Explore every episode of the podcast The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria
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| Making ABA Research Matter: Practical Dissemination Strategies for Behavior Analytic Scholars, Inside JABA 25 | 19 Nov 2025 | 01:09:26 | |
Episode Overview In this special episode of the Behavioral Observations Podcast, I had the honor of celebrating the 25th installment of the Inside JABA Series. This one was particularly meaningful because it also marks the final appearance of Dr. John Borrero in his role as Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. I invited John to reflect on his three-year tenure—what he learned from reading an enormous volume of manuscripts, how his thinking evolved, and why adapting our language is essential if we want behavior analysis to reach broader audiences. From there, we transitioned into an informative conversation with Dr. Nate Call from Emory University. Nate's recent work focuses on how we can better disseminate applied behavior analysis, not just distribute it. His paper, Scholarship as an Operating Class: Strategies and tactics for increasing dissemination of applied behavior analysis, has already shifted how I think about how our field packages and shares research. In this episode, Nate walked us through actionable strategies for increasing the reach and impact of our work. Key Topics Covered in This Episode 1. John Borrero's Reflections from the Editor's ChairJohn looked back on his three years as Editor-in-Chief, and I asked him what surprised him most. He talked about:
Nate clarified something that—and I'll admit—I hadn't always thought deeply about: there's a big difference between making your work available and ensuring your work is actually used. Nate described it like:
He also explained why early-career researchers often focus on distribution out of necessity, and how we can transition to more deliberate dissemination strategies over time. 3. Scholarship as an Operant ClassNate walked me through the framework behind his recent paper. He described scholarly behavior as something shaped by contingencies—just like anything else. We talked about:
I asked Nate about how ideas move between disciplines, and he introduced the concept of boundary encounters. We discussed:
We took a deep dive into methodology and talked about the strengths of single-subject designs—as well as their limitations. Nate made a compelling case for:
I asked Nate to explain participatory action research, and he shared a powerful example involving first responders and families in crisis situations. He emphasized:
We also explored how to know whether dissemination is working. Nate and I discussed:
To close the episode, I asked Nate what he'd tell new behavior analysts entering the field. He encouraged them to:
If you're passionate about increasing the influence of behavior analysis—whether through research, writing, teaching, or practice—this episode offers clear, functional guidance for how to do it. | |||
| Trauma-Informed Behavior Analysis, A Guide for BCBAs: Session 315 with Gabi Morgan and David Adams | 31 Oct 2025 | 01:10:18 | |
Thanks for joining me in Session 315 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast. In this episode, I spoke with Drs. Gabi Morgan and David Adams to dive deep into trauma-informed behavior analysis. Gabi brings her 30-year journey in the field—from undergrad roots to professorship at Bay Path University—while David shares his evolution from child and family therapy to clinical psychology, with a heavy focus on foster and adoptive parenting. Both guests are passionate about closing the divide between trauma therapy and behavioral strategies, and they credit mentors like Dr. Jeannie Golden for lighting the way. We kick things off by unpacking what trauma really means. In doing so, as a content warning, please be aware that we do make general references to a variety of traumatic and adverse experiences. Having said that, David walks us through SAMHSA's three-part definition: the event, the experience, and the effects. It's not the event itself that defines trauma—it's the individual's response. He introduces "adverse conditioning experiences" as a behavior-analytic twist on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), spotlighting how negative associations get wired in through conditioning. From there, we contrast PTSD and complex PTSD. Same core symptoms (intrusive thoughts, avoidance, etc.), but complex PTSD adds prolonged exposure and three extra layers: impaired self-worth, rocky relationships, and emotional dysregulation. Gabi drives home a critical point: folks with developmental disabilities are at higher risk for trauma but often fly under the diagnostic radar. We need to get better at spotting trauma-related behaviors in this population. Screening, Brain Science, and Practical StrategiesScreening is a big theme. We all agree behavior analysts aren't formally trained in assessment, but we have to be aware of how this is done. Gabi loves the Child Health and Development Institute's Child Trauma Screen (CTS), and the Massachusetts Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (Mass CANS) tool. David then nerds out on the neurobiology: trauma affects the amygdala (hypervigilance), hippocampus (memory glitches), hypothalamus (stress gone haywire), and frontal lobe (decision-making on the fritz). Enter the "amygdala hijack"—when fear short-circuits rational thought. Bottom line? Kids in fight-or-flight aren't in a teachable moment. Safety and calm have to come first. We close the show with actionable takeaways: risk-benefit analyses for every intervention (especially with histories of food neglect), "kind extinction" (empathy + withholding reinforcers), and the six pillars of trauma-informed care (safety, trustworthiness, peer support, collaboration, empowerment, cultural competence). TIC isn't a "hyphenated" ABA—it's the whole framework. Advice for new BCBAs? Seek trauma training, question "business as usual," and be the stable adult in a kid's chaotic world. Empathy, creativity, and reducing fear are your superpowers. Additional Resources
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| How to Train Staff and Improve Outcomes in Adult Autism Services: Session 306 with Dr. John Guercio | 18 Jul 2025 | 01:23:15 | |
Dr. John Guercio returns to the Behavioral Observations Podcast for his third appearance, bringing his extensive experience and fresh insights into the world of adult services in behavior analysis. In this episode, John and Matt discuss the vital, yet often overlooked, field of supporting adults with autism and other developmental disabilities—particularly those with severe behavioral challenges. They explore:
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Guercio emphasizes the importance of dignity, choice, and inclusion, and provides practical strategies for training and retaining staff who work in high-demand settings. 🧠 About the Guest:Dr. John Guercio is the Vice President of Crisis Services and ABA Services at The Arc of the Ozarks. He has over three decades of experience in adult services and is a published researcher, trainer, and advocate for ethical and effective behavioral interventions for adults. Dr. Guercio is also the author of the Staff Training Manual: Staff Training Strategies for Adult Service Settings, and co-creator of a new 40-hour RBT training program specific to adult services. 📚 Resources & Links:
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| Detecting Your Personal Biases: Session 217 with Lina Slim | 21 Feb 2023 | 00:52:57 | |
Dr. Lina Slim joins me in Session 217 for a wide-ranging conversation that is almost impossible to describe in a list of bullet points. But I will try... In this show we discussed:
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! This podcast is brought to you by: · Rose Griffin's FREE masterclass, The Power of Joint Attention. This 30-minute course will show you how to use books in therapy so your students are running over to listen to you read. The course also covers how to use songs in therapy so that your students are eager to participate and play and are ready to engage with you every session. Rose shares actionable tips that you can use in your next therapy session and provides BONUS pintables that you can practice right away. To learn more, go to abaspeech.org, and click the Free Masterclass tab at the top! · Being a behavior professional is hard. At How to ABA their goal is to make you feel supported and confident while helping your clients make real progress! In their membership community, you will find all the assessments, programs, data sheets, and materials you need so that your job is just a little easier. As a member, you'll also be invited each month to join a live CEU and a live mentorship in our private community group. You'll also have access to their extensive CEU library of recorded on-demand CEU's on relevant, practical topics to BCBA's in the field. It's more than enough for recertification! With a Bx Resource membership, you'll save time, feel confident, and master what you love! Go to howtoaba.com/join. When you join today and use code BOP, you'll receive 10% off a yearly subscription (includes CEU's!). · The aforementioned Verbal Behavior Conference. This is conference is as equally fun as it is informative, and BehaviorLive makes it available virtually as well, so I hope to see you there! | |||
| How to Optimize Learning with Guided Notes, SAFMEDs, and Instructional Design: Session 216 with Sal Ruiz | 13 Feb 2023 | 01:10:00 | |
Dr. Sal Ruiz and I recorded a long overdue podcast where we went over all things SAFMEDS, Instructional Design, best practices for online learning, and much more. In this podcast we covered a lot of ground, but I think one of the most interesting things I took from the conversation are the procedural variations that have been explored. It turns out that there are some ways to do SAFMEDS that lead to better results depending on what outcomes you're looking for. We also explore instructional design, and in that, we talk about starting with the end in mind, tailoring lessons for in-person, synchronous, and asynchronous modalities, how guided notes fit into all of this, and much more. Long story short, whether you're a student, a university instructor, or even if you're responsible for training people outside of the university context, there are many lessons to be learned from this podcast. Lastly, Sal's parting advice to BCBAs is really good. The advice involves choosing continuing education topics. I'm not going to spoil the details of this advice here, so definitely listen all the way through and check out what he has to say on the topic! Here are the links to the resources we discussed:
