The How to ABA Podcast

We received such amazing feedback on our burnout episode that we decided to do a follow-up based on our top five daily habits. Simple things like waking up early or carving out five to ten quiet minutes each day to yourself can make a huge difference in your day. Activities like exercise, enjoying dinner with family, and a daily gratitude practice are non-negotiables for us. Schedules and to-do lists also help us effectively move through the day and we each do them a bit differently. There’s no one way to create daily habits, as each of us has different needs and desires. The most important thing is that we stick to them and make them a priority. Putting time in the calendar can help you accomplish your habits each day. Creating healthy and firm boundaries around what you will and won’t do will also help you keep your own habits on that non-negotiable level. Discovering your own personal values and getting closer to them ensures that your daily habits are personalized. We’d love to know what your own daily habits are, so please share them with the community!What’s Inside:Shira and Shayna’s top 5 daily habits.How making a commitment to sticking with your own habits can create a more fulfilling life.Mentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.comHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram

BCBA Rosa Casali has been practicing ABA for 13 years and is the founder of Behavior Solutions Inc. Her firm provides in-home care for families in the Miami area. Rosa has a master’s degree in mental health counseling and fell in love with ABA after taking an advanced course in the subject. She knew she wanted to help children and their families and becoming a BCBA was a hands-on way of doing so. Miami is a melting pot of cultures and Rosa’s been able to learn from people of all kinds of backgrounds. Different ethnicities approach autism and disabilities differently, which affects how the treatment is approached and progress is made. Some families have a lack of information and resources to help them understand their child’s diagnosis. Being able to provide this for clients is something Rosa enjoys. When working with different cultures, take your time to study them, even if it’s as simple as doing a quick internet search. Ask the families about what they prefer, especially when entering their home, as they can have varying customs. When you show consideration to families, it builds trust and a lasting relationship. When setting treatment goals, ask the family what they have in mind. Sometimes the plan you initially bring won’t be a good fit with their culture or overall plans for their child. When you refrain from putting your agenda on families and let them drive the process, treatment is more successful. When working with culturally diverse families, it helps to ask for feedback. Taking the initiative to make changes so families feel more comfortable is always worth it. For new BCBAs, the best advice would be not to give up. The field can be very challenging, especially when first starting out, but it is an extremely rewarding career.What’s Inside:How do different cultures feel about getting a diagnosis for their child and how do they approach treatment.Discussion on different ethnic customs within the home setting.Advice on how to work with culturally diverse clients.Mentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.comHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramBehavior Solutions Inc. 

Tammy Kaiser is an RBT with a master’s degree in Jewish education. She’s planning on taking the BCBA exam in the spring and is also working on her Doctor of Science in Jewish studies. Tammy’s goal is to use her diverse background to look at the world of ABA through a lens of faith-based values. As a survivor of a mass shooting, Tammy also had to recover from a traumatic brain injury and PTSD. When she learned about ABA at a previous job, she realized that she had a unique perspective and mindset that could greatly benefit the field. Looking at ABA from a trauma-informed lens is important. One of Tammy’s biggest challenges is to balance the idea of being an ABA professional with a trauma-informed approach. Being able to look at a family as a whole unit and taking the time to learn about them and their life is an important part of treatment. Taking a moment to connect with the family and meet them where they’re at can make all the difference in successful treatment. Tammy is interested in creating a values-based system for ABA and focuses on putting children first. Children have just as many rights as adults and it’s important to consider the values and ethics of their families. This can help create treatment plans that fit within a family’s needs. Tammy feels that the field of ABA also needs more neurodiverse voices and could benefit from incorporating more empathy with scientific data. Compassionate care is becoming more of a mainstream topic in the field. Practitioners can benefit greatly from taking a step back and looking at the whole picture when treating clients. What’s Inside:How incorporating faith-based values could positively impact ABA practices.Why using a trauma-informed approach in ABA can benefit clients. How merging empathy and a focus on feelings with scientific data can help the field of ABA. Mentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.comHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram

