The ABA Speech Podcast - Easy Strategies For Parents and Professionals

I always love the opportunity to talk with a parent and hear their story. I feel it really provides an opportunity for learning and growth as a provider. Susanna Peace Lovell, a professional life coach and advocate, joins me to discuss her journey as a parent of a child with autism and her book on the topic, Your True Self is Enough: Lessons Learned on My Journey Parenting a Child with Autism.In her book Your True Self is Enough, Susanna shares her story of being of support and service to parents and families with similar stories. This journey begins at the birth of her first child, Arizona. The difficulties began right away with food allergies and skin issues, and the diagnosis and challenges just kept coming. Susana says that her daughter cried for what felt like nonstop for the entirety of her first 18 months of life. At age 2.5, Arizona was diagnosed with ASD. This was nearly 16 years ago, and for Susanna, this was a challenging and unfamiliar experience. You can find out more about Susanna's journey in her book, which she describes as part memoir, part guidebook, where she finds a balance between honoring her child’s experience while also honoring her own journey and voice. Her daughter, Arizona, wrote the foreword and inspired the title.If you have this feeling that something is different, Susanna says to stay in tune with that feeling, which she calls the “Caregiver Gut." Write everything down; no detail is too little. She reminds us that being an advocate for your child requires tenacity and a help seeking mentality. The doors can be opened just a little bit more when you’re vulnerable to those who can help.#autism #speectherapyWhat’s Inside:A Parent’s Autism StoryNavigating honoring your child’s experience and your experience as the caregiverWhat to do when you're facing challenges with your child and suspect developmental delays?Mentioned In This Episode:Susanna Peace LovellYour True Self Is Enough: Lessons Learned on My Journey Parenting a Child with Autism by Susanna Peace LovellGet our Ethics Course about SLP/BCBA Collaboration in the ABA SPEECH ConnectionRose Griffin (@abaspeechbyrose) on Instagram

“Well, I guess you better figure it out”. Those are words you do NOT want to hear from your CFY supervisor. Supervision in your Clinical Fellowship Year is so important for setting the tone for the rest of your career. Lynn Dudek shares her experience on both sides of the spectrum, from not meeting any of her expectations to exceeding them all. What makes a positive mentor and supervisor? It all comes down to communication and these qualities Lynn lists for us are: being a good communicator, setting professional goals, building relationships and connections, assessing performance, and providing specific feedback. Ultimately, it's great practice for a supervisor to begin this relationship with this question; “What do you expect from this experience?”. Lynn explains how she interviews her mentees and has gotten her supervision down to a science with standard forms to provide the best possible outcome. Lynn shared her own personal experience of a not so great mentor. What should someone in their CFY do if their supervision just doesn't feel right? The truth is, it might be hard, but you need to discuss it directly with your supervisor with direct, open communication. Lay out your expectations, find compromise, and lean on ASHA and state requirements. If YOU are looking to become a supervisor, Lynn recommends knowing yourself and what you're capable of so that you’re able to give the best mentorship possible. It affects someone's entire career and all the clients they work with subsequently. Check out ASHA for CEUs and assessments for becoming a supervisor, or reach out to your state with questions!#autism #speectherapyWhat’s Inside:Mentorship and supervision in your CFY (Clinical Fellowship Year)What makes a wonderful mentor and supervisor?What breaks a supervision experience?What to do when your supervision isn't what you expected?How to get started as a CFY supervisor.Mentioned In This Episode:Episode #109: The Power of SLP and BCBA Collaboration with Lynn M. Dudek - ABA SpeechGet our Ethics Course about SLP/BCBA Collaboration in the ABA SPEECH ConnectionRose Griffin (@abaspeechbyrose) on Instagram 

