The How to ABA Podcast

The Importance of Science in Autism Treatment with David Celiberti

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

David Celiberti, Ph.D., BCBA, is the part time Executive Director of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT) and Past-President of its ...

Extinction

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Extinction is a buzzword we hear frequently in the world of ABA; however, what does it truly mean? Many people may think extinction is the same thing ...

Behavior Contracts

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For learners who can understand delayed reinforcement, we often use behavior contracts. These tools can be a great way to help learners understand and...

Teaching Life Skills

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Life skills are critical to a learner becoming independent. Here, we cover why teaching life skills is important and how we can do it effectively. Lif...

Types of ABA Data Sheets

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As ABA practitioners, we use a lot of datasheets. It can be tough to know which ones to use in specific situations, and here, we break things down. Da...

Combining Empowerment with ABA with Iveth Aguilar

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Iveth Aguilar is a BCBA and women’s empowerment coach. She’s the founder of Empower Her, a coaching program that helps women to stop settling, ove...

IEP Advocacy with Annie McLaughlin

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Annie McLaughlin is a BCBA and IEP advocate. Annie started her career as a special education teacher, where she met a consultant who introduced her to...

Behaview with Payam Moghaddam and Shadi Hortamani

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Payam Moghaddam and Shadi Hortamani are the founders of Behaview, a staff training and supervision solution for ABA providers. Behaview simplifies sta...

What Is an ABA Contingency Map?

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It can be tough for our learners to understand what they may have done wrong and how they can do it better. One of the best ways to guide them is with...

Exploring Play and Intrinsic Motivation with Steve Ward, Madelyn Vickery, and April Dyal

20 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 inc...

Parent Coaching

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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’...

Practical ABA Programs

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ho...

Mentorship Meeting Sneak Peek

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Shaping

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Although shaping is a basic concept in ABA, it’s often overlooked when creating behavior plans. Here, we discuss how to use shaping when teaching ou...

Behavioral Skills Training

16 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When you hear the term “BST model,” what comes to mind? Typically, we think of staff training or social skills, but in ABA, we can use it for so m...

Teaching Manding in ABA

09 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of the first things we teach our learners is requesting, or manding. As ABA professionals, it’s important to know why teaching manding is import...

Growing Your Small Business in ABA

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 sp...

Year in Review, Expanding Reach and Products

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 re...

Compassionately Targeting Challenging Behavior

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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. Some...

Writing Behavior Intervention Plans with Morgan van Diepen

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Morgan van Diepen is the founder of ABA Visualized, a company whose goal is to make behavioral expertise approachable, accessible, and relatable. As a...

Classroom Reinforcement

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Students aren’t always intrinsically motivated in the classroom. It’s important to include some type of reinforcement for these students to motiva...

Teaching WH Questions

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As ABA practitioners, we’re familiar with the terminology of FFCs, which stands for feature, function, and class. Here, we dive into what comes afte...

Tips to Reduce Holiday Stress for Learners with Autism

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The holidays are fast approaching and we’re starting to plan for the upcoming busy season. Parties and gatherings with a lot of people can be stress...

Expanding the Definition of Inclusion in ABA with Chris Collins

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Collins is the Executive Director of Ability to Include, and he joins us here for a chat about what he’s been up to in the field. Since the la...

How to Teach Social Skills Using ACT

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the past, we’ve touched on how to teach basic social skills. However, with some learners, we have to go beyond simple contingency management and ...

Professional Communication and Feedback Tips for ABA Professionals

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Working with clients is just one part of our jobs as ABA professionals. Another important part is communicating with supervisors, parents, co-workers,...

Being an Awesome ABA Instructor

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Being a fantastic ABA instructor goes way beyond the duties listed in the job description. Here, we cover the qualities that help you move from good t...

Are Social Stories Effective in ABA?

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Social stories, or social narratives, are a great tool to use in ABA. However, there’s no documented evidence to suggest they eliminate negative beh...

What Is Professionalism in ABA?

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

ABA professionals play a significant role in helping individuals achieve their goals and improve their quality of life. We should all be aware of what...

Generalization and Maintenance

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s important to teach our learners new skills. It’s just as important to make sure previously mastered skills are generalized and maintained. He...