Sonya MacCrimmon is a life coach with a background in ABA. She made her way into ABA after her university program in psychology. Part of her curriculum included a learning disabilities course which piqued her interest and led her to a summer camp job, working with special needs children. Sonya worked as a BCBA at an agency for five and a half years and made her way into a supervisory position. Going through the pandemic made her think more about her own personal development and mindfulness, eventually leading her to become a certified life coach.Sonya uses the ACT framework within her life coaching business and merges it with much of what she learned throughout her ABA experience. She helps her clients primarily with the mindset and habit changes. Sonya often utilizes techniques from her behavioral analyst days but finds that coaching takes on a more open-minded approach and takes emotional processing into account. One principle of ACT that is helpful when moving through emotions is “notice, name, neutralize”. When you notice you’re having an emotional reaction, naming it for what it is and knowing that it’s only temporary neutralizes its effects. When you are first starting out as a BCBA, Sonya recommends being an open communicator. Be open to communicating your needs as well as be open to receiving feedback on how to improve. Being ready to learn and understand as much as you can when you’re new can make a lasting impact on your career. Knowing the difference between impostor syndrome and needing to ask for help is key. Lastly, always be open to communicating when you are experiencing burnout and always take time for yourself. What's Inside:Sonya’s journey from BCBA to life coach.How Sonya uses ACT with her coaching clients and merges it with behavioral techniques.Why open communication is so important when first starting out as a BCBA.Mentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.comHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramSonyaMacCrimmon.comSonya on Instagram

We’ve read so many books throughout our careers that we’d love to share with our audience. Below is a shortlist of recommended reading within this episode that can help you become a better BCBA. We’d also love to know what’s on your bookshelf, so make sure to connect with us and share!— Behavioral Intervention for Young Children with Autism (Catherine Maurice, Gina Green, et al.) —  A Work in Progress (Ron Leaf) — Early Start Denver Model (Sally J. Rogers and Geraldine Dawson) — The Behavior Code (Jessica Minahan and Nancy Rappaport, MD)  — Beyond Behaviors (Mona Delahooke)  — The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child (Alan E. Kazdin)  — Parenting with Science (Leanne Page, BCBA) — Smart But Scattered (Peg Dawson and Richard Guare) — Teaching Language to Children with Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities (Mark Sundberg, Ph.D. & James W. Partington, Ph.D.) — Communication-Based Intervention for Problem Behavior (Edward Carr, Ph.D., Len Levin M.A., et al.)  — Visual Supports for People with Autism (Marlene J. Cohen & Peter F. Gerhardt) — Early Intervention Games (Barbara Sher)What’s Inside:Shayna and Shira’s recommended reading list to support practitioners, parents, and moreMentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.comHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram

Patricia Williams is a BCaBA from Jamaica and a longtime member of How to ABA. She works in an international school on the island and began her career as a high school teacher. After observing students in her classes with behavioral issues, she studied special education and began using the techniques she learned. Patricia eventually began her own private school, with many parents enrolling their autistic children there because it poses fewer challenges than the regular school system. She also just completed her master’s degree in education, which compliments her behavioral knowledge very well.Caribbean culture tends to be more “old-school,” with punishment often being the options parents and teachers go to first to correct behavior. Approaching ABA with compassion is a must for Patricia. Taking the time to develop a relationship with a child can be a long road but it is the right choice. You want children to do things for you because they like you, not because they’re afraid of you. A big challenge in Jamaica is that parents don’t always have the funding for services, and currently there is no insurance in place to help supplement costs. Sometimes all a parent can afford is one session, so creating a treatment plan that the parent understands and wants to follow makes all the difference.Another challenge Patricia faces is a lack of resources. Currently, there is no screening program in place in Jamaica to help identify at-risk children. Sometimes a children with behavioral issues won’t get services until they’ve reached adulthood where it’s much more difficult to correct problems. Greater awareness of ABA services is needed for pediatricians and educators so that children can be referred to programs as early as possible. Patricia’s advice to new ABAs is to lean on your community and make sure you have a support group you can turn to. Researching topics and solutions that have already been proven in studies can help tremendously so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Also, be comfortable with not always having the answers.What’s Inside:Patricia’s journey of becoming a BCaBA.Cultural challenges with ABA services in Jamaica.How a teaching background compliments behavioral analysis and practices.Mentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.comHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram

Jeremy Brown (Executive Director) and Jacqueline Thweatt-Burton (Assistant Director) of Certified Behavior Health Services serve rural areas across the states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Demand for services is high in these areas and it can be a challenge for practitioners due to long drive times to and from clients. Most of their work within the community is in-home, and the parents are grateful to be able to have access to professionals. The biggest hurdles for Jeremy and Jacqueline are that their states were some of the last to pass reform laws and that their clients don’t always know what ABA is. They also have such an intense need for services that sometimes there are waitlists up to a year long. Another challenge is that parents may have had a negative experience with ABA services in the past, so work needs to be done to change the perception. Rural communities tend to be close-knit, so it’s important to be able to demonstrate to parents that you’re worthy of their trust.Throughout the pandemic, many practitioners relied on telehealth to provide services to families. Jeremy and Jacqueline have seen positive results, noting that the eliminated drive time between clients translates into more services offered. They’ve seen many clients’ behaviors drastically improve and having parents on the other end to supervise while they’re in a telehealth session has been beneficial. The hope is that insurance continues to cover telehealth appointments so that more of the community can gain access to much-needed ABA services.What’s Inside:Challenges of serving families across states in rural communities.Suggestions for promoting positive ABA awareness. How telehealth impacted services throughout the pandemic. Mentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.comHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramCertified Behavior Health Services, LLC