This session of the BOP was brought to you by:
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| Certificación, acreditación y regulación internacional de analistas de conducta. Iniciativas para hispanohablantes con el Dr. Javier Virues Ortega | 31 Jan 2023 | 01:02:40 | |
Editor's note: A few months ago, my friend Miguel Avila and I thought it would be fun to offer some Behavioral Observations content to Spanish speaking ABA professionals, parents, and other folks who would enjoy it. Thanks to Miguel's hard work, we have a few shows recorded, and more in the works. Our plan is to release about one episode a month for a few months. If you know folks who would be interested in these episodes, please consider sharing it with them. Lastly, we'd like to thank Essential for Living, which is now available in Spanish, for giving Miguel the time to record these thought-provoking conversations! Hace unos meses, mi amigo Miguel Avila y yo pensamos que sería divertido ofrecer contenido de Behavioral Observations (Observaciones Conductuales) a profesionales de ABA de habla hispana, padres y otras personas que podrían disfrutarlo. Gracias al arduo trabajo de Miguel, tenemos algunos programas grabados y más en proceso. Nuestro plan es lanzar alrededor de un episodio al mes durante algunos meses. Si conocen a personas que estarían interesadas en estos episodios, consideren compartirlo con ellos. Por último, nos gustaría agradecer a Essential for Living (Esenciales para la Vida), que ahora está disponible en español, por darle a Miguel el tiempo para grabar estas conversaciones que invitan a la reflexión. En esta sesión, el Dr. Javier Virues Ortega se une a Miguel para examinar el estado de la práctica del análisis de la conducta en los países de habla hispana. El Dr. Virues Ortega ofrece sus observaciones sobre la historia del análisis de la conducta en España y América Latina. A raíz de la salida de la BACB como una certificación internacional, revela algunas de las complejidades del desarrollo y las operaciones de los organismos de certificación y acreditación. El Dr. Virues Ortega y Miguel destacan las iniciativas modestas pero importantes que han observado de profesionales dedicados en Iberoamérica que quieren que la profesión del análisis de comportamiento prospere. También menciona algunos de los recursos y programas que se han puesto a disposición en español hasta el momento. Nos deja un valiosísimo consejo y una gran anécdota sobre la perseverancia. International certification, accreditation, and regulation of behavior analysts. Initiatives for Spanish speakers with Dr. Javier Virues Ortega In this session, Dr. Javier Virues Ortega joins Miguel to examine the state of the practice of behavior analysis in Spanish-speaking countries. Dr. Virues Ortega offers his observations on the history of behavior analysis in Spain and Latin America. In light of the departure of the BACB as an international certification, he unpacks some of the complexities of the development and operations of certification and accreditation bodies. Dr. Virues Ortega and Miguel note the modest, but important initiatives they have observed from dedicated professionals in Iberoamerica that want the behavior analysis profession to prosper. He also mentions some of the resources and programs that have been made available in Spanish thus far. He leaves us with invaluable advice and a great anecdote about perseverance. | |||
| How to Develop a Skilled RBT Workforce: Apollo Case Study Series 7 | 23 Jan 2023 | 01:00:37 | |
I've been asked many times to highlight the work of Registered Behavioral Technicians, and in this installment of the Apollo Case Study Series, we do just that. Dr. Jim Moore, Rachel Packiam (Director of Clinical Excellence), Christina Halverson (RBT Training Coordinator), and Emily Jackson (Lead RBT) joined me to discuss Apollo's unique organizational strategies for onboarding and training their RBTs. As you'll learn in this episode, by the time an RBT works 1:1 with a child, they have had the training and confidence necessary to implement programming successfully. It is important to emphasize that this just doesn't happen by accident. There are many additional hours of supervising and mentoring that happen - hours that go far beyond the basic requirements. And as an outsider looking in, it's impressive to me just how much non-billable time they invest in ensuring their staff are as prepared as possible. If you're a practice owner, or if you have some administrative role, you're going to want to grab a pen and paper to take some notes, because there are a lot of ideas for staff development and support in this podcast. We go over topics including rapport-building with trainees, soft-skills, staff morale, professionalism, teaching and upholding core organizational values, common struggles of trainees, and lots more! If you're an RBT or BCBA, and this model of training and service delivery appeals to you, connect with Jim, or contact the folks at Apollo directly to learn more about potential job opportunities in their Atlanta-area clinics. | |||
| Using Behavior Analysis for Policy Development and Analysis: Inside JABA 14 | 17 Jan 2023 | 01:21:19 | |
Thanks so much for checking out installment number 14 in the Inside JABA Series on Behavioral Observations. Dr. John Borrero, JABA's Editor in Chief, and I are joined by Drs. Brett Gelino and Derek Reed to discuss a novel study that they and their colleagues conducted on the University of Kansas campus. The study, which culminated in the paper, "Tobacco-free policy reduces combustible tobacco byproduct," shows how a group Behavior Analysts teamed up with university policy-makers to craft and evaluate a campus-wide tobacco-free initiative. On the one hand, policy evaluation may sound like a dry topic. But if you step back and think about this for a minute, this is an example of how we can use Behavior Analytic concepts and principles to solve relevant problems at scale. How many times have you seen well-intended policies produce the dreaded "unintended consequences," because the people who made the policy did not have sufficient expertise in behavioral concepts and principles? So to my mind, this piece of research is a very exciting and promising development. Long story short, this one is for all my fellow policy-wonks out there, and there are many cool elements to this study when it comes to data collection and analysis. And here are some links that we discussed:
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| Token Economy 101: Considerations for research and practice, w/Tim Hackenberg | 11 Jan 2023 | 01:36:02 | |
This was a really fun episode. Dr. Tim Hackenberg joined me to discuss both what we know, and what we don't know about token economies. This conversation was inspired by my interview with Dr. Matt Brodhead in Session 205, where in listening to that show, Tim picked up on a misstatement of mine. We get into the specifics of this in our interview, but in brief, I made an off-the-cuff comment about token economy research. Thankfully, Tim reached out to me and offered to discuss this issue in more detail, and more importantly, correct my point of view on this matter. And I'm so glad he did just that. I really learned a lot in this episode. In it, we discuss the basics of what constitutes a token economy, the importance of generalized reinforcers, early research in this area, troubleshooting ineffective token economies, and perhaps most interestingly, directions for future research. Our discussion centered around Tim's 2018 JABA paper, Token Reinforcement: Translational Research and Application. As I mention in the interview, it's simply an impressive work of scholarship, and I highly recommend taking the time to read through it. So whether you're a newly-minted BCBA, or a seasoned pro, I think there's something here for everyone. Tim also shared that he, along with Dr. Francesca Delgi Espinosa, created two token economy courses. One is a brief overview course that's free, and there's an advanced course titled, "Token economies: Bridging the gap from research to practice." You can find out more about them here. Session 212 is brought to you by:
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| 2022 Year in Review with ABA Inside Track | 28 Dec 2022 | 00:51:41 | |
It's that time of year again folks. If you're new to the show, every year, I get together with my friends from ABA Inside Track for a Year in Review show, and this year was no different. In this podcast, we went over a handful of happenings in the world of Applied Behavior Analysis. In this episode, we covered:
With regard to the latter, I would like to say that I wish we had more time to elaborate on the contributions of these behavior analysts. We were pressed for time, not only for recording, but also in terms of show preparation, and I apologize if that segment of the show fails to live up to the standards you've come to expect from Behavioral Observations. We also fielded a great question from long time listener, Penny Holloway. Again, time did not allow us to do her question justice, but if you listen to the very end of the show, I do my best to address it, and I hope you get a chance to check that out. Huge thanks again for the ABA Inside Track crew, along with Alan Haberman for being such great conversational partners. I look forward to sharing more fun discussions with you in 2023 and beyond!!! Here are the links to some of the things we discussed:
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| Eye Contact, Core vs Fringe Vocab, State Testing, and Other Non-Controversial Topics: The 2022 VBC Panel | 21 Dec 2022 | 01:10:12 | |