Measurement in ABA

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

ABA is all about data. Here, we dive into why measurement is so important and how to make sure we’re taking and reporting accurate data. Two of the ...

How to Communicate with Parents Effectively for ABA Sessions

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Working with clients is only one aspect of our job. Communicating with parents and making sure they feel comfortable with us is another key skill to m...

BX Blueprint: ABA Professional Training Course

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

RBTs, paraprofessionals, therapists, and aides all work with our learners every single day. We’re introducing a brand-new training course called the...

How to Diversify Your Business as a BCBA with Tina Guidry

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tiny Guidry is the owner of Clinician with a Mission. We first connected with Tina during the pandemic, and we hosted a joint webinar together all abo...

How to Maintain Client Dignity in ABA

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A high-quality ABA program treats clients with dignity and respect. Here, we cover how to make sure that we’re maintaining that dignity in ABA sessi...

Direct Instruction Strategies for Teaching Children with Autism How to Read with Lisa Gelberman

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We recently sat down with Lisa Gelberman, the founder and creator of Literacy Decoded. For the first 15 years of her career, she taught in an elementa...

Errorless Teaching

15 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Errorless teaching is an instructional strategy that ensures a student responds correctly. Here, we discuss why errorless teaching is important and ho...

Fading Reinforcement

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Reinforcement is one of our most common and useful tools, and it’s just as important to know how to fade reinforcement. Reinforcement involves prese...

Autism Back to School Advice

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For many, the beginning of a new school year can be an exciting time. For others, it evokes fear and worry. Here, we discuss the best ways to help our...

Tolerating Medical Appointments

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trips to the doctor or dentist are hard for any kid. They’re especially tough for our learners with autism and other delays. Here, we dive into how ...

Conversation Skills and Autism

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kids with advanced language skills may be ready to have conversations with others, but how do we teach these skills? Here, we’re diving into what co...

ABA Assessments

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In ABA, we use lots of different assessments to determine our learners’ strengths and where they may need more help. Here, we cover the most common ...

Hierarchy of Prompting in ABA

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Through effective prompting, we’re able to help our learners succeed. Here, we dive into the hierarchy of prompting so we can use it in the best way...

What is ABA?

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

ABA is an evidence-based, effective approach for teaching skills, especially for individuals with autism. Here, we’re diving in deeper and discussin...

What Is a Task Analysis?

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In ABA, a task analysis can be used to break down larger, more complex skills into smaller steps or actions. This makes them more manageable for our l...

What is Autism?

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

According to the latest data from the CDC, one in 36 children is diagnosed with autism in the United States each day. Worldwide, one in 100 is diagnos...

Teaching Play Skills

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Play is a skill that a lot of our learners need to be taught. It doesn’t come as naturally to kids with autism or other developmental delays. Some c...

100th Episode Special: Advice for ABA Professionals

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this very special 100th episode, we’ve rounded up some of the best professional advice our guests have ever received. Whether it’s building a c...

Benefits of Incidental Teaching

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Some students have difficulty learning words and manding with flash cards at a table. Sometimes the natural world is a much better learning environmen...

Fluency-Based Instruction

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As ABA practitioners, we have many teaching procedures in our toolbox. Here, we’re discussing precision teaching, which is also called fluency-based...

Assessing & Teaching Good Learner Repertoires with Steve Ward

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

BCBA Steve Ward has been working as a behavior analyst since the mid 1990’s. As the lead behavior analyst for a center school, Steve conducted more ...

Intermediate Requesting

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As students become more proficient at manding and move to an intermediate requesting phase, their mean length of utterance should increase. The types ...

Early Intervention and Play Therapy with Kaylin Moss

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

BCBA and play consultant Kaylin Moss is one of our members. She works in the field of early intervention and natural environment teaching. Kaylin star...

Upcoming CEU with Matt Cicoria on Functional Assessments in the Classroom

18 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Functional assessments are the gold standard of behavior analysis. They’re the best technology we have to show the effectiveness and the function of...

Thriving and Succeeding with Autism with Shane Finkelstein

11 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Shane Finkelstein is one of Shana’s original ABA clients from 20 years ago and is here to talk about his experience with autism. Ever since Shane wa...

