How to Keep Your Kids Learning While at Home: Session 114 with Amy Evans
In these unprecedented times of social isolation, public education has made a rapid shift towards a distance learning model. It's probably not a surprise that outcomes will vary for students based on myriad factors. If you'd like to become more involved in your child's educational progress to ensure your child's success, then this is the podcast for you! Amy Evans, who is an expert in Instructional Design and Precision Teaching, joins me in Session 114 to discuss how setting up brief practice sessions with your learner can really enhance not only skill acquisition, but retention too (which is, in my experience, an often overlooked outcome measure). Long story short, the goal of this conversation is to provide parents practical tips based on what we know about learning, using readily available materials (ie, stuff that's downloadable). We did our best to keep the jargon to a minimum, as I am hoping that this podcast will reach an audience beyond my usual listeners. Amy tutors children individually, and is offering these services at a 50% discount during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also recently launched a business that will train Behavior Analysts to bring Precision Teaching and Fluency-Based instruction to their practices, so to learn more, click here to get on her email list to learn more. To that end, your help will be greatly appreciated. If you find this information helpful, please feel free to share it with friends and colleagues! If your acquaintances are not podcast listeners, I'd like to use this as an opportunity to let folks know that every podcast I've published gets posted to YouTube in case that's a more convenient medium. The best part about this topic is that there are so many freely available or inexpensive materials out there for parents to use. Here are links to materials we discussed (and some we didn't; and a huge thanks to Amy for finding all of these resources!): A general web page with links to free resources that are available during school closures: Amazing Educational Resources. University of Oregon sites (per Amy: good place to go if you need to know where to start with your child's skills: easyCBM. Resources (Big Ideas in Beginning Reading). The Maloney Method (Free Assessment + first 10 lessons). https://www.learninga-z.com/. One Minute Reader Fluency App and Audio-Supported Books Math Worksheets | Free and Printable (good downloadable materials with lots of practice opportunities). The Math Worksheet Site.com (great for timings - easy to configure, and tons of response opportunities). Khan Academy | Free Online Courses, Lessons & Practice DeltaMath EdReady™ Application Home If you want to take a deeper dive into Precision Teaching, or if you're looking for other CE topics, Central Reach has opened up their online library to all BCBA's at no charge through April 30th. As with Amy's services noted above, this is not a sponsored plug; both CR and Amy are offering free or highly discounted services to support the field, and I'm happy to share these resources. For more info, go to centralreach.com/business-continuity. In case you were worried, we still do have sponsors for this episode though. Session 114 is brought to you by the following: The ABA Marketing Minute with Rich Brooks. Digital marketing guru and two-time guest Rich Brooks and I have teamed up to provide listeners with 60-second micro-lessons in digital marketing. You'll hear the first installment later in this broadcast, so I won't spoil it here, but let's just say the message should parallel a lot of what we should strive for in our clinical practice. The Virtual Verbal Behavior Conference. Yes, when the going gets tough, the tough go online. Instead of cancelling this year's VBC, Session 112 guest Kelle Rich putting the entire program online. The Virtual VBC is scheduled for April 2nd and 3rd, but will likely be available afterwards in recorded form. Also, I just learned that Dr. Vince Carbone has been added to the speakers' list! For some reason I can't quite put my finger on, his time was suddenly freed up. I hope you're able to check it out. Last but certainly not least, I've been getting tons of great feedback on Steve Ward's appearance on the show. If you like his style, The Applied Behavior Analysis Center is hosting a webinar with Steve on June 16th, 2020. ABAC is offering a 20% discount on this event as well as other offerings to podcast listeners. If you're interested in checking this out, go to abacnj.com and use the code ABACBO20 at check out.
