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

Today we’re featuring more accessible research! We’re talking about a topic I am really passionate about; Modified Leisure with play, social skills, and joint attention all mixed in.  Dr. Erin Barton explains the research involved in her study, Teaching Board Game Play to Young Children With Disabilities. Her work focused on expanding play research from pretend play to play with peers, with an emp...

“We have to see learners as a part of their community.” Brittany Schmidt, BCBA-SLP, explains a major point of the AAC Trial process, having the device be effective across all of the learners' environments and communication partners. It’s hard to stay up to date and fully understand AAC when you’re not working with it on a regular basis. In this episode, Brittany shares some specific points an...

As a fellow busy SLP-BCBA, I know it's hard to keep up to date with research. That's why I’ve been combing through articles and inviting these researchers in our field on the podcast! I am on a mission to bridge the gap between research and practice. Stephanie Gonzalez is a BCBA doctoral candidate at the University of Florida and the author of the article, Teaching Children to Respond to...

While schools in the past have focused on a consultative model when it comes to BCBAs, it has become a growing trend in the field for schools to hire a district wide BCBA of their own. When you move from a consultant to an actual school employee this opens up a lot of room for dialogue. BCBA, Dr. Bruce Tinor joins me to chime in with this conversation. Dr. Tinor agrees that hiring BCBAs is the rig...

Joining me from Upstate Caring Partners is Dr. Erik Jacobson. The agency works with a large population of individuals with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. Upstate CP is focused on changing lives with compassionate care. During our conversation, Dr. Jacobson discusses how Upstate CP has reflected on their previous caretaking model, evaluating hand over hand crafts and goals that don’t...

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (or training), also known largely as ACT, is a relatively new premise in the field of ABA. Kate Nasuti who has been a BCBA for over a decade and in the field of ABA for 20+ years, joins me to discuss this important topic. Kate shares her experience learning about ACT and how it's benefited her personally, even comparing “ACT Boot Camp” to a yoga retreat. It’s...

Replay: Episode 107 As SLPs and BCBAs, we are tasked with teaching comprehension to our learners, but do they really understand these skills? Dr. Merrill Winston joined me to discuss not only reading comprehension but comprehension in everyday life and the building block skills to be successful. What is comprehension? Whether you're reading a book or listening to a statement, there are 3 mark...

Replay: Episode 105 I love talking about joint attention, but a lot of my ideas and strategies in my courses may feel like they are geared toward older preschool age students. My tips today are for the youngest learners, toddlers age 2 to 3. Joint attention is an important foundational skill and it is never too early to get started with these strategies! 3 Ways to Get Started with Joint Attention...

GLP – Gestalt Language Processing, is taking social media by storm. BCBAs and SLPs alike are talking about it… But should it be something we follow and jump into without question? Dually Certified SLP-BCBA Sari Risen joins me to discuss her findings on GLP along with some warnings. So what is GLP? It is basically a distinction against NLA – Natural Language Acquisition, in which NLA individuals le...

It can be hard to stay up to date on research when you’re busy working with clients. That’s why I love being able to take these important topics and break them down into bite-sized chunks! Today, Landon Cowan, a Doctoral Candidate at Marquette University, shares with me his work on the research article, A Decision-Making Tool for Evaluating and Selecting Prompting Strategies. I think sometimes it...

“Fell in love with teaching; fell in love with watching him learn." That's a quote from my guest, Dr. Bridget Taylor. She has a long list of accomplishments, among them being a BCBA and Licensed Psychologist. She shares about her journey into the field and something she has noticed changed since conference early in her career in the 90s.  At the time, the ABA profession was still growing...

Family and parent support and education are so important, especially when it comes to our youngest learners. Today, I am talking with Dr. Tracy Raulston. She is such a bright spot in the field, with so much information to spread and a great project in the works. Dr. Raulston helps me discern the difference between Natural Environment Training and NDBI. When we are working with young learners in ea...

When Jeannette Passanisi landed on my TikTok For You Page (‘the FYP’ if you’re familiar with the popular social media platform), I knew I had to have her on the show. Jeannette is a mom of 3, with her youngest son, Robbie, being autistic. Jeannette shares his developmental delays, swept aside early on as being the baby of the family; however, she soon realized he was not developing like her older...

