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

Today, I am providing 15 strategies for SLPs working in an ABA setting. I have had the opportunity to work in ABA settings in addition to traditional schools. Whether you're new to the ABA world or thinking about taking a position in a specialized setting, these tips are some that I find so helpful for you, your colleagues, and your clients.  Learn about your work setting: Understand your rol...

Today I had the pleasure of talking with my BCBA supervisor and trailblazer in the field. Kelle was introduced to the world of autism at a really young age, which led into special education and continued on to her large body of work. In this episode she is sharing with us, from her wealth of knowledge, about how to work with students with problem behavior and what to do to support learners when it...

There is a strong bond between joint attention and both receptive and expressive language skills. When we work on joint attention, we are showing that our learners' communication is powerful! I am sharing a few tips and ideas that I use to build connections before communication while working on joint attention goals. These activities involve shared activities through playing with toys, singin...

I am excited to share my top 10 tips and strategies for supporting middle and high school-aged students. This is an area where I feel not a lot of information is available. I am very fortunate to work with kids across the lifespan from preschool ages in my private practice to middle and high school in the school setting. While I generally focus on helping autistic learners, these tips can be great...

Apraxia is something a lot of my listeners are really interested in learning about. I had Dr. Edythe Strand on the two-part episode, number 44. Today Dr. Jennifer Moore, SLP, and co-owner of Brave Wings Therapy brings us some strategies on understanding Apraxia with autism and applying the interventions to autistic learners. What is Apraxia and is it common in autism? Childhood Apraxia Speech is w...

I often get requests for how therapists can help students who are engaging in problem behaviors that create a barrier to learning. In this interview, my colleague Sasha Long of The Autism Helper shared her “Five Favorite Antecedent Strategies”. If you’re not sure what antecedent means, Sasha gives a great explanation. For the purpose of this list, antecedent means to be proactive. This is a list o...

I am announcing a huge upcoming event, the Autism Connection. If you are an SLP, BCBA, teacher, or even a parent, this is going to be a great event. I partner with Sasha Long who’s also a BCBA and she’s got really great strategies that are actionable and applicable. This is a live PD in which participants will receive CEUs and certificates of attendance. Be sure to check out the talking points, ev...

We focus a lot on therapy for young learners, but what about when they grow up? Support for older autistic learners and adults is so important. In this episode, I interviewed Jared Stewart, autistic adult, professional, and BCBA. For many, characteristics of autism may not be apparent until life demands exceed their skill set. He shares his experience in the school system, how bullying, and the sk...

As Speech-Language Pathologists, it can be overwhelming to create a therapy plan for learners with no speech at all. Where do you get started? In this episode, I talk with Terri Smith. She is an SLP and the founder and owner of Bluebird Speech Therapy and Consulting Services. Help Me Find My Voice and Start Communicating Now are two courses I offer online for professionals and parents. Terri share...

I always love to get parents' perspectives but it’s not often I get to hear the unique view of a parent turned professional. In this episode, I interview Emily Estades, my friend, graduate student, parent, and SLP.  Emily is the mother of two children, her daughter, the oldest, has a dual diagnosis of Autism and Rett Syndrome, and her son with Anxiety and ADHD. Her journey started with her da...

Is ABA therapy the right choice for your autistic child? Today Rebecca Shellito, mother, wife, nurse, and non-profit organizer join me to share her family's autism journey. Rebecca’s son Nico received his autism diagnosis shortly before his third birthday and by 4 years old he was in full-time ABA therapy. They were incredibly lucky to find a local provider, covered by insurance that they wer...

Assessments are extremely necessary for understanding the skill set of your learner, setting goals, and making meaningful progress. As a therapist, administering these assessments can be so overwhelming and frustrating, especially when your students have complex needs and are not able to meet the standardized completion. Today, I am sharing my top 5 tips and strategies for autism assessments to ma...