If you're a long-time listener, you've likely heard me talk about the Verbal Behavior Conference at various points over the last few years. If you're not familiar with the event, it's a two-day workshop that my friends at the Central Texas Autism Center have been putting on for years. What you're about to hear is the panel discussion from the 2022 event, which was the first post-pandemic live event for the conference, which took place, as always, in Austin, Texas. This panel discussion included Kevin Luczynski, Sarah Lechago, Francesca Delgi Espinosa, Tamara Kasper, Mark Sundberg, David Palmer, David Roth, and Pat McGreevy. This particular panel discussion started off with going over some granular details about Joint Attention and Joint Control, but as panels often do, this one got a little more freewheeling as it went on. For example, there were some great discussions regarding assessing bilingual clients, the role of eye contact, core vs. fringe vocabulary, rule-governed behavior, and much more! I had the honor to be invited to moderate this amazing lineup. These duties included asking my own questions, taking questions from the in-person crowd (and huge thanks to Kelle Rich for sprinting around the mic!), and monitoring the on-line chat to take questions from those participating at home. As such, there are some occasional long pauses here and there throughout the discussion, so please bear with that, as I think it will be worth your time. If an event like this sounds fun to you, you're in luck because the 2023 Verbal Behavior Conference is just around the corner. It's taking place on March 30th and 31st, as always, in Austin, Texas. However, if you can't be there in person, the Verbal Behavior Conference will be presented online via Behavior Live, and for what it's worth, they do a fantastic job doing this. Whether virtually or in person, I'd love to see you there. This year's event includes talks from Pat McGreevy, Troy Fry, Lina Slim, Andresa De Souza, Sarah Frampton, Einar Ingvarsson, and Samantha Bergman. Once again, I will be moderating the panel at the end of the first day. All in all, it's a really fun time. If you're listening to this and it's still 2022, early-bird pricing is still in effect, so if this all sounds fun to you, grab your ticket today and save some cash in the process. This podcast is brought to you by:
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| An Analysis of Bad Leadership Practices: Session 208 with Paulie Gavoni | 02 Dec 2022 | 01:01:47 | |
I'm really excited to chat with Dr. Paulie Gavoni again on the podcast. As long time listeners know, he's been on the show many times, and always brings a down-to-earth, practical point of view to what we do as Behavior Analysts. In preparation for a talk at the recent Hoosier Association for Behavior Analysis event, Paulie did a deep dive on characteristics of bad leadership. It went over very well, and we thought it would make for an informative podcast episode. And Paulie presents his findings in his own unique and fun manner. I won't spoil it here, so be sure to hear him go through it all. I should also note that Paulie and I talk all the time and our banter may have drifted into what I'll refer to here as 'middle school language.' Nothing terribly profane mind you, but I did want to give a heads up because I know many of you listen to the podcast while ferrying your kids around. On a different note, Paulie and I, along with our colleague Anika Costa, are working on a really fun project for behavioral professionals in public school settings. We are hoping to have it out in the first quarter of 2023, so stay tuned for that. Here are the links:
This podcast is brought to you by:
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| Session 10 Rewind with Pat Friman: Your Road Trip Companion | 23 Nov 2022 | 01:14:22 | |
Editor's Note: I generally publish three episodes a month, but I wanted to share this bonus, fourth episode with you as I know there will be a lot of people embarking on road trips in the coming days. As such, I've chosen one of my earliest interviews to re-release, and it's my first interview with Dr. Pat Friman (originally released in August of 2016!?!?), who as many of you know, went on to appear in several more Behavioral Observations Episodes. What I will say though is that if you're listening to this re-release of Session 10 shortly after it is published, that there is a huge CEU sale going on right now. These huge discounts that are available now through November 27th. And if you're catching this show after the sale is over, I usually have a few different discounts going so it's worth checking out no matter when you hear this. And speaking of Pat Friman, three of his later appearances on the show are indeed eligible for CEUs, so if you enjoy his message and want to hear more of it, and earn CEUs along the way, then this sounds like a win-win. In Session 10 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast, I speak with none other than Dr. Pat Friman. Pat is the Vice President of Behavioral Health Services at Boys Town as well as a Clinical Professor of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Nebraska School of Medicine. In today's show, Pat tells the story of how he literally wandered into a career in Behavior Analysis as well as the remarkable story of how Boys Town was started and how it serves children and families today. We then talk about his point of view on functional assessment practices, how he interviews parents, his take on what we refer to as, "kids these days," and Behavior Analysts as parents. With regard to the latter, I accidentally broach some of my own parenting struggles, so you might have some fun at my expense (your welcome). If you enjoyed the show, please share it with friends and colleagues! | |||
| Naming Bidireccional: BOP en Español 15 con el Dr. José Alberto Monseco Gómez | 15 Jul 2025 | 00:57:12 | |
En este episodio, conversamos con el Dr. José Alberto Monseco Gómez —analista de conducta, BCBA® e IBA®— sobre un proceso fascinante, aunque poco comprendido aún por muchos analistas de conducta, en la adquisición del lenguaje: el naming bidireccional. A través de una charla accesible y llena de ejemplos, exploramos qué es el naming, cómo se relaciona con conceptos fundamentales del análisis de conducta, y por qué su presencia (o ausencia) puede marcar una diferencia sustancial en el desarrollo de lenguaje complejo. Hablamos de su relevancia tanto en contextos naturales como escolares, su papel como cúspide conductual, y los procedimientos que han demostrado inducir esta habilidad cuando no está presente. José también comparte hallazgos de su propia investigación y experiencia, reflexiones personales como padre y profesional, y consejos valiosos para analistas de conducta que trabajan con población con dificultades en el desarrollo del lenguaje. Bidirectional Naming with Dr. José Alberto Monseco Gómez
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| From Newly-Minted to Confident Practitioner: ACSS 6 | 18 Nov 2022 | 01:12:41 | |
In the 6th installment of the Apollo Case Study Series, I'm joined by my regular conversation partner, Dr. Jim Moore, along with Christina Nylander. Christina is a BCBA who works at Apollo's Lawrenceville, GA clinic. In this episode, Christina opens up quite a bit and describes how she encountered Applied Behavior Analysis, her early experiences as an RBT, the mentoring and supervision she's received as a BCBA in the early stages of her career, the value of learning about typical child development, the successes she's had as a clinician, learning the PEAK curriculum, and much more. Christina quite vulnerably discussed juggling the immense challenges of being a working mother in our field as well. From sleep deprivation to feeling like one is never fully caught up... she candidly describes how she navigated that process. Throughout the podcast, Jim related Christina's points to Apollo's unique clinical and supervision models. If you are interested in learning more about what they do, you can find more information here. Here are some of the resources we discussed:
In parting, I have two requests: First, if you have any questions about this episode or any other ACSS podcasts, I encourage you to hit Jim up on LinkedIn.... even if it is just to say hello. Second, please share this show with friends and colleagues. I think Christina's story is highly representative of many people in the field right now, and this podcast may be helpful to quite a few BCBAs out there. | |||
| An Intro to Feeding Challenges: Session 206 with Melissa Gonzalez | 10 Nov 2022 | 01:22:27 | |
In Session 206, I spoke with Dr. Melissa Gonzalez, BCBA-D, about Pediatric Feeding Disorders, and what Applied Behavior Analysis can offer in this area. Melissa is the Clinical Therapy Director at the Siskin Children's Institute in Chattanooga, Tennessee, arriving there by way of Louisiana State University's Clinical Psychology program and the Kennedy Krieger Institute, amongst other waypoints. In this episode, we discussed how she got into working with individuals with Pediatric Feeding Disorders, what are the diagnostic criteria for this repertoire, what we know what works for PDFs, the difference between picky eaters and individuals with PFDs, the importance of taking a multidisciplinary approach to treatment, and much more! This is a topic I'm not terribly familiar with, so I learned a ton. If you have the same reaction to this podcast, please share it with friends and colleagues! Here are some of the resources we discussed:
This podcast is brought to you buy: Abaspeech.org - the brainchild of Session 203 guest, Rose Griffin, is giving listeners a 30% discount on all of her courses which include, The Advanced Language Learner, Help Me Find My Voice, and Start Communicating Today. The offer is valid through December 1st, 2022. Go to abaspeech.org, check out the 'courses' link, and use the promo code, aba30, at checkout. The University of Cincinnati Online. UC Online designed a Master of Education in Behavior Analysis program that is 100% online and asynchronous, meaning you log on when it works for you. Want to learn more? Go to online.uc.edu and click the "request info" button. HRIC Recruiting. Barb Voss has been placing BCBAs in permanent positions throughout the US for just about a decade, and has been in the business more generally for 30 years. When you work with HRIC, you work directly with Barb, thereby accessing highly personalized service. So if you're about to graduate, you're looking for a change of pace, or you just want to know if the grass really is greener on the other side, head over to HRIColorado.com to schedule a confidential chat right away. | |||
| Ethics Regarding the Use of Punishment, Amongst Other Things: Session 205 with Matt Brodhead | 01 Nov 2022 | 01:41:39 | |
