The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria

Hi Folks, I am on day 2 of not having any power (huge windstorm hit New Hampshire on Sunday night/Monday morning), so please excuse the lack of show notes for this episode. I'll update as soon as I can. So here's the Twitter version: I speak with five out of the seven or eight speakers at the 2017 NextGen Revolution Summit Conference, which is being held in Miami, FL on 11/11/17. It is also available to live stream on the interwebs! If you're interested in checking it out, and you want to save a few bucks, use the promo code MATT at checkout. It's well worth checking out, so if you want more details, head over to https://nextgenrevolutionsummit.com/ for more info!

Do you want to hear a cool story about using Behavior Analysis to improve the environment? Glad you asked! Dr. Amanda Kelly returns to the podcast to discuss her #nostrawforme campaign. What started out as essentially a self-management intervention is evolving into movement to reduce the usage of disposable or single-use items. Personally, I rarely use straws, but this conversation prompted me to think about other ways in which I consume single-use items, such as paper towels, aluminum cans, and so forth. I hope you find this conversation just as thought provoking. And feel free to share these thoughts in the comments! Here are some links to things Amanda talked about: The Lonely Whale Foundation ABAI's Behavior Analysis for Sustainable Societies SIG A paper from Dr. Scott Geller's early seat belt work The Behavior Analyst's special edition on sustainability Research Gate If you enjoy this episode, please take a minute to head over to iTunes and leave a rating and review. In-person referrals to like minded behavior-folks are always appreciated as well! This podcast is sponsored by Britton Behavioral Consulting. Dr. Lisa Britton, BCBA-D specializes in providing independent fieldwork supervision in a remote context. If you listen to Session 29, you'll learn that she has a wealth of experience in both the practice of Behavior Analysis, as well some great processes in place for mentoring soon-to-be BCBA's. I have corresponded with previous mentees of hers, and to a person, they sang her praises as a supervisor. Also, if you need BACB Type 2 continuing education, why not earn them while you're on the go? How does this work? Again, glad you asked. Click here to find out more.

How do you get parents to become effective agents of change as it relates to their children's problem behavior? If you're like me, you've struggled to explain the complexities of the functional nature of problem behavior to lay people. Clearly, avoiding our technical language helps with this, but working with parents in particular, it can be difficult to teach how to reinforce desired responses, what behaviors to attend to, what disruptive events to ignore, and so on. As Pat Friman and I discussed in Session 10, sometimes we as Behavior Analysts have trouble applying our training to our own parenting as well. Thankfully, Brandon Franklin stops by the podcast to talk about the parent training program he and his colleagues at Clinical Behavior Analysis are using. They've developed a program called RAPID training (not to be confused with Rapid Prompting ;-) ) that they've found great success with (click here for their handout on this program). This program was adapted from a book by Drs. Rex Forehand and Nicholas Long called Parenting the Strong-Willed Child: The clinically proven five week program for parents of two to six year olds. I had the chance to read much of it before the interview, and I think it's a great book that most parents will get a lot out of. In the interview, we even joked about handing the book out to random people in the street, in grocery stores, certain friends who struggle with parenting, and so forth. Not to turn this post into a review per se, but the book is well worth checking out. In this episode, you will learn the specific steps to the RAPID program, specifically the components of Rewarding, Attending, Providing Breaks, Ignoring, and Direction Giving. You will also learn about the various populations and settings in which the folks at CBA have used this intervention. Because parent training is such a hot topic in our field right now, I received tons of listener questions, so Brandon and I spend some time going through those as well. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Brandon and his colleagues at CBA are doing some really great things in our field. They're expanding quite a bit right now, so if you're wondering what it would be like to work CBA, you can reach out to them here (for transparency sake, there is no sponsorship arrangement here). Speaking of sponsors though, this podcast is sponsored by Britton Behavioral Consulting. Dr. Lisa Britton, BCBA-D specializes in providing independent fieldwork supervision in a remote context. If you listen to Session 29, you'll learn that she has a wealth of experience in both the practice of Behavior Analysis, as well some great processes in place for mentoring soon-to-be BCBA's. I have corresponded with previous mentees of hers, and to a person, they sang her praises as a supervisor. Also, if you need BACB Type 2 continuing education, why not earn them while you're on the go? How does this work? Glad you asked. Click here to find out more.