The BCBA field can be very demanding, especially when you’re first starting out. If you’re not managing your time properly or creating healthy boundaries, you can easily find yourself heading towards burnout. Fortunately, there are plenty of steps you can take to ease the overwhelm so that you have the energy to do your job well and make the most of your downtime.Learning how to say “no” is an important skill to develop. It can be hard to turn down opportunities, especially with clients who may want to continue with you after the end of your service. If you overcommit, you won’t have the energy to serve your clients. Setting time limits for family time or “me” time is important as well, especially in the current age where you could be spending all of your time working at home. It can be hard to shut work off sometimes, so don’t be afraid to schedule things in your calendar for accountability.Set boundaries with clients and colleagues around emails and phone calls. If you’d like to remain unavailable on weekends, you can set an auto-response on your emails and even draft them and set them up to auto-send on Monday morning. Lastly, asking for help when you’re overloaded is always a great strategy to prevent burnout. Hiring help to clean your home or ordering takeout instead of cooking can give you some time back to spend however you need to recharge.What’s Inside:Tips to prevent burnout for BCBAs.Why scheduling time for yourself is important and why you may want to use a calendar.How to set proper boundaries so you don’t become overextended.Mentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.comHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram

Summer Mingo is the cofounder of South Georgia Behavior Associates. She started her career in marketing and PR and realized she was uninspired by it. Someone close to her received ABA services when they were younger, and she decided to pursue a profession where she knew she could have a positive impact on her community. Summer’s practice focuses on building systems and environments around a family’s lifestyle and involves them heavily in their service model. They plan for generalization and individualization right from the start.After experiencing some sensory issues, Summer sought out a therapist and received her own autism diagnosis once she was already a practicing BCBA. This opened her eyes to the profession in several ways and she began to change the way she approached behavioral analysis. She’s passionate about teaching people how to have boundaries and she takes things slow with clients. This allows her to build trust with them, so nothing has to be forced. Summer’s recommendations for becoming a better practitioner are enlightening and helpful for any BCBA, from beginner to veteran. She believes that any behavior can be shaped and prefers skills-based training over compliance goals. Being client-centered and forming an alliance allows everyone involved to have a say in treatment as opposed to anyone having the upper hand. It’s helpful to go into each new case with an “I know nothing” attitude instead of trying to compare it to something you’ve already encountered. Having a blank canvas helps you get out of a programming rubric and allows you to start fresh and look at the whole picture. What’s Inside:Summer’s story and how having autism shapes her BCBA practice.Why skills-based treatment can be better than compliance goals.Suggestions for improvement within the BCBA profession and opportunities for growth.Mentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.comHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramSouth Georgia Behavior Associates

Early childhood intervention specialist and BCBA Lisa Cvetnich work with children from birth to age 3. After finishing her undergraduate education, she began working in a preschool program for children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Lisa then obtained a master’s degree in early childhood/special education and got her ABA certification in 2016. Her advice for teachers who are just starting out is to not be afraid to ask for help when you don’t have the answers and to know the ethical code inside and out.When Lisa does her first home visit with a family, she observes what they’re currently able to do and discusses their present challenges. It really helps when you can explain to parents that there is a reason behind their child’s behaviors. Once you figure out what parents are comfortable doing, then strategies become easier to create. In the visits that follow, Lisa will catch up with the family on what’s happened since the last session and then link any new focuses on from that place. Often parents just need someone to talk to about what’s going on. Meeting parents where they’re at in terms of what is and isn’t working can be hugely beneficial. Parents can get frustrated and overwhelmed with how much information is out there as well as with how long the process and waitlists can take before treatment begins. Lisa is also a mom to a son with ADHD, so she knows all about going through these things herself. Lisa’s website, The Autism Connection, has a ton of informative handouts and blog posts for parents of young children with special needs. It’s a great resource for practitioners, too. What's Inside:Why it’s important to create plans that fit with a family’s lifestyle.How you can alleviate parents’ frustrations by meeting them where they are.Lisa’s recommended books and resources for parents and practitioners.Mentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.comHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramThe Autism Connection