After a long hiatus, Dr. Matt Brodhead returns to Behavioral Observations. In this episode, we discuss the use of punishment in the context of creating effective, ethical behavioral interventions. Of course, pursuant to the Behavior Analysis Certification Board's Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, punishment should only be considered, "only after demonstrating that desired results have not been obtained using less intrusive means, or when it is determined by an existing intervention team that the risk of harm to the client outweighs the risk associated with the behavior-change intervention" (Code Element 2.15, page 12). So Matt and I talked about what this means in practice, the role of coercive or aversive events in everyday life, weighing the pros and cons of treatment choices, and much more. As we state in the first few minutes of the show, we made the editorial decision not to discuss the ABAI Task Force report on Contingent Electric Skin Shock. It's not that we don't have opinions on this topic; rest assured, we certainly do. But we felt like it would be more helpful for practitioners to hear Matt's thoughts on things like response cost, time-out, and so forth, as these are procedures that are more likely to be used by "everyday" practitioners. We also meandered into a few other topics, like the necessity of teaching cooperation and compliance under certain stimulus conditions, the utility or role of descriptive assessments vs. analog functional analyses, as well as other digressions. On a stylistic note, because Matt and I have gotten to know each other pretty well, this is an even more conversational episode that usual (versus one that is a series of questions and answers), with the attendant joking around that we usually engage in. If you're interested in Matt's work, go over to his website, betteraba.com, and pick up a copy of his excellent workbook, Behavioral Systems Analysis and Ethical Behavior. It's a bargain at $25 bucks... and remember, the holidays are right around the corner Matt is also available for workshops and consultations, and you can reach him through the same website. And while I'm plugging Matt's stuff, the popular text book he co-authored with Drs. David Cox and Shawn Quigley, is out in its second edition (disclosure: Amazon Associates Link). Other resources we discussed:
This podcast is brought to you with the generous support of:
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| Looking back, Looking forward: Inside JABA 13 | 26 Oct 2022 | 01:07:39 | |
On November 26th, 2019, the first Inside JABA Series podcast was published. This series was the brainchild of Dr. Linda LeBlanc, who at the time was the incoming Editor in Chief, and I have to say, doing these shows has been a highlight of producing this podcast. As I remind people often, I'm not involved in the production or publication of Behavior Analytic research, so you can imagine how much I've learned about this process in making what is now 13 Inside JABA Series podcast episodes. At the same time, it's been an incredible privilege to share these shows - including the papers we've hi-lighted therein - with you. At the time of this recording, Linda recently transitioned out of the role of Editor in Chief. This position is now filled by Dr. John Borrero, from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. As such, for the 13th installment in this series, the three of us got together to discuss a range of nerdy JABA topics, including how editors-in-chief are selected, what repertoires make for successful editors-in-chief, how to manage the review process, and more. We also talked about what makes a paper a "JABA paper." I think you might find some of Linda and John's thoughts on this surprising. Linda also shared a story on how she solved a specific clinical problem she encountered early on in her career by getting inspiration from the pages of JABA. Finally, we closed the show by looking back on some of Linda's accomplishments and discussed where John sees JABA moving forward. I won't spoil it here, but let's just say he has some really cool ideas, so please be sure to tune in for that segment. Even if you're not involved in conducting and publishing research, I think you'll find the discussion of how our flagship journal works very interesting. Lastly, as I have expressed numerous times, I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to work with the JABA team, and I look forward to working with John on future installments of the Inside JABA Series. References mentioned in this episode:
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| Speech Therapy and ABA: Session 203 with Rose Griffin | 18 Oct 2022 | 00:55:52 | |
In the world of Behavior Analysis, Rose Griffin is a unicorn of sorts, which is the unofficial mascot of those select few who hold both Speech Language Pathologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst credentials. For 20 years, Rose supported students in public school settings, but these days, she is concentrating on taking all the knowledge she's acquired and sharing it in the form of podcasts, online trainings and courses, and much more. In this interview, Rose and I discuss how she got into speech therapy and then behavior analysis, the challenges and benefits of collaboration, the subtleties of joint attention that many behavior analysts miss in our training programs, her awesome podcast, the Autism Outreach Podcast, and advice for newly-minted BCBAs. Rose and I also spend a few minutes nerding out over our mutual podcasting hero, Pat Flynn. Here are the links to the things we discussed:
Rose was kind enough to provide listeners with a 30% discount on her courses through December 1st, 2022. These courses include: The Advanced Language Learner, Help Me Find My Voice, and Start Communicating Today. Just use the promo code, aba30, at checkout, and you'll be good to go. Two footnotes to add: First, I mistakenly noted in this interview that Rose was the first SLP/BCBA on the show. That honor goes to Dr. Barbara Esch, who appeared on a panel discussion for the Verbal Behavior Conference. Second, in the spirit of transparency, I want to note that ABASpeech.org will be sponsoring several upcoming podcast episodes. Speaking of sponsors, Session 203 is brought to you by the following:
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| How to Think About Program Modification: Apollo Case Study Series #5 with Jim Moore | 05 Oct 2022 | 00:47:52 | |
After a brief hiatus, the Apollo Case Study Series returns to Behavioral Observations for its fifth installment. In this episode, Dr. Jim Moore shares his approach to modifying existing clinical programs that aren't making progress. More specifically, we talk about the temptation to go out and purchase the 'new shiny thing' (as in curriculum, assessment protocol, data collection systems, etc...), and what things to consider before deciding whether making such changes is an appropriate course of action. If you're a clinical director or supervisor, I'd say this is a must-listen episode. At one point, our internet connection phases out. Thankfully it passes quickly and the remaining conversation is pretty stable. If you're digging these conversations with Jim, hit him up on LinkedIn, or email him (jim.moore at apollobehavior dot com). Also, many of you have reached out to see if Apollo is a good fit as an employer, and if you're wondering the same thing, you can talk to Jim about that too, or check out their openings in the Atlanta Metro area. Here are the links to what we discussed:
I hope you enjoy this ad and intro-free episode, brought to you courtesy of Apollo Behavior! If you enjoy it, please share it with friends and colleagues! | |||
| Is Contingent Reinforcement Really Preferred? Session 201 with Holly Gover | 30 Sep 2022 | 01:09:19 | |
Would you rather earn preferred items or get them for free? More technically stated, would you prefer response-contingent reinforcers over response-independent ones (and to further split hairs, if the preferred items are provided response-independently, are they really reinforcers?)? It turns out that there has been some basic and applied research in this area, and some studies demonstrated participants' general preference for earning reinforcers as opposed to simply getting them for "free." My guest for Session 201, Dr. Holly Gover, published a review and meta-analysis on this topic in a recent issue of The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, called, "On the generality of preference for contingent reinforcement." In this episode, we discuss how she became interested in this topic, what motivated her to review this literature, what she learned from this process, and perhaps of most interest to you, what implications these findings have for practice. Towards the end of the conversation, we changed gears a bit and discussed Holly's work in the area of feeding challenges. She quickly reviewed what is currently known about the assessment and treatment of these problems, as well as the unique approach to resolving feeding issues that she has outlined. Holly will be presenting on this topic at the upcoming Stone Soup Conference on October 21st (disclosure: the Lake Ridge Community Support Services, host of the conference, is a BOP sponsor, and they are providing listeners with discounted registration when using the promo code, PODCAST). Lastly, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask - no, I mean beg you to to listen to Holly's advice for newly-minted BCBAs. I'm not kidding you that this has to be one of the best pieces of advice offered on this podcast. Please do yourself a favor and check it out and let me know if you agree. OK, here are some links:
In addition to the Stone Soup Conference, if you're interested in learning more about addressing feeding challenges, my colleague, Jen Farris, is putting together a 10-week mentoring cohort on this topic called Happy, Relaxed, and Eating. This is for a 10-week cohort consisting of 6, 2-hour LIVE virtual meetings and includes 12 CEs. There is also an option for no CEs at a discounted rate. And she is giving podcast listeners a 10% discount. So use the code BOP at checkout, or just tell Jen you heard about it on the podcast. If you're looking for continuing education on a wide variety of topics, don't forget that many of your favorite Behavioral Observations shows are available for approved continuing education. | |||
| Behavioral Observations Session 200 Special! | 26 Sep 2022 | 01:04:35 | |
I've always maintained that this is a show that is all about the listeners and the guests, and so it is with that in mind that I'm thrilled to share the following interview segments that were nominated by so many of you. We did have many entries, so I couldn't fit all of them in, but I genuinely appreciate all of you who took the time to write in and share your thoughts. While I'm expressing gratitude here, I'd be remiss to not mention the support that I've received from podcast sponsors, especially the OG's like Barb Voss at HRIC Recruiting and Behavior University. I'm also very thankful to all of you who have supported the show through Continuing Education sales, and Patreon memberships. Together, we've created this medium that has been downloaded almost 3.6 million times in over 100 countries. As I've told many friends and colleagues, back when I was conceptualizing this show, I always knew there would be an audience for this type of content, but I had no idea that it would develop into what it is these days. All of this to say that I'm extraordinarily thankful for all of you who have tuned in over the years. Thanks so much for letting Behavioral Observations into your commutes, your workouts, your laundry folding, your dog walking… or when or wherever else you take in the show. It's been a privilege to be able to share these conversations with you, and I look forward to the next 200 episodes! Here's what we have in store for you:
Lastly, huge thanks to Miguel Avila, Celia Heyman, Natalie Todd, Rob Harvey, Sarah DiGioia, Alesia Patterson, Alexa, as well as my colleague, Jen Farris (who also nominated some of the same segments from Session 63, which I forgot to mention in the broadcast). | |||
| What is Facilitated Communication? Session 199 with Jason Travers | 19 Sep 2022 | 01:23:38 | |
If your social media consumption is anything like mine, you've likely seen some feel-good stories in the media as of late that report on non-speaking students - generally students with Autism - who are graduating from college, giving valedictorian speeches, and so forth. Unfortunately, what's often underpinning many of these cases is a form of Facilitated Communication, or FC for short. What is FC? Glad you asked! In today's episode, Dr. Jason Travers, Associate Professor at Temple University, joins me today to answer this very question (follow him on Twitter here). We covered the history of Facilitated Communication, the early scientific investigations that discredited this practice, FC's variants like the Rapid Prompting Method and Spelling to Communicate, where the practice of FC stands today, the harms that Facilitated Communication causes both users and caregivers, and how Behavior Analysts should both view and talk about these practices. Jason also provides the audience with a treasure trove of additional resources:
This podcast is brought to you by the following sponsors:
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| Back to School with PBIS: Session 198 with Elissa Johnson | 31 Aug 2022 | 01:07:49 | |
If you're anywhere in the upper part of the northern hemisphere, you already know that fall is in the air. And with that comes the annual return of students to their community schools. As such, I thought it would be fun to bring on fellow New Hampshire behavior analyst, Elissa Johnson, to talk about the work she's doing in school settings. Elissa is the Director of Behavioral Health for Constellations Behavioral Services, which was founded right here in the Granite State. As an aside, long time listeners might remember my interview with Kim and Tim Heald, the founders of Constellations way back in Session 35. So in the episode, Elissa and I discuss how she got into the field, some common mentors we worked with, and how Constellations has transitioned into an ESOP or employee-owned company (a topic perhaps worthy of its own podcast for sure). However, we spent the bulk of our time discussing how to do good behavior analytic work in school settings, including implementing multi-tiered systems of support, such as PBIS. If you're new to these terms, don't worry, because we do go through and define all the acronyms that are so common in this type of work. As always, we end with some great advice for the newly-minted. And Elissa had some special words for those of you who are still in your coursework or otherwise working on becoming a newly-minted BCBA, so you'll want to stick around for that. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! Stuff we mentioned in the show:
This session of Behavioral Observations is brought to you by the following:
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| ABA Strategies for Safer Playground Behavior: Inside JABA 23 | 01 Jul 2025 | 01:21:39 | |
Welcome back to the Inside JABA series—this is Episode 23, and it's a must-listen for anyone interested in using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to improve safety in school settings. In this episode, Dr. Jeannie Donaldson and Gabriela Gomes join Dr. John Borrero and me to discuss the paper, "Effects of differential reinforcement and time-out on the unsafe
As you can see below, the intervention package was quite effective: https://behavioralobservations.com/be_obs/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/ISJ-23-Fig-1.png 📜 Subscribe to JABAWant access to cutting-edge research like this? Subscribe to The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and stay informed on the latest evidence-based practices. 📚 Resources & Research Mentioned:
All Inside JABA episodes are available for CEU credit! Click here to purchase and earn your CEUs. | |||
| The Roles of Bias Formation and Disproportionality in the Context of Racism: Session 197 with Bruce Tinor and Merrill Winston | 19 Aug 2022 | 01:40:33 | |
The full title of Merrill's talk is, "Whitesplaining Racism: Part Deux! Logic, Disproportionality, Avatars, Hate Crimes, and Uncomfortable Feelings." As you'll learn in this episode, Bruce was in the audience for most of Merrill's talk, and was so enthused with it, he wanted him to review its main points here on Behavioral Observations. So we did just that, and Bruce was kind enough to join us as a discussant. But in the first segment of the show, we get to know a little about Bruce and his background. It turns out that he's had quite a bit of success reducing the overall rates of restraint in the school he worked in, so we spend a some time discussing how he was able to create that change. Bruce also closed out the show with some great advice for BCBAs, so you'll definitely want to stick around for that. This episode is quite long, even by Behavioral Observations' standards, so I'm going to keep these opening comments short. For your convenience, I tracked down most of the links and references we discussed below:
Session 197 is brought to you by the following:
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| Value-Based Care in ABA: Session 196 with Amanda Ralston | 15 Aug 2022 | 00:50:12 | |
If you care about the future of ABA, it's important to understand not only its strengths, but also the myriad challenges the field faces. And to that end, I can't think of a more difficult challenge the field of Applied Behavior Analysis has right now than figuring out how to adequately measure outcome quality, and how this relates to funding ABA services. My guest for Session 196 is Amanda Ralston, and she's been thinking a lot about these issues for quite some time, and she was kind enough to spend some an hour with me to share her thoughts. As you'll learn in this episode, Mandy has been in the ABA field for over 20 years, and has experience founding and operating a large, statewide ABA provider, consulting with large multi-state ABA organizations, and much more. Mandy most recently founded NonBinary Solutions, which she talks about briefly. We discuss the current model of insurance reimbursement, and contrast that with what's referred to as Value-Based Pay or Value-Based Care. These payment models differ considerably from the current Fee-For-Service arrangements that most listeners are likely familiar with. While Behavioral Observations is not a health-care policy podcast, I was encouraged to explore this topic by some friends and confidants, largely because this treatment model may be coming our way at some point. Given that Behavior Analysis is not a mature field as of 2022 - especially when it comes to funding our services - I thought it would be a good idea to explore the topic. If you experience this conversation the same way I did, I think you'll come to the realization that there are more questions than answers when it comes to Value-Based Care (many of which are articulated in this short video), so I may return to this topic from time to time as things develop. Here are some links to resources we discussed:
Session 196 is brought to you by the following:
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| A Unique Approach for Staff Development: Apollo Case Study Series 4 | 28 Jul 2022 | 01:12:46 | |
In the fourth installment of the Apollo Case Study Series, Dr. Jim Moore and I are joined by his fellow Apollo clinician, Jennifer Freedman. Jen is a newer BCBA, and we spent most of this episode talking about the advanced training and professional development she's received while working in Apollo's unique clinical model. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | YouTube In particular, here are just a few of the topics we covered in this wide-ranging conversation:
As always, huge thanks to Kim Dean, Jim Moore, and everyone else at Apollo Behavior for bringing this case study series to you commercial free. Please take a minute to check Apollo out, either at their website, or on social media. Resources mentioned in this podcast:
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| Cultural Responsiveness in Applied Behavior Analysis: Inside JABA Series 12 | 21 Jul 2022 | 01:27:57 | |
According to the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code Element 1.07 states: "Behavior analysts actively engage in professional development activities to acquire knowledge and skills related to cultural responsiveness and diversity," and that "they evaluate their own biases and ability to address the needs of individuals with diverse needs/ backgrounds..." In order to provide some direction in this effort, the guests for the 12th installment of the Inside JABA Series, Drs. Corina Jiminez-Gomez and Lauren Beaulieu have written a pair of well-researched and thoughtful papers that have been published in the spring and summer issues of JABA. These papers are:
And they were kind enough to join Dr. Jeff Tiger and me to discuss their scholarship in this area. In particular, we talked about how Lauren and Corina became interested in this topic, some basic terms - as well as misconceptions - in this area, the importance of self-assessment, what it's like to venture into unfamiliar literatures, the role of culturally responsive functional assessment practices, "western science" as a culture, mistakes we sometimes make as practitioners, social validity, and much more. This episode will be available for 1.5 Credits (Ethics) of BACB Continuing Education, and you can find out how to access this it here. Also, if you want to support the mission of JABA, please consider subscribing. As we mention in the episode, each JABA issue is about the size of a small textbook, and to my way of thinking, it represents an incredible value. If you have limited space on your bookshelf, you can purchase an online-access subscription too. As noted above, these papers are extremely well-researched, and Lauren and Corina mentioned tons of work in the literature during the podcast. I've done my best to capture as many of those references as possible below. But for more information, I recommend simply going to the reference sections of the papers themselves, as they represent a treasure-trove of additional reading for those who are interested.