In session 35, I get a chance to chat with some fellow residents of the Granite State, the husband and wife duo Kim and Tim Heald. In this episode, we discuss the nitty gritty associated with starting an ABA Clinic. Having a clinic is an alluring idea. The obvious benefits include the promise of increased efficiency and quality control. That said, through this discussion, you'll learn there's a lot more to operating a clinic than finding the ideal location. The Healds open up about the challenges of running a clinic, such as putting together an effective team, establishing a common organizational culture, coaching staff performance, and even working together as a married couple. During this interview, Tim and Kim mentioned a few resources, and as promised, here are the links to them: The Lean Startup by Eric Reis William Abernathy's Pay for Performance compensation systems Click here to learn more about Constellations Behavioral Services. In other podcast-related news, on September 27th, at 8 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Megan will be joining me and the members of The Behavioral Observations Membership group for a Zoom meeting. In this meeting, members will have the opportunity to ask Megan about instructional control, alternatives to escape, the PEAK ABA curriculum, and anything else (ABA related, of course!). We will also have none other than Greg Hanley joining us sometime in November (date TBA). If you're interested in learning more, then click here. This podcast is sponsored by Britton Behavioral Consulting. Dr. Lisa Britton, BCBA-D specializes in providing independent fieldwork supervision in a remote context. If you listen to Session 29, you'll learn that she has a wealth of experience in both the practice of Behavior Analysis, as well some great processes in place for mentoring soon-to-be BCBA's. I have corresponded with previous mentees of hers, and to a person, they sang her praises as a supervisor.

OK folks, it's back to school time in New Hampshire and elsewhere, so I thought it would be timely to bring Dr. Megan Miller of Navigation Behavioral Consulting back on the show to talk about effective strategies for obtaining instructional control, as well as dealing with disruptive behavior without using extinction. These are topics that Megan presents on frequently, and many of these themes can be found in the book that she co-wrote with Robert Schramm, The Seven Steps to Earning Instructional Control. Megan also has a more specific training on this (CE's available!) for on her agency's website for those looking for additional information on this topic. Finally, on September 27th, at 8 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Megan will be joining me and the members of The Behavioral Observations Membership group for a Zoom meeting. In this meeting, members will have the opportunity to ask Megan about instructional control, alternatives to escape, the PEAK ABA curriculum, and anything else (ABA related, of course!). We will also have none other than Greg Hanley joining us sometime in November (date TBA). If you're interested in learning more, then click here. Megan mentioned a few studies and other resources in our conversation, so here are the links: Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior and Demand Fading in the Treatment of Escape-Maintained Destructive Behavior (Piazza, Moes, & Fisher, 1996). Assessment of the Relative Effects of Attention and Escape on Noncompliance (Rodriguez, Thompson, & Bayhnam, 2010). The Use of Positive and Negative Reinforcement in the Treatment of Escape-Maintained Destructive Behavior (Piazza et al, 1997). Robert Schramm's YouTube channel. This podcast is sponsored by Britton Behavioral Consulting. Dr. Lisa Britton, BCBA-D specializes in providing independent fieldwork supervision in a remote context. If you listen to Session 29, you'll learn that she has a wealth of experience in both the practice of Behavior Analysis, as well some great processes in place for mentoring soon-to-be BCBA's. I have corresponded with previous mentees of hers, and to a person, they sang her praises as a supervisor.

The ABA Study Group is a Facebook group that is dedicated to helping people learn about behavior analysis, prepare for the BACB exam, and for those already certified, to maintain fluency with the terminology of our field. As of this writing, they have over 15,000 members so they certainly have found an audience for their work. One of the cool things that the ABA Study Group does is host frequent Zoom meetings. For those who don't know, Zoom is an online video meeting platform which allows members of the group to meet face-to-face, and the group hosts these meetings to cover specific topics for those who are learning about Behavior Analysis. Getting back to this episode, about a month ago, Roger Matar and Celia Heyman reached out to me and invited me to speak with the group on one of their Zoom calls. Specifically, they turned the tables on me, so to speak, and interviewed me for a change. What I learned from this is that I have a even deeper respect for what my guests go through! In other words, asking the questions is WAY easier than answering them!!! In all honesty, there were a few answers that I provided that I would have liked a second try on. I guess if there is a lesson in this for others, it would be to practice interviewing with peers if you're in a stage of your career in which you're applying for jobs, internships, and so on. Self deprecation aside, I had a great time, and I truly appreciated everyone who attended the Zoom call. Again, I can't overstate the good work that the study group is doing, so if you're not familiar with them, I highly suggest checking them out. Finally, after re-listening to the interview, I realized that I neglected to credit my good friend, John Corley, who is a constant source of technical assistance. When I first thought about starting a podcast, John was one of my biggest cheerleaders, and he provided (and continues to provide) tons of assistance. Despite his help, it is important to note that all technical errors are mine. John and me, August 2017 This podcast is sponsored by Britton Behavioral Consulting. Dr. Lisa Britton, BCBA-D specializes in providing independent fieldwork supervision in a remote context. If you listen to Session 29, you'll learn that she has a wealth of experience in both the practice of Behavior Analysis, as well some great processes in place for mentoring soon-to-be BCBA's. I have corresponded with previous mentees of hers, and to a person, they sang her praises as a supervisor.

