The ABA Speech Podcast- Easy Strategies for Speech Therapists, BCBAs, and RBTs

What happens when two SLPs and BCBAs get together to tackle the biggest conversations in our fields? You get an honest discussion about collaboration, research, and keeping students at the center of every decision. Today, we're flipping the script and I'm answering some of the questions I hear most often about speech therapy and ABA, from choosing AAC vocabulary to navigating current top...

Every student deserves a way to communicate with the world, and that belief has guided my work from the very beginning. Today, I’m sharing something incredibly special, the story behind my new book, Say It With Me: Naturalistic Tools to Spark Speech and Social Engagement. This is the resource I wish I had when I first started working with autistic learners who were not yet speaking, struggled to e...

Some kids are picky eaters, but when does it become something more? Feeding challenges can feel overwhelming for families, especially when mealtimes become stressful, food choices become extremely limited, or concerns about nutrition start to grow. That's why I was excited to welcome feeding specialist Margaryta Kuzmin to the podcast. Together, we unpacked the difference between typical picky...

Child-led therapy doesn’t mean lowering expectations. It means meeting children where they are and building meaningful learning opportunities from what matters most to them. I’m joined by Dr. Katherine Pickard, Dr. Rachel Yosick, and Dr. Tracy Argueta from the Marcus Autism Center to explore how child-led Applied Behavior Analysis is shaping the future of autism intervention. We unpack Naturalisti...

AAC can feel overwhelming for clinicians, but it does not have to stay that way. I’m joined by Valerie Zimmerman from Mindcolor Autism to talk about what happens when BCBAs and SLPs come together to better support autistic learners who use AAC. Valerie shares how her team has prioritized AAC training across their organization, even though many clinicians receive little to no formal instruction in...

Have you ever looked at an AAC device and thought, “Where do I even start?” I’ve been there too, and I know how overwhelming it can feel. For years, I supported students using AAC while secretly feeling unsure of myself behind the scenes. I could teach communication strategies all day long, but when it came to navigating new systems and vocabulary sets, I remember leaving work feeling defeated and...

What if our learners could practice success before they ever step into the real moment? I’m bringing you a conversation that completely reframed the way I think about video modeling, independence, and skill building. We’re talking all about self-video modeling and how technology is creating more personalized, neurodiversity-affirming ways to support communication, daily living skills, and behavior...

What really helps speech sound practice stick once kids leave the therapy room? I’m joined by Shail Silver, founder of SpeechLP and parent to a child receiving speech therapy services, for a thoughtful conversation about carryover, motivation, and how technology can support meaningful speech sound practice at home. As a school-based SLP, this topic is especially important to me because we know pro...

Sometimes collaboration feels seamless, and other times it leaves you questioning everything. That contrast came up in such a real way as I talked with Jenny Argueta, and it’s something so many of us have experienced but don’t always say out loud. She shared how working with one collaborative SLP felt energizing, while another interaction left her feeling small and shut out. That moment stuck with...

What if your documentation could protect your clinic instead of putting it at risk? I’m joined by Aidan Kelly from Brellium to talk about one of the biggest stressors for growing clinics, documentation quality and compliance. As organizations scale, it becomes nearly impossible to manually track every note, and small gaps can turn into major audit risks. Aidan shares how outdated systems and manua...

Strong therapy starts with strong support, and that begins with the parent. I’m joined by Khaliah Moody, and this conversation really stayed with me. We talk about what it truly looks like to support families in a meaningful way, especially when life outside of sessions includes real challenges like poverty, housing instability, and stress. Khaliah shares how her background in social work shaped t...

Everything made sense once I saw the full picture. Receiving a later-in-life ADHD diagnosis can be both validating and eye-opening, and that’s exactly what we explore in this conversation. As I talk with Lindsay, I’m struck by how her story reflects something I see often, high-achieving, capable individuals who have been compensating and masking for years without realizing why things felt harder b...