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| A Constructional Approach for Solving Behavioral Challenges: Session 193 with Claire St. Peter | 13 Jul 2022 | 01:48:00 | |
If you've been tuning into one of the many Inside JABA Series I've done over the last few years, you're undoubtedly familiar with today's guest, Dr. Claire St. Peter. Claire is a Professor as well as the Director of Graduate Training at West Virginia University. According to her university bio, Claire's "primary research interest is the assessment and intervention of challenging behavior. She is particularly interested in the development of effective interventions for challenging behavior displayed in school contexts (including the effects of degraded integrity on intervention efficacy) and with the dissemination of behavioral approaches to caregivers (teachers, parents, etc.)." And we do get to this very important topic of supporting typically developing individuals with behavior problems in school settings... but we get there in a roundabout way. Before getting there, we talk about how she got into behavior analysis, and we spent a little more time on this than usual, because as it happens, Claire was doing her graduate training at The University of Florida at a time when many other prominent researchers and practitioners in Behavior Analysis were going through that program. I won't spoil the story here, but it's worth checking out because in my opinion it provides an interesting window into the development of an incredibly productive cohort of people. We then transition into a primer of sorts in what's known as the "Constructional Approach" to behavioral treatment, intervention, and so forth. This approach was first described by Dr. Israel Goldiamond, and I highly recommend reading his seminal paper on this topic that was published in 1974. This topic has been getting a lot of attention in our field as of late, and I was thrilled to have Claire walk us through the basics of this perspective. Towards the end of the podcast, Claire shares a fascinating case study in which she and her colleagues used this constructional approach to develop a novel behavioral intervention for a child who was exhibiting behavior problems in a school setting. Again, if you're familiar with Claire's contributions to the Inside JABA Series, you know she loves a good soapbox, and in keeping with that, she offers some great advice for the newly minted at the close of the show. Lastly, I don't want to forget to mention that Claire is the Editor in Chief of the journal, Education and Treatment of Children, which I think we mention briefly. There's a lot of good work being published there, so check it out if you get a chance. Also, Claire has made significant contributions in the area of treatment integrity (aka procedural fidelity), and I look forward to having her back on the show for a deep dive into that important topic. Here are links to some of the resources we mentioned:
Session 193 is brought to you by the following:
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| Practical Approaches for Language Development: Apollo Case Study Series 3 | 30 Jun 2022 | 00:56:24 | |
Dr. Jim Moore returns in the third installment of the increasingly popular Apollo Case Study Series (which by the way, is also Session 192). In this episode, we cover quite a lot of ground, such as:
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! And by the way, this episode is presented to you ad-free by Apollo Behavior. To learn more about them, check out their website, Facebook page, and LinkedIn profile. | |||
| A Behavioral Analysis of Lying: Session 191 with Corey Stocco | 16 Jun 2022 | 01:13:03 | |
Why do people lie? It's an age-old question that's been asked for perhaps as long as our species has had verbal capabilities. In this episode, Dr. Corey Stocco from The University of The Pacific joins me to discuss the existing scholarship in this area, as more specifically, the work that he and his colleagues have done in this area. Specifically, we walk through a recent paper that was published in Behavioral Interventions, Further Evaluation of Contingencies on Lying About Homework Completion. Regarding this paper, we got way into the weeds in terms of how he recruited participants, the data that they had to leave out for space considerations, what they learned from this work, and where they want to go next in looking into the lying/truth-telling dynamic. We even talked about how Kevin Luczynski's kid earned reinforcement for peeing on his floor. As always, Corey closes out the show with some great advice for the newly minted! Lastly, on a housekeeping note, if I sounded more nasally than usual, your ears are working correctly. I was battling a cold during the interview, and I hope it wasn't too distracting for the purposes of this interview.
This episode of Behavioral Observations is brought to you by:
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| How to Teach Social Skills with Role Playing Games: Session 190 with Rob Harvey | 03 Jun 2022 | 01:14:54 | |
Have you ever felt the thrill of rolling a 20-sided die? If you're in the general demographic of a Behavioral Observations listener, I'd guess probably not. However, it may not surprise you to learn that being the cosmically uncoordinated and socially challenged kid of the 80s, I certainly have. Which is why I jumped at the chance to speak with Session 190 guest, Rob Harvey, about how he uses role-playing games, like Dungeons and Dragons (D&D for short), to teach social skills to his clients. If you're not familiar with D&D, don't worry. We go over what that is in this podcast. Rob also goes on to explain that by playing these games, clients get to practice skills like speech prosody, turn taking, teamwork, conflict resolution, perspective taking, and so much more. So even if you are not interested in role-playing games in principle, you might want to check this show out nonetheless because of the benefits it may have for the people you work with. I would also offer that this type of activity seems like an unexplored area for research. Rob shared some of the anecdotal outcomes he's seen in this podcast, and it just made me think of how great it would be to see if these findings could be scientifically investigated. As far as numbers go, Rob has some data that suggest over 90% of his clients go on to play these games with peers outside of therapeutic hours, so it definitely seems like something is there. Here links to things we discussed:
Session 190 is brought to you with support from:
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| Real World Functional Assessment and Treatment: Apollo CSS 2 with Jim Moore | 19 May 2022 | 01:25:48 | |
Oh boy, as the kids these days say, this show is a straight up banger. Dr. Jim Moore joins me again in our second installment in the Apollo Case Study Series, where we go deep into all things functional assessment. Right out of the gate, I want to note that we do spend time reviewing both functional analysis and treatment data of clients that Jim has worked with in the past. We do the best we can to narrate the these data, but you're going to want to go to the show notes of the episode to see what we're talking about in order to get the most out of the discussion. OK, in this episode, we discuss the following:
This list could actually go on and on (including a sidebar about values-based care - a topic I'd like to return to at some point), so I encourage you to listen to the episode all the way through. For example, in the last moments of the show, we discussed how to navigate some of the quasi-tribal verbal behavior that comes with the functional analysis territory. You definitely don't want to miss that. Here are some links to resources we discussed in this episode:
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| How to Write a Behavior Contract: Session 188 with Jill Dardig and Bill Heward | 12 May 2022 | 01:36:53 | |
This was a fun one for sure. In Session 188, I chatted with Drs. Jill Dardig and Bill Heward about a whole host of topics, including their new book, Let's Make a Contract: A positive way to change your child's behavior. In this conversation, we covered:
This bullet list of course could go on and on. There are so many storylines in this conversation, from the history of ABA, to dissemination across cultures and languages, to the power of storytelling, to parenting, and so much more. I think there is something in this episode for everyone (note: we get to the actual mechanics of behavioral contracting about 1/2 to 2/3 the way into the conversation). Bill and Jill more generally offer some great parenting strategies in their description of the contracting process. We discussed some of the following resources in this episode:
Session 188 is brought to you with support from:
Also:
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| Using ABA to Build Better Health and Fitness Habits: Session 303 with Michal Pollack | 24 Jun 2025 | 01:00:08 | |
Michal Pollack joined me to discuss how she uses her training in Behavior Analysis to help her with her personal health and fitness goals. Michal is a Clinical Director at Apollo Behavior. In this episode, we talk about:
I want to make clear that during this podcast, it's important to note that neither of us are health or fitness professionals. We're not attempting to provide specific advice for listeners that's outside of our scopes of expertise. Instead, a better framing of this episode is to consider this a conversation between two BCBAs talking about how they apply behavior-analytic principles in their own lives. As such, if you're looking to make changes to your fitness, please consider working with a credentialed professional, with the input of your primary care provider. You can follow Michal on TikTok or LinkedIn here and here. If you'd like to learn more about working at Apollo, you can read about them here. Articles and resources mentioned:
This podcast is brought to you by:
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| How to Help Individuals with Anxiety: Session 187 with Steve Ward | 05 May 2022 | 01:08:08 | |
In Session 187, Steve Ward joins me to discuss how to help individuals - in particular, individuals with severely limited communicated repertoires - who demonstrate challenging repertoires that are colloquially referred to as Anxiety. Given that tortured sentence, you can probably already imagine that in this episode, we discuss how Steve conceptualizes what exactly Anxiety is, especially in populations who cannot verbally report on their private verbal behavior. More importantly, we discuss how he developed what he calls the "calm counts" procedure, and review a case study of this intervention that he recently published. Here are the resources we discussed in this podcast:
This session is brought to you with support from:
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| Adopting Precision Teaching Across a Multi-State Provider: Session 186 with Chrissy Barosky | 22 Apr 2022 | 00:58:33 | |