Guiding Parents through Autism with Erin Porter

04 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Erin Porter is a family autism coach from Ontario, Canada. As a teacher, she noticed some gaps in the school system and began to fill them in. She als...

FCT Functional Communication Training

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Functional communication, or FCT, is a way to decrease problem behavior through teaching effective communication skills. Shira once had a student who ...

Linggo: A Picture-Based AAC System for Children with Autism

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In preparation for a CEU event we’re hosting all about how to use AAC devices, we are rebroadcasting our Linggo episode with Ling Ly Tan and Jane Bu...

Supervision and Tips for New BCBAs with Katerina Savino

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

BCBA Kat Savino is the Community Manager at How To ABA. If you’re a member, you’ve likely seen Kat in our community, Q&A sessions, and our jou...

All About Matching with Dr. Alan Schnee

07 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Alan Schnee is a Ph.D., BCBA-D, consultant, author, and speaker. Dr. Schnee began his career in the early 90s in the Boston area, where he trained...

Life Skills

28 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Life skills are a critical part of the success of our students. They’re needed in order for them to become as independent as possible in their lives...

BCBA Burnout with Emily Varon

21 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

BCBA Emily Varon is a sleep educator. We’ve spoken to Emily in a past episode where we discussed the importance of sleep. Lately, Emily has been div...

What is a Behaviour Contract?

14 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When we discuss reinforcement, we usually think of things like token boards and other ABA therapist strategies. However, learners can also be taught t...

How to Get Picky Eaters to Eat More Food with Valori Neiger

07 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Valori Neiger is an autism feeding specialist. For any of us who have been in the field, we know that a lot of the kids we work with really struggle w...

First Week as a BCBA

31 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Passing your BCBA exam is an amazing accomplishment. Although becoming officially certified is something to celebrate, the next task is getting out in...

BCBA Collaboration Tips

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As BCBAs, collaboration is a very critical part of our job. However, a lot of us have trouble collaborating effectively. Unfortunately, some of the ot...

Preparing for Supervision

17 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Most BCBAs aren’t taught how to supervise others, and many of us are thrown into the role as soon as we get our certification. Right afterward, we’...

BCBA Work Life Balance

10 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There is a lot of staff turnover in our field. It’s important to take care of ourselves to avoid burnout but figuring out how to manage a work-life ...

From Parent to BCBA with Flor De Amelia (Lizette) Hoffman

03 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

BCBA Flor De Amelia (Lizette) Hoffman is a mom of two and we met at ABAI.  She was inspired to get into the field because of her daughter, who is now...

A Look Back at 2022 with Shira and Shayna

27 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We’re taking some time to look back on 2022, and what a year it has been! Throughout 2022, we continued to host some great CEU speakers in our membe...

ABA Through the Lens of Psychology with Shobhna Srivastava

20 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Shobhna Srivastava is a BCBA working in the school setting who also has a background in clinical psychology and mental health. Before becoming a BCBA,...

Navigating Taxes and Accounting with Michelle Ward

13 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Michelle Ward is the owner of MW Group and Modern CPA. Michelle is a certified public accountant who handles taxes and small business accounting. She ...

Creative Reinforcers and a BCBA’s Journey with Jordyn Hargrave

06 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jordyn Hargrave is a BCBA and a member of the How To ABA community. She lives outside of St. Louis, Missouri and has been in the field for about seven...

OBM and Performance Feedback with Jessica Winne

29 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jessica Winne is a BCBA who came to us to talk about OBM and performance feedback, which is a topic we want to dive deeper into. Jessica received her ...

Grow Your Happy with Brenda Eaton

22 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brenda Eaton is a BCBA, mom, and creator of Grow Your Happy. She has a 27-year-old son on the autism spectrum, which was her inspiration for getting i...

Being a BCBA within a School System with Natalie Todd

15 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Natalie Todd is a BCBA and school-based behavioral consultant in New York State. She currently works in an elementary school where she helps transitio...

Supervision, Support, and Advocacy with Jessie and Sara

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jessie and Sara are the Director of Operations and Clinical Director from Family Beeginnings, where they provide family-focused, solution-based, ABA t...

