Sleep, Autism, and Screen Time: Session 308 with Emily Varon

I've seen posts on social media here and there about World Behavior Analysis Day, but honestly I did not know a whole lot about it. And this is why I was really excited to sit down and chat with WBAD President, Elizabeth Drago, for a deep dive. It turns out that WBAD is more than a 'high five' amongst like minded behavioral scientists. In fact, the WBAD Alliance is doing a lot for dissemination, especially internationally. So as you might expect by now, we get into that and a whole lot more in this special episode of Behavioral Observations! In our chat, Elizabeth mentioned various resources, etc... and I hope I've captured all of them below: The WBAD main website The WBAD contact page for inquiries WBAD on YouTube Ways to get involved WBAD on Facebook and Instagram Please note: Check out the 2022 Verbal Behavior Conference! Learn about the benefits of subscribing via Patreon! Grab some CEUs on the go... learn by listening to your favorite Behavior Analysts!

20 Maalis 202246min

Dr. Kevin Luczynski joins me for a really fun conversation in Session 182 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast. If you're not familiar with Kevin, he is an Assistant Professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Director for the recently initiated Virtual Care Program at the Munroe Meyer Institute. In this episode, we cover the following: How Kevin discovered Behavior Analysis. How Kevin endeared himself to his then co-worker, now wife, and previous BOP guest, Dr. Nicole Rodriguez. What inspired some of the early Preschool Life Skills studies. How universal protocols like Balance and PLS fit into PBIS. The role of preference for contingent reinforcement, and, A brief primer on Joint Control... something I am not very familiar with, but am looking forward to learning more about, especially at Kevin's upcoming talks at the 2022 Verbal Behavior Conference. Kevin also leaves us with four pieces of just outstanding advice. I've been pushing my guests lately to really think hard about answering this question lately, and Kevin does not disappoint. As such, you're going to want to listen through to the end. For Patreon subscribers, we spend an additional 5-10 minutes talking about his interest in the role that ecological validity plays in applied research. Here are some resources for what we discussed: Session 164 with Kelsey Ruppel. The folks at FTF! An Introduction to Joint Control. Lowenkron (2006). The maintenance of behavior change as an indicator of social validity. Kennedy (2002). Nearly all the other publications we discussed. Never split the difference, Chris Voss. How to have impossible conversations, Boghossian and Lindsay. Cruciallearning.com. This podcast is brought to you with support from: Institutional Tier Patron Greenspace Behavioral Technology. Greenspace behavior offers cutting edge supervisor coaching, performance and competency-based trainings, and organizational supports for new BCBA and trainees. Find out how you can optimize your supervision practices, improve clinical outcomes, and increase employee satisfaction at Greenspacebehavior.com. We are also brought to you by HRIC Recruiting. If you're a new BCBA – or a BCBA of any experience level for that matter – and you need an independent person to advise you on today's job market, go to HRIColorado.com to schedule a confidential appointment with Barbara Voss. Are you interested in getting CEUs on the go, all while listening to your favorite BOP episodes? Click here to learn more!

17 Maalis 20221h 21min

In Session 181, Dr. Francesca Degli Espinosa, Ph.D, BCBA-D, joins me for a wide-ranging conversation that in my opinion, got better and better as it went on! If you're not familiar with Francesca or her work, she is director and consultant at ABA Clinic Ltd., adjunct professor at the University of Salerno, and a guest lecturer at Queen's College, Belfast, and Pennsylvania State University. She is regarded as an expert in Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior, and will be one of the featured speakers at the 2022 Verbal Behavior Conference, which incidentally, is coming up right around the corner. We cover quite a lot in this interview, including why she pivoted away from studying medicine, her first response to reading Verbal Behavior, how she 'stalked' Vince Carbone at a conference, her paper, Teaching generalized question-discrimination skills to children with Autism: Conceptual and applied considerations, why clinicians at all levels should still do direct therapy, what she plans to discuss at this year's Verbal Behavior Conference, why we should seek to understand concepts and principles better rather than being overly technological in nature, and lots more! As always, we close the public feed with Francesca sharing some excellent advice for newly-minted BCBA's. And, for you, the Patreon subscriber, we spend another 15-minutes or so discussing dog training. In this subscriber-only segment, Francesca talks about why she finally got a dog (his name is Darwin), the ups and downs of training, and what she's learned from this experience. Other resources mentioned in this podcast Schlinger (1995). A Behavior Analytic View of Child Development. Remington et al. (2007). Early intensive behavioral intervention: Outcomes for children with Autism and their parents after two years. Michael, Palmer, and Sundberg (2011). The multiple control of verbal behavior. Horne and Lowe (1996). On the origins of naming and other symbolic behavior. Miguel (2016). Common and Intraverbal Bidirectional Naming. Verbal Behavior Conference registration page. Session 181 is brought to you with support from: Behavior University. Their mission is to provide university quality professional development for the busy Behavior Analyst. Learn about their CEU offerings, including their brand new 8-hour Supervision Course, as well as their RBT offerings over at behavioruniversity.com/observations. Tate Behavioral, a progressive ABA provider located in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts. If you're a BCBA looking to work for a supportive and innovative team, and live in the heart of charming New England, visit their jobs page by clicking here! The Secret Agent Society Small Group Program helps kids 8 to 12 years old crack the code of emotions and friendships through an animated 'secret agent' theme. With a sophisticated digital health platform now at the heart of the program, you can deliver groups face-to-face, with telehealth, or a combination of formats. Follow this link to book a live demo from anywhere around the world. Also, don't forget to mention that "Matt sent you" to have your SAS Provider establishment fee waived (a minimum $500 USD value)! Last but not least, special thanks goes to this year's Verbal Behavior Conference! Click here to learn more and register.