In Session 186, I am joined by Chrissy Barosky, Clinical Director for Bierman Autism Centers. In this episode, we discussed how their organization adopted a Precision Teaching approach for their learners. You heard that correctly, a large multi-state organization transitioned all of their data collection practices to the Standard Celeration Chart. So in this show, we dive into how Chrissy and her colleagues managed to pull this off, what they learned during the process, and the benefits they've seen from taking on such a large endeavor. We also discussed a paper that Chrissy and her colleagues published in Behavior Analysis in Practice titled, Increasing Trials Presented to Children With Autism: Using Frequency Building With Modeling and Feedback. This is a case study of how the authors taught behavioral technicians to improve the efficiency of their teaching using a frequency-building approach. Whether or not you care about the chart, I think this is an interesting episode because it speaks to a larger issue of organizational change. Chances are, if you're listing to this podcast, you're not using the chart. Imagine for a moment that your agency decided to adopt it? So in many respects, this episode presents an opportunity for a fun thought experiment about about changing clinical practices, and I hope you find the exercise helpful. As a matter of housekeeping, I to apologize for some of the audio quality challenges issues we had during this episode, including my dogs barking for several minutes when my town decided to do some tree-trimming along my road. I don't think it detracts from the overall conversation, but wanted to make a note of this. Here are links to some of the resources we mentioned:
Session 186 is brought to you with support from:
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| Inside JABA Series 11: Functional Analysis Patterns of Automatic Reinforcement | 15 Apr 2022 | 01:23:24 | |
In Session 185, AKA Inside JABA Series #11, I'm joined by Drs. Linda LeBlanc, Jeff Tiger, and Javier Virues-Ortega for a deep dive into automatically maintained behavior. This session was inspired by the study Javier and his colleagues published in the Spring 2022 issue of JABA (Virues-Ortega, Clayton, Perez-Bustamante, Gaerlan, and Fahmie, 2022). In this episode, we discuss the nature of, and challenges with automatically-maintained problem behavior. And this is tackled from both conceptual and treatment angles. As I mention in the episode, I don't encounter these types of problem behaviors that frequently these days, so it was a treat to update my knowledge in this area. It's easy to think of automatic reinforcement as a monolith, but as it turns out, even dividing it up between positive and negative reinforcement may not be sufficient enough to render effective treatment. We spent probably the first 25-30 minutes discussing some of the known challenges associated with assessing and treating these repertoires, and then spend the remaining time discussing Javier and his colleagues' paper, which presented two very unique investigations. If you work with individuals with these profiles, you'll want to listen all the way through, and better still, check out the paper itself. Here are some of the studies we discussed:
Lastly, I'd be remiss if I did not take a minute to thank Linda LeBlanc for reaching out to me to start the Inside JABA series. As I tell her every chance I get, I consider it an honor to be involved with the flagship journal in our field. If someone told me as an undergraduate at the University of New Hampshire that I'd be regularly involved with JABA in some capacity, I wouldn't have believed them. As some of you might know, Linda's term as Editor in Chief is expiring, but we are planning to continue the podcast series with incoming EIC, Dr. John Borrero. More info on this to come, but in the meantime, please enjoy this installment of the Inside JABA Series. | |||
| The Apollo Case Study Series: Session 184 with Jim Moore | 08 Apr 2022 | 00:59:49 | |
I'm really excited to introduce a new special podcast series that I'm publishing with Dr. Jim Moore of Apollo Behavior. In this series, we're going to talk about a lot of practical topics that we hope will resonate with BCBA's of all experience levels. We have great plans to discuss topics like supervision, functional assessment, skill acquisition, and much more. Real world challenges that just about every practitioner faces. In this episode, we focused on a clinical problem solving model that Jim's been developing over the years. So if you're working with learners who are struggling to make progress, this is the show for you. We don't have a ton of links for this one, but here are some things that we referenced:
Lastly, I should note that this series is brought to you ad-free by Apollo Behavior. If you're interested in what they do, and/or if you want to learn more about what Jim discussed, reach out to them either at info@apollobehavior.com or jim@apollobehavior.com. | |||
| World Behavior Analysis Day 2022: Session 183 with Elizabeth Drago | 20 Mar 2022 | 00:46:53 | |
I've seen posts on social media here and there about World Behavior Analysis Day, but honestly I did not know a whole lot about it. And this is why I was really excited to sit down and chat with WBAD President, Elizabeth Drago, for a deep dive. It turns out that WBAD is more than a 'high five' amongst like minded behavioral scientists. In fact, the WBAD Alliance is doing a lot for dissemination, especially internationally. So as you might expect by now, we get into that and a whole lot more in this special episode of Behavioral Observations! In our chat, Elizabeth mentioned various resources, etc... and I hope I've captured all of them below:
Please note:
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| Preventing Problem Behaviors with Universal Protocols: Session 182 with Kevin Luczynski | 17 Mar 2022 | 01:21:30 | |
Dr. Kevin Luczynski joins me for a really fun conversation in Session 182 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast. If you're not familiar with Kevin, he is an Assistant Professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Director for the recently initiated Virtual Care Program at the Munroe Meyer Institute. In this episode, we cover the following:
Kevin also leaves us with four pieces of just outstanding advice. I've been pushing my guests lately to really think hard about answering this question lately, and Kevin does not disappoint. As such, you're going to want to listen through to the end. For Patreon subscribers, we spend an additional 5-10 minutes talking about his interest in the role that ecological validity plays in applied research. Here are some resources for what we discussed:
This podcast is brought to you with support from:
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| The Craft of Applied Behavior Analysis: Session 181 with Francesca Degli Espinosa | 02 Mar 2022 | 01:17:01 | |
In Session 181, Dr. Francesca Degli Espinosa, Ph.D, BCBA-D, joins me for a wide-ranging conversation that in my opinion, got better and better as it went on! If you're not familiar with Francesca or her work, she is director and consultant at ABA Clinic Ltd., adjunct professor at the University of Salerno, and a guest lecturer at Queen's College, Belfast, and Pennsylvania State University. She is regarded as an expert in Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior, and will be one of the featured speakers at the 2022 Verbal Behavior Conference, which incidentally, is coming up right around the corner. We cover quite a lot in this interview, including why she pivoted away from studying medicine, her first response to reading Verbal Behavior, how she 'stalked' Vince Carbone at a conference, her paper, Teaching generalized question-discrimination skills to children with Autism: Conceptual and applied considerations, why clinicians at all levels should still do direct therapy, what she plans to discuss at this year's Verbal Behavior Conference, why we should seek to understand concepts and principles better rather than being overly technological in nature, and lots more! As always, we close the public feed with Francesca sharing some excellent advice for newly-minted BCBA's. And, for you, the Patreon subscriber, we spend another 15-minutes or so discussing dog training. In this subscriber-only segment, Francesca talks about why she finally got a dog (his name is Darwin), the ups and downs of training, and what she's learned from this experience. Other resources mentioned in this podcast
Session 181 is brought to you with support from:
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| Why Your Behavior Plan Stinks!!! Session 180 with Merrill Winston | 22 Feb 2022 | 01:22:16 | |
This recording was a fun and way-overdue Patreon member hangout with the incomparable Dr. Merrill Winston. In this episode, we discussed how Greg Hanley influenced Merrill's departure from his previous employer, how he wanted to do more than be considered as the restrain and seclusion guru, his new enterprise, Winston Behavioral Solutions, when it's OK to break the rules, and much more. As a matter of fact, we spent the most amount the hangout discussing what makes a good behavior plan (and conversely, why some of them stink!). This session started out in an interview format, but we quickly transitioned to Q and A with the attendees, and what resulted was a genuinely enjoyable conversation amongst several experienced Behavior Analysts. And if you don't listen to anything else, you have to listen to the hilarious story that Merrill closes the hangout with. While I'd love it if you listened to the podcast in its entirety, you could be forgiven for skipping to the end to hear it. Here are some links to things that came up in Session 180:
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| What is Behavioral Relaxation Training? Session 179 with John Michael Guercio | 14 Feb 2022 | 01:14:47 | |
Dr. John Michael Guercio joins me again to discuss a topic that we briefly covered in his last appearance; Behavioral Relaxation Training. In this show, John does a deep dive into this work, drawing on the research of Drs. Roger Poppen, Duane Lundervold, and of course John himself. Along with the aforementioned Drs. Poppen and Lundervold, John is the co-author of the third edition of the text, Behavioral Relaxation Training. He is also the author of Assessment of Adult Core Competencies: Teaching Skills to Adults with Autism and Severe Behavioral Challenges, which we discussed at length in his earlier appearance in Session 140. We discuss how BRT was developed, its current applications, and the training required to do it. We also spent a good deal of time talking about becoming trained to implement BRT, scope of practice issues, and protecting client safety. So in case we were not clear in the discussion, if this is something you'd like to do, please seek out the appropriate training and supervision. For Patreon Subscribers, there is an additional 10 minutes or so where John tells a fun story about meeting his childhood football hero, and how said hero invited him to his house for wings and beer. How cool is that!?!? I hope Tom Brady hears this so I can have a similar experience in the next 10 or 15 years, lol. Here are links to resourced mentioned in the show:
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| The 2021 VBC Panel Discussion: Session 178 | 08 Feb 2022 | 01:02:05 | |
