The Autism Helper Podcast

Practical Functional Assessment and Skills Based Treatment were designed by Dr. Greg Hanley as an effective and ethical alternative to reducing extreme problem behaviors. In this episode, three school administrators share their experiences implementing PFA and SBT on a district wide level. Lisa Xagas, the Assistant Superintendent for Student Services for Naperville CUSD 203, shares her experience...

In this episode, we review Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) and how they can be used in both a clinical or classroom setting. Dr. Jamie Hughes-Lika shares her expertise on this topic. She defines what NDBIs are, how they are different than traditional ABA, and how child-led teaching works. Dr. Hughes-Lika is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst at the doctoral level (BCBA-...

Having your team on the same page is essential for the successful implementation of behavior plans. In this episode, Amanda Borosh, BCBA, breaks down why staff training is important and how to overcome some of the challenges. Amanda shares actionable strategies for getting team buy-in and improving follow-through. Amanda is a licensed special education teacher, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, an...

In this special episode, I share an excerpt from a recent live workshop. This session is titled Can’t Do or Won’t Do. Every decision we make is shaped by our skills and abilities to perform the action and our motivation to do so. In this clip from the workshop, I share how to approach challenging behaviors from a can’t do or won’t do perspective. ---------------------------------------------- Inte...

Lois Letchford is a reading specialist who is passionate about teaching struggling students how to read. In this episode, Lois dives into the problems with many traditional literacy approaches and the impact this can have on students. She shares some key strategies for building reading skills by building engagement and focusing on comprehension. Lois shares numerous specific examples that really h...

Julia DeNey founded Sense-ational You, an adaptive apparel brand for autistic children who need help regulating so they are empowered to be successful no matter where they are. In this episode, Julia discusses what sensory needs are and how they can impact behavior. She explores the area of tactile sensory needs and how different clothing can be challenging. Website Link: https://shopsenseationaly...

Tim Kretchman is the founder of Action Driven Education and a former teacher and administrator. In this episode, Tim shares how to identify “just right” accommodations for students in a range of settings. Tim shares the four key variables that make accommodations work - strengths, needs, degree of need, and fit to the instructional setting. Tim shares action-oriented steps for applying these princ...

Katherine Saint, Ph. D., LPC, BCBA-D, Katherine has her doctorate in Behavior Analysis and is a Licensed Professional Counselor. In this episode, we discuss the 4 attachment styles from a behavior analytic perspective. Katie shares what learning histories typically lead to each attachment style and what supports we can give to help those individuals be successful. More from Katie @doctorbehaviorbo...

Elizabeth Klein is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Clinical Director of an ABA program that delivers therapy in home, school, clinic, and community settings. She noticed a common challenge with children with autism across settings - eating problems. In this episode, Elizabeth discusses with eating challenges are common for children with autism. Then she dives into how to utilize a data driv...

When creating successful inclusion, there can be many obstacles along the way. Rebekah Poe, M. Ed. is an award-winning former special education teacher and a national teaching conference presenter. Rebekah shares what inclusion is and some tips and strategies for making inclusion effective and possible. She shares how to work with reluctant teachers and why inclusion is beneficial for all teachers...

Extinction is the process of removing or discontinuing reinforcement for a behavior. This would then reduce or eliminate the behavior. However, this strategy can have some challenges during implementation. In this episode, Dr. Billie Retzlaff breaks down what extinction is and what are some alternatives to reduce problem behaviors. She dives into non-contingent reinforcement, differential reinforc...

Independent work is essential to running a successful classroom. This allows small group instruction to happen and builds critical life skills of work endurance and sustained attention. Many independent work systems include task boxes. Task boxes include one activity and often students rotate between assigned task boxes. In this episode, I share 3 dos and 3 don’ts for setting up and running task b...

Dr. Rachel Schwartz, PhD, BCBA-D breaks down sexuality education in special education. She reviews how teachers and related services fit in to providing this conversation. Dr. Schwartz shares what topics are appropriate for what ages and why these are essential life skills for all learners. She tackles tricky topics such as how to work with staff members who disagree on content, how to handle inte...

Dr. Taylor Day is a licensed child psychologist and parental coach who specializes in autism and neurodivergent affirming care. In this episode, Dr. Tay shares her Whole Family Approach™ which focuses on the needs of parents and siblings of autistic children, as well as the children themselves. We discuss how to provide education and support that values each unique individual as well as acknowledg...

Effective leadership is imperative for both BCBAs and classroom teachers. Within a clinic or in-home setting, BCBAs manage and lead Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs). Janelle Upthegrove is the owner of Grover Behavioral Services and shares her insight and strategies for creating a positive and effective work environment. Janelle discusses using decentralized leadership to empower her team mem...

Training teams on behavior plans and strategies is essential to successful implementation. In today’s episode, school-based BCBA and former special ed teacher, Meghan Edwards is breaking down how to approach team training from start to finish. She covers how to get started with a new plan or team, how to find training time, ways to build buy in, and go-to strategies for reluctant staff. More from...

Dr. Norrine Russell is the founder of Russell Coaching for Students, which uses an innovative method of coaching for complex students. In this episode, Dr. Russell dives into the complicated skill of problem-solving. She shares why problem-solving is such an important yet difficult skill for students to learn. She gives specific examples and strategies of ways to build independence through giving...

Practical Functional Assessment and the Skills Based Treatment Approach is a proven effective and applicable approach to severe problem behavior. In this episode, special educator and behavior consultant, Erica Vogt, shares her experience with PFA-SBT in a school setting. Erica breaks down the PFA-SBT process, gives some real-world examples, and discusses the potential challenges of this process....

Whether your students are engaging in off-task behaviors or more extreme and dangerous problem behaviors, there are some universal key strategies you need for positive behavior change. These mindsets and frameworks are imperative for decreasing problem behavior and teaching positive, prosocial responses. In this episode, I share the 5 key strategies as well as discuss how these can be taught to yo...

Gina Russell is a former preschool special education teacher and currently works in early intervention. Gina is a blogger on The Autism Helper team sharing best practices for early childhood. In this episode, Gina shares 5 ways to foster early language development. These strategies are all actionable ways to build awareness, interest, and curiosity. She shares many examples of what these strategie...

Lupe Castaneda is a BCBA with over 20 years of experience in both the public and private setting. In this episode, Lupe shares some key strategies for successful consultations and relationships with teachers and staff. Lupe discusses how to overcome the challenges of finding time and getting buy-in when training teams on behavior plans. We also discuss compassionate treatment, what that looks like...

Liliana Diaz-Vazquez is a certified licensed bilingual speech-language pathologist. In this episode, she shares best practices for supporting bilingual students in the classroom. Liliana explores common misconceptions regarding multilingual students with language delays such as speaking multiple languages will cause regression or confusion. She gives examples and supporting research on how to util...

Running small groups allows you to provide differentiated and individualized instruction to your students. But the process of setting up centers can be overwhelming. In this episode, we go through the steps for getting started with centers. We review situations such as having low or no staff and students that aren’t able to work independently yet. We also explore which types of centers paraprofess...

Managing and leading your team is an essential role in being a special education teacher however it’s something we are not prepared for. In this episode, I review the most frequently asked questions I get about staff training and collaborating with paraprofessionals. I discuss how to find the time for staff training, how to get buy in, and how to establish effective boundaries --------------------...

In this episode, we delve into frequently asked questions on behavior. We start off by reviewing the question I get asked the most; How do I handle _____ behavior? There is one answer I give to every question that references a specific behavior - whether kicking, hitting, scratching, running! Then we cover how to handle taking away preferred items, dealing with defiance and control issues, and wor...