Today's show is a little different than they typical episode. On September 30th, 2017, the New Hampshire Association for Behavior Analysis will be hosting its 3rd annual conference (tickets are available here). In order to promote this event, and more generally, highlight the great work that NH ABA does, I put together a sequence of five mini-interviews with all of the conference speakers. This year's line-up is great. We will feature a Keynote address from Dr. Greg Hanley, and a closing Distinguished Speaker presentation from Dr. Mark Sundberg. Between these talks, we'll hear from Dr. Derek Reed, Caitlin Kirkwood, and Michael Miklos. In this episode, you'll hear about what they will talk about, but you can also click here to access the conference brochure. The conference is a fantastic value. The early-bird price of $99 gets you 6.5 CEU's, a buffet lunch (yes, there is a free lunch), and opportunities to meet and network with fellow behavior analysts. The early bird price is available through August 31st, but if I had to guess, the event is going to sell out prior to that. As such, if you're considering attending, I recommend picking up your tickets right away. Click here to access the online portal to make that happen. In this episode, I've asked each speaker to recommend readings, websites, and other resources to check out. Here are those references in the approximate order in which they are mentioned in the episode. From Greg's interview: www.practicalfunctionalassessment.com Slayton, Hanley, & Raftery 2017 From Derek's: Some random podcast episode Derek's tutorial video on the SQAB YouTube channel The Behavior Analysis in Practice tutorial article From Mike's: www.pattan.net From Caitlin's: Addison, et al., 2012 Peterson, et al., 2016 The SOS approach to feeding From Mark's: The Verbal Behavior Approach, by Session 12 guest, Dr. Mary Lynch Barbera Jumpstarting Communication Skills in Children with Autism, by Dr. Mary Jane Weiss The Analysis of Verbal Behavior Special Issue on the Intraverbal Thirty Points About Motivation from Skinner's Book Verbal Behavior

Session 31 features a guest who has been requested by listeners numerous times since the start of this podcast, and that is none other than Dr. Pat McGreevy. As I explain in the episode, Pat and I have been talking on and off about doing a show for over a year now, and I'm really glad we finally had an opportunity to record this discussion. What exactly did we talk about? Well, Pat describes how he got into the field, and more interestingly, what the field was like in the early 1970's. He discusses his graduate training with Dr. Ogden Lindsley, the use of the Standard Celeration Chart, and when to shift gears from teaching verbal operants to functional skills. Pat also shares his views methodological and practice-level issues in our field. Finally, a conversation with Pat would be incomplete without discussing the curriculum he developed, Essential for Living. He discusses why he wrote the curriculum in the first place, and helped me understand how to get started with it. Here is his bio from the website: Dr. McGreevy received B.S. and M.A. degrees in Psychology and Special Education, respectively, from the University of Iowa. He was a special education teacher for eight years, working with children and young adults with moderate-to-severe developmental disabilities. He received the Ph.D. degree in Education from Kansas University under the guidance of Ogden R. Lindsley. Dr. McGreevy served on the Special Education faculties of the University of Missouri Kansas City, and Louisiana State University. He also served on the faculty of the Behavior Analysis Program at the Florida Institute of Technology. He is the author of Teaching and Learning in Plain English, an introduction to Precision Teaching, and the founder of the Journal of Precision Teaching and Standard Celeration Charting. He is also the author of ten journal articles and a book chapter on teaching verbal behavior. He is the first author of Essential for Living, a new functional skills curriculum, assessment, and professional practitioner’s handbook for children and adults with moderate-to-severe disabilities. For the past 30 years, Dr. McGreevy has provided consultations for children and adults with developmental disabilities in school districts, residential programs, and hospitals, specializing in the treatment of aggressive and self-injurious behavior in individuals with limited communication or language skills. Under the guidance of Dr. Jack Michael, Dr. McGreevy has also conducted workshops on teaching communication skills and language in the context of severe problem behavior, which are based on B. F. Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior. This podcast is sponsored by Britton Behavioral Consulting. Dr. Lisa Britton provides affordable, high quality, independent fieldwork supervision for aspiring BCBA’s. Group and independent supervision sessions are available. For more information, click here to reach out to Lisa.