Enjoy this replay from episode 62.Joint attention is closely linked to receptive and expressive language skills, highlighting the power of communication. To build connection before communication, use shared activities like playing with toys, singing songs, and reading books. Even if students aren't fully engaged initially, tracking their baseline data and progressing with goals can lead to impressive transformations and excitement.Toys: Playing with toys in therapy is all about creating interaction in a semi-structured environment. Remember to use simple language, allow for natural curiosity and play, and not bombard with questions. Toys I personally love to use include: cars and car tracks, mini objects, and farm sets.Literacy: Build excitement around the book, use books with repetition, and if your kids like it try an animated voice, which can be really fun. A few books I love to keep in my therapy bag that are a great success for joint attention are: Pete the Cat and his White Shoes, Brown Bear, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.Music: Students love songs because they are familiar and create engagement. I also love to use visuals, which can be just laminated pictures or little toys that match the activity of the song. It can also be engaging to sing songs that have motions for the words. My favorite songs to use are Old Macdonald, Wheels on the Bus, Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.It can be difficult to keep data and set goals around these abstract ideas, be sure to check out my goal bank on ABA speech. I hope you love these ideas, and I can’t wait for you to try them out in your next therapy session!#autism #speectherapyWhat’s Inside:How to increase learner engagement?What is joint attention?How to embed joint attention across a student's day.Where to start with joint attention.Integrating shared activities into therapy.Why should you focus on the connection before communication?Mentioned In This Episode:IEP Goals for Students with Autism - ABA SpeechGet our Ethics Course about SLP/BCBA Collaboration in the ABA SPEECH ConnectionRose Griffin (@abaspeechbyrose) on Instagram

Conflict is part of what we do as a provider in this field. When it comes to helping the most difficult learners, it's no surprise we might find ourselves contentious at IEP meetings, I’ve definitely had my fair share in my 20+ year career. But you CAN get through them with the best interest of the learner at hand. Here are my top 5 tips for navigating contentious IEP meetings:Know the guest list. Who's gonna be there? Lawyers, advocates, etc., you need to know so you can properly prepare.It is not okay to be verbally abused at work. Whether it's admin or parents, come in with boundaries and confidence. Set the tone at the beginning of the meeting!Prep with your team prior to the meeting and take time to debrief after. There will always be conflict. *Check out the ethics course with ABA SPEECH Connection for more about the article I discuss here.*Try to understand the motive of the conflict. When you can understand how the team member is feeling, you can work toward a solution together!We all want to help maximize outcomes for our learners; we are all there for the benefit of the learner! You can get through these difficult, contentious, and often conflict filled meetings if you keep these 5 tips in mind.#autism #speectherapyWhat’s Inside:How to navigate contentious IEP meetings.5 tips for getting through IEP meetings.Mentioned In This Episode:Take our ASHA and ACE approved course about Navigating Contentious IEP Meetings Ethically With ConfidenceRose Griffin (@abaspeechbyrose) on Instagram

AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. These are communication devices, systems, strategies and tools that replace or support spoken language. We have talked about this many times on the podcast but I am sharing some top tips for AAC that I have learned along the way during my 20+ years! It’s okay to not have all the answers!! Let this be your mantra. Students will be using different devices and software. You can’t know everything, but you can learn.What access do you have to an AAC consultant? There are people whose job it is to help!Collaboration is vital—collaborate and communicate with the learner’s team from assessment to receiving and learning a device to daily use!Contact AAC companies! They have resources that you need and want.It’s a marathon, not a sprint. You will always be learning, and that's exactly where you should be. Connect with experts and always be available to learn!If you’re loving this summer series of short, easy-to-consume topics, let me know! Leave a review or send me a message on Instagram. #autism #speectherapyWhat’s Inside:What is AAC?What have I learned about working with AAC in my 20 year career?5 tips for working with AAC.Mentioned In This Episode:Get our Ethics Course about SLP/BCBA Collaboration in the ABA SPEECH ConnectionMessage me on Instagram

Discover tips for working in an ABA setting with autistic learners, including the importance of safety, collaboration, and generalization planning. Learn about using AAC devices and the challenges of working with traditionally harder-to-reach children.

Are you transitioning into a school-based SLP role? Let me share the gems of wisdom I have learned looking back on my first year in a public school setting. I am back with another short episode for my summer series, sharing 5 top tips and strategies as a school-based SLP!The administrative assistant and the custodian are your best friends, go out of your way to be kind and friendly because they can help you SO much!You will NOT have all the answers. It’s okay to ask when you don't know something; “I’m not sure about that, let me ask” can be your magic words.Find a mentor. Yes, in your first year, you'll have a CYF supervisor if you're an SLP, but if you’re a BCBA and need more support, find a mentor you can lean on and learn from. (We’re here for you in the ABA Speech Connection).Try to analyze and take notes about what you do and don’t love in your job, so you know what to look for in the next role.Listen more, talk less. You’re learning the lay of the land; do your part, but take time to listen and take in the culture of your workplace.No matter if you’re an SLP, BCBA, teacher, Para-Pro, or RBT and you're working in a school, let me know what you thought of this episode! Help me get the word out that we are talking about important things over here!#autism #speechtherapyWhat’s Inside:Summer Series: bite-sized episodes packed with knowledge.5 tips and strategies for school-based professionals.What I wish I knew working in a public school setting.Mentioned In This Episode:Membership - ABA Speech