27 Maalis 20201h 14min
The Behavioral Economics of Toilet Paper: Session 113 with Derek Reed
Dr. Derek Reed joins me today to discuss the behavioral economic principles that underpin so much of what we're seeing today as the world attempts to cope with the Coronavirus pandemic. From buying all the toilet paper in sight, to heeding (or more to the point, not heeding) government guidelines for social distancing, Derek relates these behavioral patterns to some very basic operant principles. We start the show with a quick overview of three key behavioral economic terms: Delay Discounting, Probability Discounting, and Behavioral Economic Demand. We then talk about how these processes can be used to interpret some of the fascinating societal behavior that we're seeing all around us, including, of course, the panic-buying of toilet paper. Derek then goes on to describe some of the research that he has done in this area, and suggests some lines of future research. We also discuss some the shortcomings of traditional ABA research designs in studying these phenomena, along with what we can do to overcome these barriers. Derek brought up several references. Here are the links: Derek's first appearance on the BOP in Session 17. The "pop" behavioral economic concept of the Zero Risk Bias. Baer, Wolf, and Risley (1968). Baer, Wolf, and Risley (1987). Critchfield and Reed (2017). Reed, et al. (2013). Behavioral Economics: A Tutorial for Behavior Analysts in Practice. The Max/Mel Brooks PSA on Social Distancing (YouTube vid). Today's episode is sponsored by: Behavior University. Their mission is to provide university quality professional development for the busy Behavior Analyst. Learn about their CEU offerings and podcast-specific discounts over at behavioruniversity.com/observations. The Verbal Behavior Conference will be going down in Austin Texas. This event will feature speakers such as David Palmer, Barbara Esch, Pat McGreevy, Mark Sundberg, and more! They've even asked me to moderate a panel at the end of the first day, so if this sounds like fun to you, go to ctac1.com/podcast, where you can register at a discounted rate.
19 Maalis 20201h 16min
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Go Online: Session 112, The Verbal Behavior Conference with Kelle Rich
A few weeks ago, I sat down with Kelle Rich, founder of the Central Texas Autism Center, to discuss a handful of topics, one if which being the upcoming Verbal Behavior Conference. If you've tuned into the last few episodes, you've likely heard me talk about this event. At the time of our conversation, the Coronavirus was just coming onto the nation's radar screen, but the "plan" was to go ahead with the event, which was scheduled to take place in Austin, Texas, unless conditions changed. Well, as you can guess, the conditions have changed since we recorded this interview. The bad news is that the spread of Covid-19 has continued, and Kelle made the difficult, yet prudent decision to cancel the on-site event. The good news however, is that Kelle decided not to take this lying down, as it were, and she's now hosting this event in a webinar format. As such, tickets remain on sale, so if this is something you're interested in, head to ctac1.com/podcast to grab one for yourself. Aside from the availability of the breakfast tacos, the program will remain the same. It includes talks by Drs. Mark Sundberg, Barbara Esch, Pat Mcgreevy, and more. Kelle was also kind enough to ask me to moderate a panel at the end of day 1. If you're not interested in the conference, I still urge you to check this show out, as we actually spend the majority of the time discussing the development of Applied Behavior Analysis in Texas, why Kelle started the Central Texas Autism Center, how she recruits, trains, and maintains high quality staff members, and more. Long story short, there are plenty of lessons no matter where your interests lie. This episode is brought to you with the generous support of the following: FTF Behavioral Consulting. Dr. Greg Hanley and the rest of the FTF team are holding a two-day workshop covering all aspects of the Practical Functional Assessment and Skills-Based Treatment processes (formerly known as the IISCA). It will be held at the DCU center on April 16th and 17th in Worcester, Massachusetts. For more information, go to ftfbc.com and click the events tab. Like everyone else, they're taking the Covid-19 pandemic seriously, and so they will likely change the details of this event as a result. If that happens, not to worry! They have a lot of online learning options available, so check out ftfbc.com/services/courses. GoLotus. GoLotus is an easy to use, intuitive practice management platform. From scheduling, to notes, to data collection and more, they do it all. And with no contracts or obligations. Find out more about what they have to offer at golotus.com/register. And If you do sign up, the coupon code Matt2019 and you will get 25% off for the first 3 months. The ABA Marketing Minute. Former two-time guest, Rich Brooks, has teamed up with me to provide a series of 60-second micro lessons on marketing your services. You'll hear the first installment in this episode, but Rich has also set up a web page with more resources on this topic, including a free 30-minute webinar called, How to Build an Effective Website for Your Small Business. You can check it out at takeflyte.com/abaminute. Lastly, you probably hear me reference the show notes to this podcast quite frequently. You can always find them at behavioralobservations.com, however, if you want to save a step and have the shownotes directly emailed to you, go to behavioralobservations.com, look for the red button on the right hand side, and click to sign up for the newsletter. I don't share your email address, and I only send a few emails a month. OK, that's it for opening announcements, so without any further delay, please enjoy this conversation with Kelle Rich!