2 Maalis 20221h 17min

This recording was a fun and way-overdue Patreon member hangout with the incomparable Dr. Merrill Winston. In this episode, we discussed how Greg Hanley influenced Merrill's departure from his previous employer, how he wanted to do more than be considered as the restrain and seclusion guru, his new enterprise, Winston Behavioral Solutions, when it's OK to break the rules, and much more. As a matter of fact, we spent the most amount the hangout discussing what makes a good behavior plan (and conversely, why some of them stink!). This session started out in an interview format, but we quickly transitioned to Q and A with the attendees, and what resulted was a genuinely enjoyable conversation amongst several experienced Behavior Analysts. And if you don't listen to anything else, you have to listen to the hilarious story that Merrill closes the hangout with. While I'd love it if you listened to the podcast in its entirety, you could be forgiven for skipping to the end to hear it. Here are some links to things that came up in Session 180: Merrill's new company/website. Callahan et al. (2019). Behavioral Artistry: Examining the Relationship Between the Interpersonal Skills and Effective Practice Repertoires of Applied Behavior Analysis Practitioners. Before Rosa Parks, There Was Claudette Colvin. The Patreon Group! Merrill's first and second appearances on the show. Shoutout to Dr. Paulie Gavoni (grab his latest book here). Correlation between self-reported rigidity and rule-governed insensitivity to operant contingencies (Wulfert, Greenway, Farkas, Hayes, and Dougher, 1994). Who was Troy McClure? This podcast is brought to you by: The Secret Agent Society Small Group Program helps kids 8 to 12 years old crack the code of emotions and friendships through an animated 'secret agent' theme. With a sophisticated digital health platform now at the heart of the program, you can deliver groups face-to-face, with telehealth, or a combination of formats. Follow this link to book a live demo from anywhere around the world. Also, don't forget to mention that "Matt sent you" to have your SAS Provider establishment fee waived (a minimum $500 USD value)! The 2022 Verbal Behavior Conference! The 2022 event will be taking place both in-person and virtually over April 7th and 8th. If you can't make it to Austin, Texas, then head over to behaviorlive.com/vbc for info on how to tune in from afar. The conference itself will feature Vince Carbone, Francesca Degli Espinosa, Tamara Kasper, Pat McGreevy, Sarah Lechago, Kevin Luczynski, Kelle Rich, David Roth, Mark Sundberg, and Hank Schlinger. I will be there too to host the 2022 Panel Discussion, so again, if you're interested in learning more, head on over to behaviorlive.com/vbc for more details. Institutional Tier Patron Greenspace Behavioral Technology. Greenspace behavior offers cutting edge supervisor coaching, performance and competency-based trainings, and organizational supports for new BCBA and trainees. Find out how you can optimize your supervision practices, improve clinical outcomes, and increase employee satisfaction at Greenspacebehavior.com. Yours Truly... If you're in need of BACB Continuing Education, get some credit for the shows you're already listening to, because the Behavioral Observations Podcast is an Approved Continuing Education provider. That's right, learn on-the-go with some of your favorite podcasts guests. Click here to learn about not only the variety of topics offered, but also the significant discounts for bulk purchases!

