The How to ABA Podcast

Steve Ward is back on the show, along with his co-authors, Madelyn Vickery and April Dyal. They’re coming out with their most recent book, which includes over 2,100 inexpensive ideas for play and intrinsic motivation. Steve is the founder of Whole Child Consulting, and his work is mainly focused on social repertoires and shaping behaviors. We recently received a question in our mentorship group regarding what to do with a child who doesn’t like any of the reinforcers or motivators we provide, and here, we dive into everyone’s thoughts. Our conversation also includes ways to use the environment in motivation strategies, how to expand play and motivation while building interest, and suggestions for new BCBAs to be more creative and engaging.We’re also co-hosting a webinar with Steve, Madelyn, and April on March 5th at 12pm EST. Head to our website to sign up! What’s Inside:What to do when a child doesn’t respond to our reinforcers or motivators.How to expand play and motivation while building interest.Tips for new BCBAs to be more creative and engaging.Mentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.com/joinHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramWhole Child Consulting WebsiteGood Learner Repertoires on Instagram

Parents are always the experts when it comes to their kids. We get a lot of questions around parent training and how to best approach it, and here we’re sharing some tips and best practices. As professionals, we need to remember to take the parent’s perspective and acknowledge their busy lifestyles and challenges. Although we went to school for many years to master our careers, the concepts we teach are often foreign to parents, so it helps to speak in layman’s terms.We discuss how to establish a foundation with parents and how to get to know the family’s unique routines and habits. Our main goal when working with parents is to help support them in their goals and leave our own bias at the door. Our conversation also includes how to help parents achieve easy wins with their kids, how to leverage behavior skills training, and why it’s important to start small and build rapport.  What’s Inside:How to help parents grasp the concepts we teach our learnersHow to leverage behavior skills trainingWhy it’s important to start small and gain parental trustMentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.com/joinHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramCommunication Temptations Freebie

As practitioners, we often learn to use assessments to help plan our programs. However, we can also miss the big picture. Here, we’re diving into how to use practical programs with our learners. Kids are multi-faceted and while assessments can be helpful, they can also prevent us from tailoring programs to each unique individual. We cover some of the different ways we can get caught up in the details and how to teach more dynamically.One challenge with using assessments is that they break out specific concepts, making it harder to teach skills holistically. We discuss how to troubleshoot when a specific program may not be working and how to choose a different path. Our conversation also includes ways to monitor progress and keep track of long-term goals. On February 22nd, we’re hosting a CEU on practical program planning through our membership. For more information, head to our website.What’s Inside:How to use practical ABA programs with learnersHow to avoid getting caught up in details and focus on the big pictureTips on how to monitor progress and keep track of long-term goalsMentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.com/joinHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramCEU Event – Programming for Progress

Our community offers a private place for you to chat with other practitioners and share what's working and what's not working. Here, we’re giving you an inside look into one of our mentorship meetings for our Pro Members. Each meeting is jam-packed full of helpful tips for ABA professionals. In this session, we spent time answering questions on a wide range of topics, including:How to transition into a BCBA role on the school sideA review of ABA assessmentsHow to build trust with families and put programs in placeSchool-based behaviors and writing FBAsIncorporating parent training at home and in a school settingIf you’re interested in joining us at our next meeting, check out our membership by clicking the link below!What’s Inside:A sneak peek into a monthly mentorship meetingOur answer to a question about BCBAs in schoolsOur answer to a question on assessmentsMentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.com/joinHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram

The podcast explores the importance of shaping in ABA therapy, discussing how to break skills into small steps for successful teaching. They give examples of using shaping for verbal imitation and reinforcement, and managing challenging behaviors. The episode also covers using shaping with desensitization and forward chaining to teach complex skills.

The podcast delves into the various applications of behavioral skills training beyond staff training and social skills. It emphasizes the importance of rehearsal and discusses the four parts of BST: instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. Real-world examples are provided to showcase the effectiveness of BST in teaching skills like calming techniques, social skills, and positive behaviors.

Learn why teaching manding in ABA is crucial for language development and behavior reduction. Discover how to teach manding to non-verbal learners and incorporate it effectively into sessions. Explore the connection between manding and shaping, and the significance of starting with basic needs.

Starting a small business in ABA can be a challenge. Here, we provide useful tips to reduce overwhelm and make the process run smoothly. Many of us spend the majority of our ABA education learning job-related skills, but we’re not always equipped with the business knowledge needed to run our own clinics. Owning a business is stressful at times, but it’s also extremely rewarding to be your own boss. Business owners are often short on time and wear many hats, but it pays to be organized and delegate when you can. We start by covering time management and discussing some techniques you can put in place to cut down on stress. Using a calendar, delegation, and saying no to things that take you off task help you take your time back. We talk about how to put the right systems in place, like organizational charts, training, and onboarding programs. We also discuss setting intentions and how to keep yourself on track with your long-term goals.  What’s Inside:Practical tips for starting and growing an ABA businessHow to better manage your timeHow to stay on track with long-term goalsMentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.com/joinHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramCEU Event: How to Scale Your ABA Business Without Burning Out

2023 was an awesome year full of amazing experiences. As we close out the year, we wanted to share everything How to ABA has done through a year in review. One of the most significant things we did was launch our Bx Blueprint, which is a series of videos for paraprofessionals and RBTS. It’s 20 hours of content and it’s perfect for RBTs looking for extra certification for their jobs. It’s also great for onboarding staff and helping them get acclimated to their roles.One of our major goals at How to ABA is to make your jobs just a little bit easier because we’re in the field doing those jobs as well. We have so much in store for 2024. We’re also in the process of launching another course on executive functioning with Dr. Alan Schnee. Here, we also talk about the guests we’ve had on the podcast this year, the CEUs we’ve offered, and more.What’s Inside:Our launch of the Bx Blueprint and how it can helpOur collaboration with Dr. Alan Schnee on a new courseA recap of our guests and offered CEUsMentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.com/joinHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram

As BCBAs, part of our job is to target challenging behavior. Here, we discuss how to do so in a compassionate way so that our learners feel safe. Sometimes, our learners just need our empathy and support after a rough day. As behavior analysts, we have to shift our focus from a follow-through perspective to how to best support those we work with. The best solutions to challenging problems often come from providing a safe, welcoming environment.Having a trauma-informed approach is key, and pushing through sometimes makes challenging behaviors worse. Creating the foundation of a solid relationship should come before we place any real demands on our learners. Our conversation includes how to reframe our perspective to a more compassionate approach, how to build trusting relationships, and how to make environments more enriching and fun.What’s Inside:How to create a safe environment for our learners.How to make the learning environment more enriching and fun.How to reframe our perspective to a more compassionate approach.Mentioned In This Episode:HowToABA.com/joinHow to ABA on YouTubeFind us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramEpisode 061: 7 Steps to Instructional Control with Robert Schramm