17 Maalis 20201h 15min
The Case for Humor in Behavioral Interventions: Session 111 with Steve Ward
Almost from the outset of the podcast, people have been asking me to get Steve Ward on the show. If you're not familiar with Steve, he is the co-founder of Whole Child Consulting, and co-author of The Inventory of Good Learner Repertoires (amongst many other books). In this episode, Steve and I talk about his paper that discusses the role of humor in behavioral interventions. We also talk about his concept of "task as reinforcer," and then digress into helping kids who present with oppositional repertoires. We discussed a ton of resources, and I have done my best to capture them below. If you like the kind of approach that Steve offers, he is conducting a webinar that's hosted by The Applied Behavior Analysis Center on June 16th, 2020. ABAC is offering a 20% discount on this event as well as others to podcast listeners. If you're interested in checking this out, go to abacnj.com and use the code ABACBO20 at check out. With a few exceptions, this discount is available for most of the ABAC webinars, so hit the show notes for more details. Steve's ABAC webinar. The Inventory of Good Learner Repertoires. Teaching Good Learner Repertoires. Teaching Advanced Learner Repertoires. What You Need to Know About Motivation and Teaching Games: An In-Depth Analysis. Another 21 Games: This Time, It's Personal. Task-as-reinforcer BAP paper. Using Humor paper. An Operant Analysis of Joint Attention (Holth, 2005). Today's show is brought to you with the generous support of: HRIC Recruiting. Barb Voss has been placing BCBAs in permanent positions throughout the US for just about a decade, and has been in the business more generally for 30 years. Like Batman, she works alone, which means that when you work with HRIC, you work directly with Barb and get highly personalized service. So if you're about to graduate, you're looking for a change of pace, or you just want to know if the grass really is greener on the other side, head over to HRIColorado.com to schedule a confidential chat right away. The Behavior Analysis Student Association from Florida Tech. In somewhat of a role-reversal, Behavioral Observations is sponsoring their annual student conference, which is taking place on April 17th, in sunny Melbourne, FL. This event will feature presentations from people such as Drs. Sarah Bloom and Tim Vollmer. It's good for 5 CEU's and both on and off site registration options are available. This is a student fundraiser, so no promo codes but don't worry, the early-bird registration price is absurdly cheap! For more information, go to FIT.edu/continuing-education. On April 20th, Hillcrest Educational Centers is hosting Dr. Greg Hanley for a full day workshop in Pittsfield, MA. The event is titled, "How to provide happy, relaxed and engaged treatment." Attendees will earn 7 CE's. Save on your registration by using the promo code YEARN.
13 Maalis 20201h 22min
KPI 101: Session 110 with Rebecca Womack
Rebecca Womack, who is the Director of Clinical Compliance at BlueSprig Autism joins me in Session 101 to provide an overview of the importance of pinpointing and analyzing Key Performance Indicators, or, KPI's for short. At first glance, this may seem like a topic that is about as exciting as doing your taxes. However, when we dove into this subject, my inner nerd was engaged, and I started thinking about how I could use this concept in all aspects of what I do. I guarantee that even if you do not work in an insurance funded setting, or if you are not in operations management - you'll still many takeaways from this conversation. Rebecca effectively makes the case for using a KPI lens in your work. After we concluded our interview, I learned that she was not only battling pneumonia, but her husband was texting her with updates from their barn, as one of their goats was giving birth! So I appreciated Rebecca's ability to put aside these things to patiently educate me on this topic. We mentioned a handful of resources in the episode: Article on Values-Based Care. Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP). Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, 3rd Edition. Panel on KPS's at the 2020 Association for Professional Behavior Analysts convention (details TBA). Session 110 is brought to you with support from the following: My friends at FTF Behavioral Consulting are holding a two-day workshop covering all aspects of the Practical Functional Assessment and Skills-Based Treatment processes (formerly known as the IISCA). It will be held at the DCU center on April 16th and 17th in Worcester, Massachusetts. For more information, go to ftfbc.com and click the events tab. Let's say you're not in Massachusetts on April 17th, but some place warmer, like Melbourne, Florida, consider attending the FIT Behavior Analysis Student's Association conference! This event is also available online, so to learn more, check out fit.edu/continuing-education! Behavior University. Their mission is to provide university quality professional development for the busy Behavior Analyst. Learn about their CEU offerings and podcast-specific discounts over at behavioruniversity.com/observations. Last but certainly not least, on April 2nd and 3rd, the Verbal Behavior Conference will be going down in Austin Texas. This event will feature speakers such as David Palmer, Barbara Esch, Pat McGreevy, Mark Sundberg, and more! They've even asked me to moderate a panel at the end of the first day, so if this sounds like fun to you, go to ctac1.com/podcast, where you can register at a discounted rate.
