Aba Inside Track

Did you ever have one of those weird funtional analyses? You know, the one where all the problem behavior happens in the control condition or responding remains strangely variable during the escape condition even though the client’s teacher swears he tantrums every single time she presents any work? This week we seek answers as to what to do when your FA results look like the world’s most volatile stock prices by exploring idiosyncratic variables and how to find them. Plus, could the IISCA be the most idiosyncratic FA process of all? And one of Rob’s favorite articles, discussed here becuase we didn’t know where else to put it. This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU. Articles discussed this episode: Coffey, A.L., Shawler, L.A., Jessel, J., Nye, M.L., Bain, T.A., & Dorsey, M.F. (2020). Interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA): Novel interpretations and future directions. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 13, 217-225. doi: 10.1007/s40617-019-00348-3 Querim, A.C., Iwata, B.A., Roscoe,

While behavior analysts love to collect data to assess whether or not a client is reaching a specific target goal, have you ever stoped to wonder what information would need to be collected to determine whether or not specific services are “working”? Well, wonder less because our special guest, Dr. Ivy Chong, shares stories from her time as chair of the ICHOM team developing a standard set to measure autism outcomes globally. We discuss the weirdly complex process of measuring healthcare outcomes, what measures are worth measuring, and just how much work goes into leading a global initiative. This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU. Articles discussed this episode: Mainz, J. (2003). Defining and classifying clinical indicators for quality improvement. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 15, 523-530. doi: 10.1093/intqhc/mzg081 International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement. (2022). Patient-centered outcome measures Autism spectrum disorder. ICHOM Connect.https://connect.ichom.org

Break out your old-timey woolen bathing suit because you’ll need to cool off after a jumbo month of new episodes. We’ve got guests to fill out the whole month including Dr. Ivy Chong discussing the process of developing a means of measuring outcomes of health care for autism treatment, Dr. Haley Steinhauser and Alex Kishbaugh reviewing their article reviewing rethinking compliance to better promote individual assent, and self-advocacy skills, and Alan Haberman dropping the latest Book Club read to join our continued review of past research on conversion therapy and how behavior analysis can own up to old mistakes (and avoid more in the future!). Finally, this extra-long month comes to a close by reviewing what to do when your functional analysis fails. Did someone say “idiosyncratic variables”? No? Don’t worry: We will. Articles for March 2023 Developing a Standard Set for Autism Outcome Measures w/ Dr. Ivy Chong Mainz, J. (2003). Defining and classifying clinical indicators for quality improvement. Internati

UNLOCKED from our Patreon page, it’s the “Look Me In the Eye” Book Club! Interested in more Book Clubs? Want to vote on what we read next? Feeling FOMO at getting this a full year late? Wish your 2 CEs for listening to the episode were FREE??? Join us on Patreon to get all of our episodes a week early, access to these bonus episodes, plus other goodies. It’s been nearly a year since we came together to discuss a book that we all ::GASP:: really liked! And our enjoyment is yours too as the Book Club Crew takes a trip down memory lane with the memoir “Look Me In the Eye” by John Elder Robison. Well, someone’s memory lane. We discuss the tender, humorous, and melancholic life story of an man on the autism spectrum growing up without a diagnosis then take this opportunity to improve our focus on the individual in how we provide behavior analytic services (in a book with no mention of behavior analysis at all!). This episode is worth 2.0 LEARNING CEUS. Content discussed in this episode Robison, J.E.. (2007). Look

When one of our listeners wrote in to ask about an episode on perseveration, we realized that we’d never directly discussed one of the original markers described in diagnosing Asperger’s syndrome. And boy were we shocked and mildly appalled at what we found! This week, we reflect on exactly what perseverative behavior really is, whether it should be categorized as a problem behavior at all, and if previous treatment research has missed the point. This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU. Articles discussed this episode: Horr, J.A.M. & Michael, A.V. (2021). Functional analysis and noncontingent reinforcement with extinction in the treatment of perseverative speech. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 14, 208-213. doi: 10.1007/s40617-020-00523-x Rehfeldt, R.A. & Chambers, M.R. (2003). Functional analysis and treatment of verbal perseverations displayed by an adult with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 36, 259-261. doi: 10.1901/jaba.2003.36-259 Fisher, W.W., Rodriguez, N.M., Owen, T.M. (201