It’s not everyday that one gets a chance to chat with someone with decades of experience in Behavior Analysis. It is equally rare to do so with someone who helped pioneer the field of Organizational Behavior Management. That’s why I’m so excited to share this conversation with none other than Dr. Aubrey Daniels. Before I started this podcast, I drew up a list of potential guests. Aubrey was one of those people at the top of the list, though I doubted that he would have time for such a fledgling outlet like The Behavioral Observations Podcast. However my aspirations recently turned into reality a few weeks ago when Aubrey and I sat down to record this conversation. In this interview we cover the following: How Aubrey first got into the field, and what the Behavior Analysis scene was like at that time. How he pivoted from a career in the mental health setting to working with organizations. How to sell behavioral solutions to potential customers. The application of behavioral principles in regular education settings. Advice for practitioners who want to get into the OBM field. General advice for newly minted BCBA’s. We also spend quite a bit of time discussing listener-submitted questions. For more information about Aubrey, check out the homepage of Aubrey Daniels International here. If you’re not familiar with Aubrey, here is a short bio: Aubrey Daniels, a thought leader and internationally recognized expert on management, leadership, safety and workplace issues, is considered an authority on human behavior in the workplace. As founder and chairman of the board of directors of his consulting firm, Aubrey Daniels International, he and his staff help organizations employ the timeless principles of behavioral science to re-energize the workplace, optimize performance and achieve lasting results. Aubrey actively blogs about performance systems, workplace safety and management issues and is frequently interviewed for major media outlets. In addition to being a highly sought after keynote speaker at major association, conference and educational events, Aubrey is the author of six best-selling books widely recognized as international management classics: Bringing out the Best in People: How to Apply the Astonishing Power of Positive Reinforcement; Performance Management: Changing Behavior That Drives Organizational Effectiveness, Other People’s Habits, Measure of a Leader, Oops! 13 Management Practices that Waste Time and Money (and what to do instead), and Safe by Accident?His books have been translated into Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and French and have been licensed in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Romania and Saudi Arabia. This podcast is sponsored by Britton Behavioral Consulting. Dr. Lisa Britton provides affordable, high quality, independent fieldwork supervision for aspiring BCBA’s. Group and independent supervision sessions are available. For more information, click here to reach out to Lisa.

If you caught the last few episodes of the podcast, you’ve heard me talk about our new sponsor, Britton Behavioral Consulting. This is where Dr. Lisa Britton, BCBA-D provides high quality Independent Fieldwork Supervision for individuals seeking board certification. Lisa has been a Behavior Analyst for almost two decades, and given the important role that supervision has in our field, I thought it would be a good idea to have her on to discuss best practices in this area. In this episode, we talk about the following: How Lisa got into the field of ABA What questions you need to ask yourself if you’re considering offering supervision as a service What a supervisee should look for in a supervisor How to embed Behavior Skills Training into the supervision process Specific tools she uses to conduct remote supervision sessions If you are looking for supervision, or if you simply have questions about the process, head over to www.brittonbehavioralconsulting.com and reach out to Lisa. During our conversation, we talked a lot about pieces of software, specific trainings, and other nitty-gritty details. I have attempted to provide links to most of the topics we covered below. Links to remote supervision software: https://www.gotomeeting.com/ https://www.gotomeeting.com/training The bSci21.org training that Lisa mentioned (about having difficult conversations) http://www.bsci21.org/courses/conversations-that-drive-performance-empowering-employees-with-behavior-science-1-bacb-ceu/ Intro to special edition of Behavior Analysis in Practice on supervision https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5118263/ Overview of Behavioral Skills Training, again, in Behavior Analysis in Practice https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3592486/