Turn Autism Around

In February 2020, Michelle's daughter was given an autism diagnosis, but while she was lining all of the specialists up, the COVID shutdown occurred. Suddenly without the support, she was counting on to help her, Michelle purchased my online course. In just six weeks, Michelle's daughter went from only two words to around 500 words. Even I was amazed by the huge progress Elaina had, and I knew I j...

Inserting music into physical therapy can utilize both sides of the brain, and increase the efficacy of physical therapy. For children on the autism spectrum who are engaged in musical therapy, it can improve their motor movements, their language skills, and not only their learning but also their maintenance. Dr. Marlene Sotelo discusses the evidence-based research surrounding music therapy for ch...

As a dual-language household, Magüi Moreno and her husband intended to teach their son Adrian both Spanish and English. Early concerns about his language abilities were brushed off as a result of trying to teach two languages at once, but an autism diagnosis at the age of 4 led their family on a different path. Language learning is not innate learning, so Magüi had to learn how to teach a language...

In high school, Emaley McCulloch found her passion, and while it was the children with autism that drew her to the field, it was the science that got her hooked. After recognizing how hard it was to travel from place to place training ABA therapists, Emaley started Autism Training Solutions, an online education company that trains professionals and parents in evidence-based autism interventions, n...

I met Amanda V. about eight years ago when her son was newly diagnosed with autism. Imagine my delight when she contacted me to share that her son was starting middle school in a mainstream classroom, and was on the football team. Early intervention in the birth-to-three program, and the ABA techniques I taught her gave her the support she needed to reach him.

There are many professions in the autism community, and one very helpful person to have on your team is an OT. Dore Blanchet is one of my favorite OTs that I've worked with, and today we're going to cover fine motor skills; the role of an OT; and how Dore continues to work with her clients in the midst of COVID-19.

My ultimate goal is for our children to live their happiest, most independent lives; that's why language comprehension is so essential. Today I'm going to focus on how to build receptive language abilities; how to assess comprehension; when and how to use visuals, and more!

Medication in the autism community can be a touchy subject. As a professional in the autism community, I feel it's part of my responsibility to shine a light on autism conditions and medications and give you factual information. That's why I'm interviewing Dr. Missy Olive, a doctoral-level BCBA and a licensed behavior analyst with experience in the medical autism field.

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.