Raising children with profound special needs means stepping into truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. I had such a meaningful conversation with Sarah Kernion about what it really looks like to raise children with profound, nonspeaking autism, and how that reality often differs from the public narrative. Sarah shares her journey as a mom, from those early intuitive concerns to navigating diagnosis,...

Ever feel intimidated by AAC or unsure how AI fits into your clinical work? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Nerissa Hall and Dr. Michelle Boisvert to talk about two topics that can feel overwhelming but are full of possibility. We explore how AAC is not about waiting for prerequisites, but about giving individuals access to meaningful, independent communication. I share my own experience of f...

Communication isn’t owned by one profession, it’s something we all share and protect together. I’m joined by Dr. Lilith Reuter-Yuill "Dr. RY" for a thoughtful conversation about what it really takes to ensure communication access for every learner. We talk about her journey from sign language interpreter to dually certified SLP and BCBA, and how that shaped her passion for collaboration...

Collaboration in schools can feel messy, complicated, and sometimes even uncomfortable, but it is also where some of the most meaningful progress for our students can happen. In this conversation, I sit down with Ashley Patton to talk about what real collaboration looks like between teachers, BCBAs, speech therapists, and other service providers in school settings. Ashley brings a unique perspecti...

How can technology help us diagnose autism earlier and get kids the support they need sooner? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Cheryl Tierney to talk about an exciting advancement in autism diagnostics and how technology is helping clinicians and families access answers faster. With long waitlists and limited specialists in many areas, getting an autism diagnosis can sometimes take months or e...

Two trends I’m seeing in speech therapy and ABA have been on my mind lately, and honestly, they worry me about the future of our fields. First, I saw a discussion where future BCBAs were debating whether they even needed to read the Cooper book. For me, that text was foundational when learning the science of behavior analysis. When professionals start skipping core readings just to pass a test, it...

What if we could safely practice real-world situations before our students ever experience them? In this episode, I’m joined by Marsha and Rita from Floreo to talk about how virtual reality is supporting autistic learners in building social, communication, safety, and life skills. Floreo is a VR platform that allows learners to step into immersive environments like airport security lines, grocery...

If AAC has ever felt intimidating, you are not alone, and this episode is going to give you a clear, practical path forward. In this conversation, I sat down with Gabriella Wendling, an AAC specialist who has dedicated her entire career to assistive technology and augmentative communication. We talk honestly about how most of us received minimal AAC training in graduate school and how real confide...

When you move from treatment rooms to team meetings, everything changes, including how you show up as a BCBA. In this episode, I talk with Shalini Solomon about her transition from clinic-based ABA to working as a school-based BCBA. If you’ve worked in both settings like I have, you know they are completely different worlds. In a clinic, you’re often running sessions. In a school, you’re collabora...

Starting your own practice does not have to mean doing it all alone. In today’s episode, I sat down with Bukhtar Khan, co-founder and CEO of Finni Health, to talk honestly about what it really looks like to start and grow an independent ABA practice. We talked about the fears BCBAs often have around finances, insurance, staffing, and burnout, and how Finni Health is built to support clinicians who...

Stepping into your first leadership role can feel overwhelming, and navigating autism services as a parent can feel even harder, even when you’re already in the field. In this episode, I sat down with Rayni McMahon for a powerful conversation about leadership, advocacy, and what happens when your professional world and personal life collide. We talked about what it really feels like to move from c...

Prompting AAC is abuse? Let’s talk about that and a few other AAC conversations that keep coming up again and again. In today’s solo episode, I’m diving into five hot topics in AAC that have been surfacing repeatedly in my recent calls, trainings, and collaboration meetings. After more than 20 years as a speech therapist and being dually certified as a BCBA, I’ve seen how confusing, overwhelming,...

In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of welcoming Dr. Kathleen Dyer, Dr. Anna Linnehan, and Dr. Mary Jane Weiss for a powerful conversation around their article Fostering Belonging in Autistic Individuals. This was actually the first time I’ve had three guests on the podcast at once, and it felt like the perfect conversation to mark that milestone. We spent time unpacking the difference be...