If you’ve been listening for any amount of time, you know that I am all about keeping therapy fun and functional. In this episode, I have some great examples of games for your therapy or at home with your child that you can put into practice right away. These games are all about leisure skills. We spend the majority of our lifespan participating in leisure skills so it is so important to work on t...

As we close out the year, I wanted to highlight my most popular episode. This week, I’m re-sharing Episode 3, where I break down IEPs and discuss everything that goes into creating goals in speech therapy for autistic learners. Setting IEP goals for autistic learners can be incredibly difficult, especially when you’re working with emerging communicators. At the beginning of my career, assessment t...

Is autism really different in girls and is that affecting reliable diagnosis? I had the opportunity to chat with Robin Roscigno, founder of AuTEACH, former teacher pursuing her PhD, and autistic mother to her autistic daughter. As she speaks from her education background and personal experiences, Robin gives a really great insight on a deeper look into how we are evaluating and educating autistic...

Wow, Episode 050! This is amazing. I want to start by saying thank you for listening, this so far has been an incredible experience. 1 year ago, my own kids had a snow day and I had just finished up my podcasting course. I was super nervous but I came into my little walk-in closet and pressed record. Throughout these last 50 episodes, I have learned so much and I want to share with you these impor...

Dr. Megan Miller is a thought leader in the field of behavior analysis and special education. In this interview, she and I discussed the Early Start Denver Model and its importance to early learners. Play is such a critical piece to communication and this model sets up parents and providers to build joint attention skills. Imitation is such an important skill, many individuals  look to this as a w...

Dr. Lisa Audet is an extremely knowledgeable special education teacher, SLP, and professor at Kent State. In fact, over 20 years ago she was my professor! She specializes in communication and independence for autistic adults, works with these individuals on her campus, and has a unique viewpoint for those of us working with younger adults with autism at the middle and high school level. Because so...

One out of four typical children will develop a pediatric feeding disorder. Does that statistic shock you or does it feel extremely relatable? Melanie Potock of Munch Bug is an SLP and Pediatric Feeding Expert. She has written 6 books on feeding, speaks around the world, and is a coach to parents and children struggling with picky eating. Picky eating is a wide, all-encompassing umbrella term that...

Do you ever walk into a new gym class and feel uneasy or nervous? If you do, you're not unlike many kids who hesitate or resist transitions. Not all children with autism experience difficulty with transitions, but it is something many struggles with. In this interview with Dani LoVecchio from Bridge Kids of New York, we discuss tips and advice for making transitions smoother.  Whether it be s...

Whether you're working with a young child, teen, or adult, executive functioning skills are among the most critical and practical skills we need. In this interview with Sara Ward, an SLP specializing in executive function, she shares the unique background that makes this work so special to her, as well as some really interesting approaches to assessment and intervention. Many people have diff...

Welcome back to part 2 of my interview with Dr. Edythe Strand. If you haven’t listened to part 1, be sure to go back and listen to get the full scoop. Edythe is a very important leader in her field. In addition to the Dynamic Assessment, she also researched and developed a critical treatment for children with severe apraxia, Dynamic Temporal and Tactile Cueing. DTTC, as it is known, is an innovati...

Welcome to part one of my interview with Dr. Edythe Strand. Edythe was a professor at Mayo College, former head of Division of Speech Pathology, Department of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic, and a practicing Speech Pathologist and clinician. Her research has focused on developmental, acquired, and progressive Apraxia speech. What are the characteristics of Apraxia? Edythe noted that Apraxia is not a...

In this interview, Dr. Kerry Magro, one of the first speakers who is also autistic,  shares his communication journey.  Kerry was non-speaking at 2.5 and received an official autism diagnosis at 4. Despite not speaking in full sentences until 7 and facing a variety of sensory challenges, the support of his loving family and over 15 years of a multitude of therapies helped him overcome many of his...

How are you utilizing effective communication with parents? Parents, how are you effectively communicating with the educators in your child's life? Ria Reive from HiMama is a former early childhood educator. She shares actionable tips to improve communication with parents and teachers. As well as the overall benefit from effective communication in a school setting. You may not see how impactf...