Welcome to the Summer Series! I’m going to be doing a series of solo shows on topics and questions I get through the summer, packaged up into bite-sized, easy-to-consume episodes for those of you enjoying your summer vacation.Today I am talking all about my journey of becoming a dually certified SLP, BCBA, a unicorn certification of less than 500 people in the entire world! Over my 20+ year career, I’ve gained some wisdom and learned some lessons that I want to share with you.I started my career as an SLP in a school setting. There I had my first opportunity to work with autistic learners and I loved getting the opportunity to see these amazing breakthroughs. But when I changed jobs to a clinical setting and had my first experience with ABA…I was lit up. We were working with learners who had traditionally been difficult to reach and helping them communicate for the very first time. As a provider, I felt true joy for these learners but also feelings of sadness that they had gone so long without access to their environment through communication when they really didn't have to.As I conclude this mini-episode, I share the time-consuming course work, resources, and testing that went into becoming a certified BCBA 12 years ago. I share this with you because I believe in the power of ABA to create a world where all students have a way to communicate and access their environment.#autism #speechtherapyWhat’s Inside:Wisdom and lessons from a 20+ year career in SLP and Behavior Analysis.How did Rose become dually certified?Time consuming coursework and resources involved in becoming a BCBAMentioned In This Episode:Membership - ABA Speech

The Huberman Lab podcast is a popular podcast hosted by Dr. Huberman aimed at disseminating science to the masses. The podcast focuses on a variety of topics, but BCBA Carrie Susa Woodward joins me to break down the recent episode of the Huberman Lab with Dr. Karen Parker all about autism.Dr. Parker and Dr. Huberman discuss the rising incidences of autism. Are there more autistic people than there were 20 years ago? The answer, yes AND no. There are a variety of factors that have led to more diagnoses in recent years, including more aware parents, a better understanding of development, a better understanding of social skills, and increased research and science on early intervention. We also touch on their discussion about early diagnosis and early intervention. Which revolves around brain plasticity. In the first three years, the brain is easy to change and adapt and is able to establish good neural connections. Early intervention can open up the world of learning for autistic children. While the topic of what inventions are best isn't detailed, the most important takeaway is that no age is too early!So how can we, as providers, help get these kids into intervention as fast as we can? Well, Carrie is doing her part with her course, Jump Start the Journey. This course is aimed at parents of young kids with delayed development on the waiting list for services. She includes information on research-based therapies, input from her 20 years of experience in the field, and modeled play exercises.#autism #speectherapyWhat’s Inside:Rationale for early detectionIs there an age to young for intervention?Autism diagnosis and incidencesMentioned In This Episode:Membership - ABA SpeechJumpstart the Journey - Full CourseDr. Karen Parker: The Causes & Treatments for Autism - Huberman Lab 

Dr. Annie McLaughlin is a special breed of BCBA; she practices as an IEP advocate and trains other professionals to become advocates as well. IEPs can be a contentious environment, tip-toeing around and finding diplomatic approaches to tough conversations. Dr. McLaughlin explains that her philosophy around advocacy is to show us as humans with compassion first.In her advocacy work, Dr. McLaughlin supports families through the lens of ACT (be sure to check out some of our episodes discussing this topic). She also uses her behavior analytic lens to take an important perspective for clients with diverse needs. “I want to be the advocate everyone wants to show up,” is what Dr. McLaughlin shares when discussing how to focus on collaboration through open communication and active listening. At a table filled with parents, therapists, and school faculty, Dr. McLaughlin advocates for “both sides” by highlighting parent concerns AND validating the expertise of the providers. The advocate helps make space for diverse perspectives while reinforcing ideas. When both the families and the providers are on the same page, it can make a big difference in the work they are doing with the learner.You can find Dr. Annie McLaughlin on Instagram as @IEPAdvocateAnnie, where she shares about her courses and helps other professionals become IEP advocates.#autism #speechtherapyWhat’s Inside:How can an advocate help both “sides” of the team?Advocacy with a behavior analytic lensSupporting families with ACT.Helping professionals become advocates.Mentioned In This Episode:Annie McLaughlin, PhD, BCBA-D (@iepadvocateannie) - InstagramJoin the ABA SPEECH Connection Membership