Despite poor long-term outcomes, effective treatments for emotional behavioral disorder seem just out of reach. But, this week, we’re especially jazzed to have Dr. Johanna Staubitz join us to review some of the more promising technologies being explored today. From enhanced-choice SBT to more classic self-control training, we’re on the edge of our seats discussing the pros, cons, and everything in between. In fact, we had so many questions, we had to make this an extra-long episode! This episode is available for 1.5 LEARNING CEU. Articles discussed this episode: Staubitz, J.L., Staubitz, J.E., Pollack, M.S., Haws, R.A., & Hopton, M. (2022). Effects of an enhanced choice model of skill-based treatment for students with emotional/behavioral disorders. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 55, 1306-1341. doi: 10.1002/jaba.952 Rajaraman, A., Hanley, G.P., Gover, H.C., Staubitz, J.L., Staubitz, J.E., Simcoe, K.M., & Metras, R. (2021). Minimizing escalation by treating dangerous problem behavior within an e

Like us, did you think precision teaching was all about the actual teaching? It’s about the measurement, man! Once we get that figured out, we take a tour of precision teaching in the recent literature from classrooms to college students to consultation through telehealth. Plus, we try to come to terms with standard celeration charts (and mostly succeed). This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU. Articles discussed this episode: McTiernan, A., McCoy, A., Mendonca, J., Lydon, H., & Diffley, S. (2021). The implementation of Precision Teaching fo the improvement of academic skills: A systematic review of the literature over thirty years. Behavioral Interventions, 37, 505-528. doi: 10:1002/bin.1852 Diertrich, C.J. & Li, A. (2022). Implementation of frequency building and precision teaching to teach sight words via synchronous learning: A case study. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-022-00721-9 Evans, A.L., Bulla, A.J., & Kieta, A.R. (2021). The Precision Teaching system: A synt

Enjoy a short preview of our latest full-length Book Club episode.  Want to hear the whole thing and get 2 CEs for free? Subscribe to our Patreon today at the premium $10+ levels for that plus other bonuses! We’re curling up with a good book this winter for our latest Book Club. And since the winter is a good time for reflection, we’re thinking about what it means to be a parent and a supporter of parents of autistic children by reading “Between Now and Dreams” from Dr. Ala’i-Rosales and Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe. Whether you serve one or both of the above roles, we dive deep into the advice of the authors to learn, connect, and love in this very non-checklist overview of being the best caregiver you can be. Plus, book club discussion questions directly from the authors…answered by us! Enjoy our discussion of the book? How about a discussion with the authors? Content discussed in this episode Ala’i-Rosales, S. & Heinkel-Wolfe, P. (2022). Reponsible and responsive parenting in autism: Between now and dreams. Di

Our town may have called a snow day, but that won’t stop us from getting out this month’s preview episode! First, we’ll be discussing a listener request on precision teaching before welcoming Dr. Johanna Staubitz to the program to review her work with students with emotional/behavioral disorders. Finally, we turn our sights on the analysis and treatment of perseverative verbal topics to wrap up. And that doesn’t even include our live episode for patrons on ethics and conversion therapy as a follow-up to our previous discussion with Sarah Campau and Dr. Matt Capriotti and Spring Book Club poll on the subject of critical thinking and skepticism. We sure did cram a lot into 28 days! Articles for February 2023 Precision Teaching McTiernan, A., McCoy, A., Mendonca, J., Lydon, H., & Diffley, S. (2021). The implementation of Precision Teaching fo the improvement of academic skills: A systematic review of the literature over thirty years. Behavioral Interventions, 37, 505-528. doi: 10:1002/bin.1852 Diertrich, C.