27 Helmi 20201h 1min
When Language Becomes a Barrier: Session 109 with Pat McGreevy
Hey Everyone, welcome to session 109 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast! I'm joined by multiple-time guest, Dr. Pat McGreevy. We talk about what he's been up to lately, how to support learners who have barriers in communication, implementing Essential for Living in public school settings, why he prefers working with non-behavior analysts… and we end with a fun and poignant story about Pat's mentor, Ogden Lindsley. We also spend some time discussing the upcoming Verbal Behavior Conference. It's taking place on April 2nd and 3rd in Austin, Texas. In the spirit of transparency, I'm helping the Central Texas Autism Center promote the event, so keep that in mind for what it's worth. In addition to promoting the event, I'm also excited to be a part of the program this year. At the end of the first day, I get to moderate a panel with all of the conference speakers! If this all sounds fun to you, head to ctac1.com/podcast and take advantage of the discount that was arranged for Behavioral Observations listeners. Also, if you're traveling to Austin, the special event rates for the conference hotel, the Hilton Austin, will expire on March 2nd, so if this is something you're considering, I would advise you to make your plans soon! If you can't make it to the event, but want to learn more about Pat, and/or The Essential for Living Assessment and Curriculum, check out their website. And check out their options for online training at eflapp.com/training. This podcast is sponsored by an event that's coming up in a different part of the country. It's called the Insider's Guide to Legal Tactics Used Against Schools: How Behavior Analysis Can Help! This event is brought to you by Brett DiNovi and Associates, and it takes place on February 28, 2020 from 9:30am-2:00pm at the DoubleTree by Hilton at SeaWorld in Orlando, FL. Attend either in-person or via webinar. Student discounts are available, and all proceeds go towards the BF Skinner Foundation!
18 Helmi 202049min
ACT and Precision Teaching: Session 108, Getting Weird with Kendra Newsome
Dr. Kendra Newsome joins me in Session 108. Our original plan was to discuss how FitLearning is incorporating ACT and other mindfulness based activities with their learners. And talk about that we did. However, we went down quite a few interesting and unexpected rabbit holes along the way. The sidebar that was of most interest to me was our discussion on how they run staff meetings. I'm sure you're thinking to yourself, "how can staff meetings be interesting?" Well, it sounds like the FitLearning crew found an answer to that question. As such, you'll have to let me know what you think about their, "Get weird," approach to staff meetings. Kendra also dispenses some really unique advice for newly-minted BCBA's. And in case you're wondering, the advice is applicable to BCBA's of all experience levels as well, so you'll want to listen to this episode all the way through to hear what she has to say on this topic. We discussed a few books, podcasts, and articles in our chat, and I have done my best to capture all of them here: Kim Berens' first appearance on the show (which contains an excellent history of FitLearning for those who are interested). Nick Berens' interview, discussing, among other things, Relational Frame Theory. Kim's return to the podcast (recorded live at the Tate Behavioral Conference in October, 2019). Donny Newsome's interview on Why We Do What We Do, discussing the importance of fluency (highly recommend checking out if you're not familiar with this stuff). Tools of Titans, by Tim Ferriss. Tribal Leadership, by Dave Logan. Peak, Secrets From the New Science of Expertise, by Ericsson and Pool. Talking to Strangers, by Malcolm Gladwell. This podcast is brought to you by the following: The ACT BootCamp for Behavior Analysts that's taking place from March 19th-22nd in Reno, Nevada. Attendees will earn a total of 32 BACB Continuing Education units, including 4 ethics and 3 supervision CEU's. If this sounds like something you're interested, check out