The Importance of Self-Monitoring with Jamie Salter & Katie Croce

01 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jamie Salter and Katie Croce are the co-authors of the Self & Match System. Jamie is a trained school psychologist and BCBA and spent time as an a...

What Are The 4 Functions of Behavior?

25 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Every ABA professional should be familiar with the four functions of behavior and how to identify them. Here, we cover those four functions, provide r...

Reducing Problem Behaviors in Children with ASD

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As ABA professionals, a big part of our job is to reduce problem behaviors in our clients. Many times, we’re called in as a sort of fairy godmother,...

How To Use ABA in Classrooms

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It can be difficult to incorporate ABA principles in a classroom setting, and here, we provide tips on how to do so. It can be frustrating when you ha...

How To Create an Independent Activity Schedule

04 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An independent activity schedule (IAS) is a set of pictures or words that signals a child to complete a group of activities. An IAS enables the child ...

How to Use Reinforcement Properly

27 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There are several types of reinforcement you can use, and it’s important to know how to use each technique properly. Reinforcement is one of our mos...

Creating Task Analysis

20 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We implement task analysis as a way of teaching skills and taking data. Here, we dive into all things task analysis and how it can help you and your c...

What Is Scrolling in Kids?

13 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Often in an ABA program, we’re teaching kids multiple skills at once. For example, we might be teaching a student to mand for cookie, but we may als...

How To Use Baseline Data

06 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Baseline data is so important and as an ABA professional, it’s key that we know how to use it effectively. Whenever we’re working with a client an...

7 Steps to Instructional Control with Robert Schramm

30 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Schramm is a behavioral analyst and education and parenting specialist who’s really doing some necessary and valuable things for the field of...

ABA Speech with Rose Griffin

23 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re excited to be hosting Rose Griffin. She’s a speech-language pathologist (SLP) and BCBA and the founder of ABA Speech. Rose has 20 yea...

Verbal Operants with Shira and Shayna

16 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re talking all about verbal operants, as they’re one of the most components parts of work in the field that are often quite confusing. W...

Animal Training with Barbara Heidenreich

09 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Barbara Heidenreich is an expert exotic animal trainer. We met Barbara in Boston at ABAI and we were fascinated by the way she uses ABA and behavioral...

ABC's of Behavior with Shira & Shayna

02 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In behavior analysis, we love our acronyms! Today, we’re talking about what the ABC’s of behavior are. We’ll share how you can take ABC data, wh...

What Not to Do as an ABA Professional with Shira and Shayna

26 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re talking about what not to do as an ABA practitioner. We’re going to review our top five don’t-dos as a professional in the field. W...

RBT and Autistic Advocate with Michelle Vinokurov

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we are talking with Michelle Vinokurov, who is a paraprofessional and RBT autistic advocate. She was diagnosed with autism at the age of two an...

How To Build Good Behavior and Self-esteem in Children

12 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our guest today is Dr. Hank Schlinger. He’s a professor at California State University in Los Angeles. Hank got into the field through working with ...

Picture-Based AAC System for Children with Autism

05 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Finding solutions for families who deserve the best treatment is not easy to come by. Ling Ly Tan and Jane Button from the Linggo team are here to sha...

Autism and Sleep Challenges with Emily Varon

28 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

So many of us have experienced challenges with sleep and children, whether from personal experience or professionally in the field. Emily Varon is a s...

The Literacy Epidemic with Michael Maloney

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We are very excited to have Michael Maloney as a guest today. He’s the founder of Quincy Learning Center and an expert in precision teaching and dir...

Reinforcement: Sneak Peek into Mentorship with Shira and Kat

14 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of our community members asked a question about reinforcement, and we discuss it in today’s mentorship sneak peek. Even though the term “reinf...

Newly Minted Burnout with Julie Tewell

07 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re discussing burnout with one of our members, Julie Tewell. She’s a clinical BCBA in Louisville, KY. Julie works with kids ranging from...

Supervision and Creativity with Kailani Bartley

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we’re hosting one of our members, Kailani Bartley. She’s a case manager at CABS, the Chicago Autism and Behavior Specialists. Kailani lande...