We were very honored to have both of the authors of “Between Now and Dreams” join us to discuss their new book for parents of autistic children. We chat about the different perspectives both Dr. Ala’i-Rosales and Ms. Heinkel-Wolfe bring to the topic, their goals in writing a book for parents (but also for clinicians), and taking the “how” out of “how-to” to create something very different and sorely needed in the promotion of joy, collaboration, and grace in raising a family. We’ll have a full discussion and review of the “Between Now and Dreams” releasing this Friday for patrons (free preview on the main feed). Content discussed in this episode Ala’i-Rosales, S. & Heinkel-Wolfe, P. (2022). Reponsible and responsive parenting in autism: Between now and dreams. Different Roads to Learning. Ala’i-Rosales, S. & Heinkel-Wolfe, P. (n.d.). Resource Page. Responsible and Responsive Parenting in Autism: Between Now and Dreams. https://peggyheinkelwolfe.com/ways-to-buy-responsible-and-responsive-parenting-be

This week we welcome back the fabulous Dr. Jamie Hughes-Lika to teach us how to correctly pronounce naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions. Once that’s out of the way Dr. Hughes-Lika gets into the nitty-gritty of what makes an NDBI like the Early Start Denver Model, how it is (and isn’t) the same as standard behavioral interventions, and what research has to say about the benefits of understanding developmental models of child growth. Plus, two treatment models go head-to-head and only one can win…or does it? This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU. Articles discussed this episode: Vivanti, G. & Stahmer, A.C. (2021). Can the Early Start Denver Model be considered ABA practice? Behavior Analysis in Practice, 14, 230-239. doi: 10.1007/s40617-020-00474-3 Rogers, S.J., Yoder, P., Estes, A., Warren, Z., McEachin, J., Munson, J., Rocha, M., Greenson, J., Wallace, L., & Gardner, E. (2021). A multisite randomized controlled tiral comparing the effects of intervention intensity and interven

Coming to you from our recording studio, it’s ABA Inside Track’s LIVE Fall (Winter?) episode. And this time, our listeners on Patreon voted for us to discuss visual supports in treatment. In order to break down such a broad category of interventions, we found articles capturing some of the key areas of research including: Social skills! Vocational skills! Independent living skills! We also chat about just what visual supports are and some general guidelines for their use. Plus, Rob’s favorite article story of 2022. This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU. Wish you could see us talking and score a CE for free? That’s just what you’ll get if you subscribe with us on Patreon for only $5 a month. Other perks include the ability to vote on future live episodes and Book Clubs picks and get an ongoing discount in our CE store. Articles discussed this episode: Meadan, H. Ostrosky, M.M., Triplett, B., Michna, A., & Fettig, A. (2011). Using visual supports with young children with autism spectrum disorder. T

We’re returning to the topic of behavioral geronotolgy and this time, we’ve brought in the experts, Dr. Maranda Trahan and Amanda Ripley. They talk with us about the history of behavioral interventions in geriatrics, where the field is going, and how you can become prepared to support society’s rapidly aging population. Plus, why getting old is so damn scary (and why it shouldn’t be!). Want to learn even more about behavioral geronotology and dimentia care? Check out Maranda and Amanda’s new online courses for an even deeper dive. This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU. Articles discussed this episode: Drossel, C. & Trahan, M.A. (2015). Behavioral interventions are first-line treatments for managing changes associated with cognitive decline. The Behavior Therapist, 38, 126-131. Burgio, L.D. & Burgio, K.L. (1986). Behavioral gerontology: Applications of behavioral methods to the problems of older adults. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 19, 321-328. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1986.19-321 If you're

2023 begins with some belated gifts, not to mention a plethora of episodes and Inside Track goings-on. This month we’ll be talking with Dr. Maranda Trahan and Amanda Ripley about gerontology, Dr. Jamie Hughes-Lika about NDBIs, and ourselves about visual supports (including Rob’s favorite research story of 2022). Interested in joining the Winter Book Club on the topic of parenting? How about voting on an ethics topic for February? All that can be yours by supporting us on Patreon (but better do it soon!) Articles for January 2023 Gerontology Revisited w/ Dr. Maranda Trahan + Amanda Ripley Drossel, C. & Trahan, M.A. (2015). Behavioral interventions are first-line treatments for managing changes associated with cognitive decline. The Behavior Therapist, 38, 126-131. Burgio, L.D. & Burgio, K.L. (1986). Behavioral gerontology: Applications of behavioral methods to the problems of older adults. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 19, 321-328. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1986.19-321   Visual Supports (LIVE) Meadan,

Well, another year has come to a close, and the crew is back with podcast friend, Matt Cicoria from Behavioral Observations, to discuss what just happened. We review some losses to the field, trends in research, and take questions from the audience to keep us on our toes. And, for the first time in forever, I think we all agree: 2022 WASN’T the worst year ever. I mean, in aggregate. Still a lot of work to do, humanity.