22 Helmi 20221h 22min

Dr. John Michael Guercio joins me again to discuss a topic that we briefly covered in his last appearance; Behavioral Relaxation Training. In this show, John does a deep dive into this work, drawing on the research of Drs. Roger Poppen, Duane Lundervold, and of course John himself. Along with the aforementioned Drs. Poppen and Lundervold, John is the co-author of the third edition of the text, Behavioral Relaxation Training. He is also the author of Assessment of Adult Core Competencies: Teaching Skills to Adults with Autism and Severe Behavioral Challenges, which we discussed at length in his earlier appearance in Session 140. We discuss how BRT was developed, its current applications, and the training required to do it. We also spent a good deal of time talking about becoming trained to implement BRT, scope of practice issues, and protecting client safety. So in case we were not clear in the discussion, if this is something you'd like to do, please seek out the appropriate training and supervision. For Patreon Subscribers, there is an additional 10 minutes or so where John tells a fun story about meeting his childhood football hero, and how said hero invited him to his house for wings and beer. How cool is that!?!? I hope Tom Brady hears this so I can have a similar experience in the next 10 or 15 years, lol. Here are links to resourced mentioned in the show: The movie, Paper Tigers Stillness Speaks, by Eckhart Tolle NADD Accreditation Programs Why Behavior Analysts Should Study Emotion: the example of anxiety. (Friman, Hayes, and Wilson, 1998) John's ABAI bio sketch (with email contact link) This podcast is brought to you by: Behavior University. Their mission is to provide university quality professional development for the busy Behavior Analyst. Learn about their CEU offerings, including their brand new 8-hour Supervision Course, as well as their RBT offerings over at behavioruniversity.com/observations. Tate Behavioral, a progressive ABA provider located in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts. If you're a BCBA looking to work for a supportive and innovative team, and live in the heart of charming New England, visit their jobs page by clicking here! The Secret Agent Society Small Group Program helps kids 8 to 12 years old crack the code of emotions and friendships through an animated 'secret agent' theme. With a sophisticated digital health platform now at the heart of the program, you can deliver groups face-to-face, with telehealth, or a combination of formats. Follow this link to book a live demo from anywhere around the world. Also, don't forget to mention that "Matt sent you" to have your SAS Provider establishment fee waived (a minimum $500 USD value)! The Whoop Strap! I've been wearing the Whoop Strap for over a year now, and I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed getting quantitative information on all aspects of my health, including sleep analytics, heart rate, along with heart rate variability, calorie burn, exercise intensity, and Whoop's proprietary "strain" score. I could extol this neat device's virtues indefinitely to you, but instead, you can go check it out for yourself. To get your first month free, head over to behavioralobservations.com/whoop! Also, feel free to join the Behavior Analysts who Whoop Facebook group!

14 Helmi 20221h 14min

In Session 178, we're going to hop in the time machine and take a trip back to April 2021. That's correct. This episode of The Behavioral Observations Podcast comes from the recorded panel discussion at last year's Verbal Behavior Conference. The panel consisted of Drs. Pat McGreevy, April Kisamore, Nicole Rodriguez, Alice Shillingsburg, Hank Schlinger, and Vince Carbone. With regard to Vince's appearance on the panel, I'm told that he really never does them, so our hosts at the Central Texas Autism Center must have been incredibly persuasive to get him to participate! Here are just a few things we covered in this panel event: Prompts and prompt dependence Training, supervision, and burnout issues for direct service providers How to think about the concept of 'behavioral artistry' How the behavior of the client informs and influences the behavior of the therapist How to advocate teaching functional skills instead of academic ones How three BCBAs hired an OBM consultant to assess their practice Why some of the panelists feel teaching to the BACB task list is not good for the field One of the reasons I held back on publishing this until now is that the 2022 VBC is coming up soon, and I thought that this would be a great way to get folks adequately prepared for it. The 2022 event will be taking place both in-person and virtually over April 7th and 8th. If you can't make it to Austin, Texas, then head over to behaviorlive.com/vbc for info on how to tune in from afar. One of the unique things about the 2022 event is that Dr. Hank Schlinger will be teaching a four-part Verbal Behavior master class to get you prepared for the conference. These will occur in four, 2-hour sessions that will take place on February 16th, February 23rd, March 2nd, and March 9th. The conference itself will feature Vince Carbone, Francesca Degli Espinosa, Tamara Kasper, Pat McGreevy, Sarah Lechago, Kevin Luczynski, Kelle Rich, David Roth, Mark Sundberg, and Hank Schlinger. I will be there too to host the 2022 Panel Discussion, so again, if you're interested in learning more, head on over to behaviorlive.com/vbc for more details. This episode is brought to you by Tate Behavioral, a progressive ABA provider located in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts. If you're a BCBA looking to work for a supportive and innovative team, and live in the heart of charming New England, visit tatebehavioral.com We are also brought to you by HRIC Recruiting. If you're a new BCBA – or a BCBA of any experience level for that matter – and you need an independent person to advise you on today's job market, go to HRIColorado.com to schedule a confidential appointment with Barbara Voss.