In Session 178, we're going to hop in the time machine and take a trip back to April 2021. That's correct. This episode of The Behavioral Observations Podcast comes from the recorded panel discussion at last year's Verbal Behavior Conference. The panel consisted of Drs. Pat McGreevy, April Kisamore, Nicole Rodriguez, Alice Shillingsburg, Hank Schlinger, and Vince Carbone. With regard to Vince's appearance on the panel, I'm told that he really never does them, so our hosts at the Central Texas Autism Center must have been incredibly persuasive to get him to participate! Here are just a few things we covered in this panel event:
One of the reasons I held back on publishing this until now is that the 2022 VBC is coming up soon, and I thought that this would be a great way to get folks adequately prepared for it. The 2022 event will be taking place both in-person and virtually over April 7th and 8th. If you can't make it to Austin, Texas, then head over to behaviorlive.com/vbc for info on how to tune in from afar. One of the unique things about the 2022 event is that Dr. Hank Schlinger will be teaching a four-part Verbal Behavior master class to get you prepared for the conference. These will occur in four, 2-hour sessions that will take place on February 16th, February 23rd, March 2nd, and March 9th. The conference itself will feature Vince Carbone, Francesca Degli Espinosa, Tamara Kasper, Pat McGreevy, Sarah Lechago, Kevin Luczynski, Kelle Rich, David Roth, Mark Sundberg, and Hank Schlinger. I will be there too to host the 2022 Panel Discussion, so again, if you're interested in learning more, head on over to behaviorlive.com/vbc for more details. This episode is brought to you by Tate Behavioral, a progressive ABA provider located in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts. If you're a BCBA looking to work for a supportive and innovative team, and live in the heart of charming New England, visit tatebehavioral.com We are also brought to you by HRIC Recruiting. If you're a new BCBA – or a BCBA of any experience level for that matter – and you need an independent person to advise you on today's job market, go to HRIColorado.com to schedule a confidential appointment with Barbara Voss. | |||
| AI, Applied Behavior Analysis, and the Future of Clinical Tools: Frontera Series on AI with Sydney Holmes | 12 Jun 2025 | 00:42:03 | |
Behavior Analysis Meets Artificial Intelligence In the second installment of Behavioral Observations' Frontera Series on AI, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sydney Holmes, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and master's level psychologist. Sydney is also the Clinical Product Lead at Frontera, where she's helping bridge the gap between behavior analysis and artificial intelligence in some really exciting ways. Did you miss the first Frontera Series interview with CEO and Founder, Amol Deshpande? Check it out here! We covered everything from using AI tools for clinical work and content creation, to how machine learning is reshaping supervision, diagnostics, and parent support. From Marine Biology to Behavior Analysis Sydney has a unique background. She started in marine biology and eventually found her way to psychology and behavior analysis. Today, she's at the forefront of tech innovation in her role at Frontera, where she combines clinical insight with product development. What is Digital Phenotyping?One of the more fascinating parts of our conversation was about digital phenotyping. Frontera is using AI to analyze real-world video data in order to track, measure, and interpret client behavior—helping clinicians make faster, more informed decisions. Teaching AI to Understand BehaviorSydney described the challenges of teaching machines to detect nuanced behaviors like crying or vocal stereotypy. It takes close collaboration between BCBAs and engineers to develop AI tools that are truly clinically useful. Enhancing Diagnostics and Supervision with AIWe talked about how Frontera is helping BCBAs with autism diagnostics, supervision, and quality assurance through smart automation. Their platform supports more efficient monitoring of RBT sessions and helps maintain fidelity to treatment protocols. Real-Time RBT Session Review and FeedbackFrontera's video tools allow for recording of every RBT session, making it possible to provide objective, real-time feedback. The goal is to support staff in a way that's consistent and non-punitive, which aligns with what we know about effective supervision. Improving Parent Engagement with Mobile AppsSydney also discussed how their mobile app allows caregivers to submit short videos of their interactions with their child. This enables BCBAs to provide timely, video-based coaching and collect meaningful data outside of traditional session settings. Advice for Behavior Analysts Embracing AIHer advice for clinicians? Stay curious but skeptical, lean into collaboration, and look for ways to use technology to enhance—not replace—the human side of behavioral healthcare. Learn MoreTo learn more about Frontera's tools and mission, visit frontera.health. You can also connect with Sydney and the team on LinkedIn and other social platforms. Thanks for listening and supporting the podcast. If you found this conversation helpful, be sure to subscribe and share it with a colleague! | |||
| How to Chart Your Own Career Path: Session 177 with John McElwee | 31 Jan 2022 | 01:09:22 | |
As far as podcast go, this episode was kind of tough to write a headline for (a task that I probably devote way too much time to doing!). My guest in Session 177, John McElwee, has been in the field - to paraphrase a line from Aubrey Daniels - before there was a field. John has had a long and productive career that's had some very interesting twists and turns. He's still going strong these days, and learning new things to help individuals with a wide variety of developmental and behavioral challenges. With that in mind, I suppose an overarching theme in this episode could be thought of as how John charted his own career path. In other words, by being open to new experiences, and actively investing in his professional development, he has been able to do some really interesting things in the field of ABA. So for early career professionals, try to listen to this episode with this in mind. In this episode, we discuss how John got into the field, the he took a detour in his graduate training to work as a union electrician, the work he did in the area of marriage and family systems, his connections with folks like Drs. Alan Kazdin and Russell Barkely, and lots more. But in the latter half of the show, we spend a considerable time discussing how John serendipitously discovered Relational Frame Theory by chatting up Dermot and Yvonne Barnes-Holmes at an ABAI conference, and how he saw the benefits of using this approach with individuals with ASD in an Early Intervention context. Along the way, we discuss the upcoming webinar series that John's doing with Peak Behavioral. If you're interested in learning more about this, it starts in March 2022. You can find information about this webinar series as well as individualized coaching opportunities with John through Peak Behavioral Services' website: www.pkservice.org/purchase. If this is something you're interested in and you'd like to save a few bucks in the process, use the promo code "podcast22" at checkout to receive a discounted price of $79 per webinar. Resources mentioned in this episode:
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| Towards Trauma-Informed Applications of Behavior Analysis: Inside JABA Series #10 | 18 Jan 2022 | 01:20:27 | |
In the 10th (tenth!!!) installment of the Inside JABA Series, Dr. Linda LeBlanc and I are joined by Drs. Jenn Austin and Dithu Rajaraman to discuss the paper they co-authored with Drs. Holly Gover, Tony Cammilleri, David Donnelly, and Greg Hanley. The paper is titled, Towards Trauma-Informed Applications of Behavior Analysis, and you can find it in the latest issue of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. If you haven't seen the paper yet, check out the abstract below: Despite a growing acknowledgement of the importance of understanding the impacts of trauma on therapeutic approaches across human service disciplines, discussions of trauma have been relatively infrequent in the behavior analytic literature. In this paper, we delineate some of the barriers to discussing and investigating trauma in applied behavior analysis (ABA) and describe how the core commitments of trauma-informed care could be applied to behavior analysis. We then provide some examples of how trauma-informed care might be incorporated into ABA practice. We conclude by suggesting opportunities to approach trauma as a viable avenue for behavior analytic research and argue that omitting trauma-informed care from ABA could be detrimental not only to the public perception of ABA, but to the effectiveness of our assessment and treatment procedures. Rajaraman et al. (2022)During the discussion, we covered:
If you haven't done so already, I do recommend going back in the catalog and checking out Session 131 with Dr. Camille Kolu. As a matter of fact, I've been in contact with her recently, and we're planning on a follow up episode, so if you're interested in learning more about the implications of adverse experiences as they relate to the practice of Behavior Analysis, simply stay tuned. As with the other shows in the Inside JABA Series, this episode is available for BACB Continuing Education. If you'd like to learn more about how to access these podcasts for your professional development needs, click here. Also, if you enjoy the Inside JABA content, please consider subscribing to the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Compared to other journals, it's quite a bargain price-wise, and it helps to support the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. Resourced discussed in this episode:
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| How to have more productive meetings and navigate power differentials, Session 175 with Florence DiGennaro Reed | 04 Jan 2022 | 01:03:52 | |
As noted in the first few minutes of this episode, Dr. Florence DiGennaro Reed has been one of the most-requested guests by audience members, and I'm thrilled to have her back on the show for a one-on-one chat. Dr. DiGennaro Reed, better known as Flo by friends and colleagues, is the Chairperson of the Department of Applied Behavioral Science as well as the Director of The Performance Management Laboratory at the University of Kansas. In this interview, we chat about her unique early experiences in Behavior Analysis and the fascinating research that she's conducting at KU. We also spent a good chunk of time talking about meetings. I know that may sound boring, but hear me out... we talk about the attributes of bad meetings, and conversely how to run effective meetings. We also talk about how to determine whether that meeting you had really could have bene an email (insert meme here ;-). We then segued into discussing navigating power differentials in the workplace, having difficult conversations in the workplace, optimizing Behavioral Skills Training sequences, and learning essential professional repertoires for today's BCBAs. We close the public feed of this interview with some fantastic advice for the newly-minted BCBA (or BCBAs of all experience levels for that matter!) For Patreon subscribers, we spend some additional content time discussing how to present effectively via Zoom or other conferencing platforms. Resources discussed in this episode:
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