https://praxiscet.com/bopod (or hit the show notes to this episode), and use the code BO50 to save on your registration! HRIC Recruiting. If you're looking for your dream job, work directly with agency owner Barb Voss, and let her put her 30+ years of recruiting experience to work for you. Whether you're re-locating or just wondering what else is available, go to HRIColorado.com and schedule a confidential chat right away. An Insider's Guide to Legal Tactics Used Against Schools: How Behavior Analysis Can Help! This event is brought to you by Brett DiNovi and Associates, and it takes place onFebruary 28, 2020 from 9:30am-2:00pm at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Orlando at SeaWorld. Attend either in-person or via webinar. Student discounts are available, and all proceeds go towards the BF Skinner Foundation! Lastly, I am honored to be part of this year's Verbal Behavior Conference that's being held on April 2nd and 3rd in Austin Texas. Come learn from VB experts such as Mark Sundberg, Anna Petursdottir, Ciao Miguel, Barbara Esch, and more! Click here for special registration prices for podcast listeners!
11 Helmi 20201h 22min
ACT and Clinical Behavior Analysis: Session 107 with Emily Sandoz
Dr. Emily Sandoz joins me in Session 107 to talk about her work in ACT and Clinical Behavior Analysis. I found this conversation really fascinating as she shares how she helps people in talk-therapy contexts - a setting that most listeners do not practice in. Going into this interview, I assumed we'd get deep into the ACT Hexaflex Processes, but we ended up dispensing with a lot of the common, "mid-level terms," of ACT, and instead focused on the functional analysis of verbal behavior in the context of a therapy session. I think you'll find Emily's approach to ACT refreshingly direct and simple. And, even if you don't have an interest in the talk-therapy world, there are tons of connections that you're likely to make, especially in the area of supervision. How, you might ask? I can't spoil it here, so be sure to listen to the conversation in its entirety. In broadcasting terms, we had a "hard-out" in terms of time. Otherwise this interview could have continued for much longer. So if this type of content interests you, go to the shownotes of this episode at behavioralobservations.com and let me know, as I'd love to have Emily back to chat some more. We talked about a few books and other resources during the conversation, and I've linked them below: Wilson and DuFrene (2009). Mindfulness for Two. Wilson and DuFrene (2010). Things Might Go Terribly, Horribly Wrong: A Guide to Life Liberated from Anxiety. (not mentioned during the interview, but I had to add it to the links based on the title alone!). BACB Fact Sheet on Clinical Behavior Analysis. Clinical Behavior Analysis, edited by Dougher (2000). Kanter and Woods (2009). Introduction to the Special Issue on Clinical Behavior Analysis of The Behavior Analyst. Today's podcast is sponsored by The ACT BootCamp for Behavior Analysts that's taking place from March 19th-22nd in Reno, Nevada. This workshop is taught by a who's who in the ACT and ABA world, including Drs. Evelyn Gould, Steve Hayes, Kendra Newsome, Mark Dixon to name just a few. Attendees will earn a total of 32 BACB Continuing Education units, including 4 ethics and 3 supervision CEU's. If this sounds like something you're interested, check out https://praxiscet.com/bopod (or hit the show notes to this episode), and use the code BO50 to save on your registration! HRIC Recruiting. If you're looking for your dream job, work directly with agency owner Barb Voss, and let her put her 30+ years of recruiting experience to work for you. Whether you're re-locating or just wondering what else is available, go to HRIColorado.com and schedule a confidential chat right away. Lastly, I am honored to be part of this year's Verbal Behavior Conference that's being held on April 2nd and 3rd in Austin Texas. Come learn from VB experts such as Mark Sundberg, Anna Petursdottir, Ciao Miguel, Barbara Esch, and more! Click here for special registration prices for podcast listeners!
29 Tammi 20201h 9min