While it has been a while since we last discussed video modeling, we’re all deep in its camp as a great intervention addition. But, time has passed and, with that, we decided to update our knowledge base with some new extensions to beef up your video modeling planning. Between new skills and new methods, we’re here to get your old procedures into fighting shape for 2023. This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU. Articles discussed this episode: Sherer, M. Pierce, K.L., Paredes, Kisacky, K.I., Ingersoll, B., & Schreibman, L. (2001). Enhancing conversation skills in children with autism via video technology: Which is better “self” or “other” as a model? Behavior Modification, 25, 140-158. doi: 10.1177/0145445501251008 Shipley-Benamou, R., Lutzker, J.R., & Taubman, M. (2002). Teaching daily living skills to children with autism through instructional video modeling. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 4, 166-177. doi: 10.1177/10983007020040030501 Tereshko, L., MacDonald, R., & Ahearn,

UNLOCKED from our Patreon page, it’s the “Nudge” Book Club! Interested in more Book Clubs? Want to vote on what we read next? Feeling FOMO at getting this a full year late? Wish your 2 CEs for listening to the episode were FREE??? Join us on Patreon to get all of our episodes a week early, access to these bonus episodes, plus other goodies. Branching out into the world of behavioral economics, it's our newest Book Club covering the classic, Nobel-prize-adjacent, "Nudge" by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. We're joined by our Book Club Buddy, Alan, and new patron, Victoria, to explore how the economists think of human behavior and whether the principles behind choice architecture are all they've been made out to be. Plus, Rob runs down some of the additions to the recently published "Final Edition" and how it may make "Nudge" a lesser work than the previous version. All that and the best insurance buying tips! References for this episode: Thaler, R.H & Sunstein, C.R. (2021). Nudge the final edition. Yale

Though most of our episodes focus on how to train individuals in supporting autistic individuals, we’re usually talking about supporting parents, teachers, or other clinicians. But who trains everybody else in society? This week we’re joined by Dr. Dorothea Lerman to find out how her research on training police officers and dentists in autism care takes the BST ball and runs with it. Plus, how to test the bonds of your relationship with COVID-lockdown dental exam role play! This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU. Articles discussed this episode: Hinkle, K.A. & Lerman, D.C. (2021). Preparing law enforcement officers to engage successfully with individuals with autism spectrum disorder: An evaluation of a performance-based approach. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi: 10.1007/s10803-021-05192-5 Matteucci, M., Lerman, D.C., Tsami, L., & Boyle, S. (2022). Remote training of dental students and professionals to promote cooperative behavior in patients with intellectual and developme

We were greatly saddened to learn of the passing of Tameika Meadows, a great BCBA, author of the I Love ABA blog, and advocate for the power of behavior analysis. Tameika was also one of our earliest supporters and it was a real treat when we finally had her join as our guest. In honor of her contributions to the field, we’re rebroadcasting that episode and donating all CE fees raised for it from now until June 2023 to Black Applied Behavior Analysts (BABA). Tameika was scheduled to talk at the BABA conference as one of their invited speakers. While a donation is a poor substitute to her presence, we know what is raised will go to promoting behavior analysts in the Black community as a part of the legacy she leaves behind. Though many of us have probably spent much of our careers fretting over how we can help autistic children stop engaging in stereotypic or seemingly ritualistic behavior, have we spent enough time asking whether attending to these unique interests might actually be beneficial? This week we’r

It’s beginning to look a lot like behavior analysis as 2022 comes to a close. But, we’re not done reading research yet! This month, we’ll be learning all about training professionals from outside the field of education and ABA with special guest, Dr. Dorothea Lerman, then revisiting video modeling with a review of some more recent variations on its usage in teaching. And, to listen to while recovering from too much holiday cheer, our End of Year special with Matt Cicoria of the Behavioral Observations podcast and the whole ABA Inside Track crew. Will Diana ever figure out the identity of her Secret Santa? Articles for December 2022 Training Other Professionals w/ Dr. Dorothea Lerman Hinkle, K.A. & Lerman, D.C. (2021). Preparing law enforcement officers to engage successfully with individuals with autism spectrum disorder: An evaluation of a performance-based approach. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi: 10.1007/s10803-021-05192-5 Matteucci, M., Lerman, D.C., Tsami, L., & Boyle, S. (202