Here we are at episode 150! I am so happy to be here sharing and disseminating this important information with you every week. To celebrate this milestone, my favorite guest, friend, mentor, and colleague, Dr. Mary Barbera, joins me. If you’re not familiar with her amazing work, she shares her remarkable journey into the autism world. Working as a nurse and starting her family, her world and purpo...

Things are bound to happen. Whether you are a new or seasoned provider, you will surely encounter an ethical dilemma. Licensed Clinical Psychologist and BCBA-D, Dr. Linda LeBlanc, is on to talk about the importance of ethics, provider values, and her new book, Ethics: Proactive and Practical Decision Making for Behavior Analysts. For many, your position in the field of ABA is the first professiona...

As an SLP - BCBA working in the field for the last two decades, I have certainly made mistakes and learned along the way. Today I am sharing my top 5 mistakes and what I would do differently. Because when we know better, we do better. 1. Yes/No Questions – working on this too early is not productive; it is important but requires a much higher level language! 2. Not setting specific goals on Joint...

Enjoy this free training from my new series, Communication Without Limits. In this presentation, I am providing an introduction to AAC. AAC is a powerful tool that can help learners communicate and find their voice for the very first time. I share a personal story from my career where AAC did just that. What an amazing feeling! I cover important information to support SLPs-BCBAs such as the Commun...

My guests today, Anna Dvortsak and Dr. Brook Ingersoll, are the creators of Project ImPACT, an important initiative in the field to provide access for parent coaching and train parents for a collaborative approach to therapy. Project ImPACT is a systemic approach to parent mediated intervention for parents of young children with social communication delays, with or without a diagnosis. This parent...

As a member of the field, you have probably heard of and used the VB-MAPP. Today I am talking to Dr. Barbara Esch, who is an experienced contributor to the field as an SLP and BCBA-D, as well as the author of the EESA, a part of the VB-MAPP.  Dr. Esch recently released the “New EESA”, the Early Echoic Skills Assessment and Program Planner. She explains the changes and the reasoning behind them.  T...

Have you ever been in a position where you’ve only seen your supervisor or administrator when there is conflict? Dr. Ellie Kazemi, behavior analyst and keynote speaker, joins me to discuss the work environment and how to build a positive work atmosphere, whether that’s in an ABA clinic or in a school based setting. What is crucial to a positive atmosphere? Shared values and open communication. The...

How do you know if your therapy is working? Data collection is an important aspect of therapy to analyze goals and student improvement. During my 20 years of public school experience, I once had my data subpoenaed! It might be rare, but it CAN happen, so you want to be prepared. Depending on your student goals and program, the way you collect data may differ. For some students, it may be appropria...

As we enter the beginning of the school year, I want to go over my 20 years of experience in the field to discuss service delivery models in a school based setting. Our goal is always to support students in the best way possible, and the best way to do this is through an individualized approach to service delivery.  Depending on your learners needs, there are a variety of models you can consider....

Working in this field, whether as an SLP, BCBA, or both, can be isolating, and meeting CEU requirements can be overwhelming and feel pointless. The Autism Connection CEU Membership is a professional development community to help SLPs and BCBAs make meaningful progress with autistic learners. Those already a part of the community have called it a positive space to learn and grow. What can you expec...

Today I am talking to a “unicorn”. Ashley Whitaker is one of the 505 (at the time of this recording) dually certified SLP/BCBAs! Ashley has been in the field for 10 years and shares her path to certification. Ashley started her undergrad with the idea to become a teacher after a lifelong passion for helping kids learn. When her roommate suggested a course in speech, the rest was history. Shortly a...

My guest today, Lorri Unumb needs no introduction. Lorri is a mother of three, an autism mom, a lawyer, an autism advocate, and an absolute dynamo in the field. Be sure to check out her long list of achievements in the guest bio for this episode! We are talking about something so important and impactful for families everywhere who have an autism diagnosis: insurance. In 2003 when Lorri’s youngest,...