Turn Autism Around

Today's guest is a highly requested one, and I finally have the pleasure of interviewing her:  please welcome Kate Swenson! Kate is most recognized for her Facebook pages Finding Cooper's Voice and Coop's Troops. Kate shares the ups and downs that come with being a mom to three boys, including one with severe nonverbal autism.

It's safe to say that right now, we are in the middle of a global pandemic; but with so much sheltering going on, this is the perfect time to start working with your children about self-care skills! Today I'm going to cover several skills such as potty-training and hand-washing, and where to begin with introducing these new skills.

I have been good friends with Suzie and Kelly Carpenter for almost two decades, and I'm so excited to introduce you to them! Suzie is an author and coach, and Kelly is an aspiring photographer who was diagnosed with 'high-functioning' autism when she was four years old. This mother-daughter duo has had to overcome a lot of challenges, but they have a ton of fantastic stories to share as well as pr...

The Global Autism Project is a nonprofit organization that helps people in 15 countries provide better treatment for children with autism. My interviewee this episode is Molly Ola Pinney, the founder, and  EO of the Global Autism Project, and today we discuss why the Global Autism Project was founded; how they help treat autism in other countries; and how the recent Coronavirus has affected their...

I'm kicking off autism awareness month with a quick course in autism history; specifically, the mothers to children with autism who went on to become professionals in the field. The autism world has made great strides since the 1940s, and we owe so much of it to the mothers who fought for their children.

It's my pleasure to introduce you to the ABA Inside Track team: Dr. Jackie MacDonald, Dr. Robert Parry- Cruwys, and Dr. Diana Parry-Cruwys. We cover a lot of topics today, including positive parenting and avoiding coercion. We also discuss the rule of five-to-eight positive comments to every negative comment; a rule that should be applied to anyone's everyday life.

In part two of my three-part ethics series, I interview Dr. Bridget Taylor. Dr. Taylor is a board-certified behavior analyst, a licensed psychologist, she is also the president of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. In our interview, she shares her opinion on the ethics code and why it isn't so black-and-white, as well as the challenges that young behavior analysts might face – and how to av...

When you're first introduced to the autism field, whether you're a fresh-faced professional or a confused parent, it's very easy to become overwhelmed. There are so many different autism models to focus on – how are you supposed to know what to choose? My interviewee, Tracy Vail, is an expert on many different methodologies and will be able to lead you through the autism treatment maze.

I'm fortunate enough to have Dr. Amanda Kelly (AKA: Behavior Babe) back on my podcast! As a BCBA and autism ethics expert, she still has much to share with you and readily addresses tough questions, such as: should a BCBA accept gifts from parents?

Teaching real-world skills to children with autism can be very difficult for parents, teachers and even trained behavioral analysts. I, for one, had to teach my son, Lucas, the same and different in 16 different trials. Dr. Janet Twyman is an expert in instructional strategies and shares how reinforcement shaping, critical discrimination, observing and testing helps with effectively teaching acade...

The interview I have for you today is unlike any of my previous interviews: my guest is Eileen. Not only does her son have severe autism and is nonverbal, but she herself has been diagnosed with high-functioning autism. Eileen openly shares her story with me and does not shy away from the truth.

Jim Christy is an award-winning playwright and filmmaker. He is also a husband and the father to a son with autism. Jim bravely shares his fall into the autism world; the diagnosis that changed his life; and the strain that it put on his marriage and his family.

I've been sitting on this announcement for a while, but now I can finally share it with you: I'm writing my second book! What's the premise? When's the release date? I'm giving you all of the details today!

Ethics sets a parameter of behavior that protects both a patient and a therapist, and Dr. Megan Miller talks with me about the ethical guidelines that she follows in this podcast. In addition, we talk about the alternatives to escape extinction, when you might need to use it and some of its limitations.

Echoic control is when you say a word or phrase, and your child repeats it back to you like an echo. This is the fastest way for your child to build their vocabulary, and thus convey their needs to you. This is also where I see parents and professionals get stuck the most, so today I'm going to share my five tips for building echoic control with you!

Dr. Ilene Schwartz is not only a professor of special education and a BCBA, but she is also an ethics expert. In the field of ABA, it can be difficult to weed through the differing opinions and build your own solid beliefs. That's why I asked Dr. Schwartz all sorts of questions so that you can take from her knowledge and form your own code of ethics.

I've been asked a lot of questions about how to help conversational or almost conversational kids with ABA verbal behavior. In this episode, I discuss the 5 mistakes we make in helping high functioning kids with their language comprehension, the types of assessment you should look into and the ABA strategies you can apply to help your kids reach their full potential.

This is an interview that I've been excited about for a long time. I've mentioned Dr. Mark Sundberg many times on this podcast, crediting him as the creator of the VB-MAPP as well as a favorite mentor of mine. Now I'm lucky enough to sit down with Dr. Sundberg and be privy to his knowledge, and share it with you! By the time you're done listening, I promise you'll have learned something new.

With 2019 coming to a close, I want to sit down and review my top ten favorite episodes from over the last year. These episodes include the most viewed episode, as well as my personal favorites. Did your favorite episode make the cut? Find out now!

When your goal is to help your child live their happiest, most independent life, you can get stuck going over a few obstacles. What should be the first step you take to improving their quality of life? How should you handle autism regression? Today I'm covering five obstacles that I see parents and professionals get stuck on the most – and how you can conquer them!

Julie Hornok is an award-winning author, a nonprofit founder, and an autism parent. And on top of that, she is one of the most encouraging individuals I've interviewed on this podcast thus far. Julie is on a mission to inspire other mothers like her, who are battle-scarred and weary, and need to be reminded that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

No matter how long you've worked in the autism field, you never know everything. I can vouch for this, and so can today's interviewee, Kristen Colyer. Kristen is the director of Maryland's Pieces of Wonder center; she is a BCBA; and she is currently going to school to obtain her PhD. Now, she is going to share her knowledge with you, along with what she believes is the biggest problem that BCBAs a...

If your child has autism, chances are they're also a very picky eater; there might only be a few foods that they will even consider eating. Furthermore, I know that eating problems are usually connected to problem behaviors. It's time to turn your child's eating habits around, and I'm here to tell you how, with my seven tips for picky eaters.

As a parent coach and a father to a son with autism, Len Arcuri is a wealth of knowledge. He shares his abrupt fall into the autism world; how switching to a gluten casein free diet has literally saved his son's life; why having a growth mindset is so important; and how you and your spouse can become a team and fight autism together.

In the previous episode, I explained what automatic negative reinforcement is, and why it is important. Now it's time for Dr. Timothy Vollmer's interview, which ties into that episode. Dr. Vollmer shares his thoughts on automatic negative reinforcement, how to approach it, and gives insight as to what might trigger it.