel's videos, which employ video modeling and proven speech therapy methods, offer valuable resources for language development. While screen time should be limited, using educational content like...

Dr. Mary Barbera interviews Dr. Erin Michaud, an expert in autism research, discussing early detection and intervention for developmental delays and autism. They cover topics such as recognizing early markers like eye contact and cooing, the importance of parent training, and tailored interventions such as speech and behavioral therapy. Dr. Michaud also highlights the differences between developme...

Struggling with picky eating in your child? You're not alone. In this episode, Dr. Mary Barbera discusses the common causes of picky eating, the link between autism and selective eating, and the potential for serious issues like failure to thrive. Learn seven practical tips to address picky eating, including conducting assessments, creating an easy-medium-hard food list, stopping snacking between...

In this classic rebroadcast, Dr. Mary Barbera goes over six strategies based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to manage toddler tantrums and enhance communication. There are three preventative measures focused on positive reinforcement, one-word repetition, and structured interactions to reduce tantrum occurrences. There are also three reactive strategies emphasizing safety, stopping attention,...

Dr. Mary Barbera covers how to enhance speech therapy goals for children with delays. Learn from real-life experiences, including insight from Lucas's speech therapy journey. Avoid common pitfalls like generic goal banks and ensure goals are tailored to each child's unique needs, strategies for toddlers, emphasizing realistic milestones and parental involvement. Use these tips and see how therapy...

Dr. Mary Barbera discusses contrasting methods of gentle parenting and Positive Toddler Parenting™ in addressing toddler behavior, focusing on the response to hitting. While gentle parenting emphasizes empathy and teaching moments, Positive Toddler Parenting™ advocates for immediate intervention and minimal acknowledgment of negative emotions during the incident. Both approaches aim to nurture emo...

Struggling with toddler biting? Dr. Mary Barbera offers a 4-step method to address biting behavior, emphasizing understanding the underlying causes and implementing positive strategies. Learn why biting isn't just a phase and explore assessments to determine triggers and give proactive responses and alternatives to prevent and manage biting incidents, fostering positive behavior in toddlers. Tune...

Today, Dr. Mary Barbera offers three simple assessments for parents concerned about their toddler's behavior. These assessments include language sampling, baseline video recordings of play, and the Barbera Early Childhood Assessment™ (BECA). By utilizing these tools, parents can gain insights into their child's development and identify potential areas of concern or strength. These assessments empo...