8 Helmi 20221h 2min

As far as podcast go, this episode was kind of tough to write a headline for (a task that I probably devote way too much time to doing!). My guest in Session 177, John McElwee, has been in the field - to paraphrase a line from Aubrey Daniels - before there was a field. John has had a long and productive career that's had some very interesting twists and turns. He's still going strong these days, and learning new things to help individuals with a wide variety of developmental and behavioral challenges. With that in mind, I suppose an overarching theme in this episode could be thought of as how John charted his own career path. In other words, by being open to new experiences, and actively investing in his professional development, he has been able to do some really interesting things in the field of ABA. So for early career professionals, try to listen to this episode with this in mind. In this episode, we discuss how John got into the field, the he took a detour in his graduate training to work as a union electrician, the work he did in the area of marriage and family systems, his connections with folks like Drs. Alan Kazdin and Russell Barkely, and lots more. But in the latter half of the show, we spend a considerable time discussing how John serendipitously discovered Relational Frame Theory by chatting up Dermot and Yvonne Barnes-Holmes at an ABAI conference, and how he saw the benefits of using this approach with individuals with ASD in an Early Intervention context. Along the way, we discuss the upcoming webinar series that John's doing with Peak Behavioral. If you're interested in learning more about this, it starts in March 2022. You can find information about this webinar series as well as individualized coaching opportunities with John through Peak Behavioral Services' website: www.pkservice.org/purchase. If this is something you're interested in and you'd like to save a few bucks in the process, use the promo code "podcast22" at checkout to receive a discounted price of $79 per webinar. Resources mentioned in this episode: Check out John's webinar series with Peak Behavior! Oregon Social Learning Center. Dr. Russell Barkley. Dr. Alan Kazdin. The Purple Book.* Brief Report: The Training and Assessment of Relational Precursors and Abilities (TARPA): A Preliminary Analysis (Moran, Stewart, McElwee, and Ming, 2010). Using RFT to Promote Generative Language, Volume 1 (Ming, Stewart, and McElwee). This podcast is brought to you with the support of: The Whoop Strap! I've been wearing the Whoop Strap for over a year now, and I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed getting quantitative information on all aspects of my health, including sleep analytics, heart rate, along with heart rate variability, calorie burn, exercise intensity, and Whoop's proprietary "strain" score. I could extol this neat device's virtues indefinitely to you, but instead, you can go check it out for yourself. To get your first month free, head over to behavioralobservations.com/whoop! Institutional Tier Patron Greenspace Behavioral Technology. Greenspace behavior offers cutting edge supervisor coaching, performance and competency-based trainings, and organizational supports for new BCBA and trainees. Find out how you can optimize your supervision practices, improve clinical outcomes, and increase employee satisfaction at Greenspacebehavior.com. And of course, the aforementioned Peak Behavioral, where you can sign up for John's webinar series using the discount code, podcast22 at checkout.

31 Tammi 20221h 9min

In the 10th (tenth!!!) installment of the Inside JABA Series, Dr. Linda LeBlanc and I are joined by Drs. Jenn Austin and Dithu Rajaraman to discuss the paper they co-authored with Drs. Holly Gover, Tony Cammilleri, David Donnelly, and Greg Hanley. The paper is titled, Towards Trauma-Informed Applications of Behavior Analysis, and you can find it in the latest issue of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. If you haven't seen the paper yet, check out the abstract below: Despite a growing acknowledgement of the importance of understanding the impacts of trauma on therapeutic approaches across human service disciplines, discussions of trauma have been relatively infrequent in the behavior analytic literature. In this paper, we delineate some of the barriers to discussing and investigating trauma in applied behavior analysis (ABA) and describe how the core commitments of trauma-informed care could be applied to behavior analysis. We then provide some examples of how trauma-informed care might be incorporated into ABA practice. We conclude by suggesting opportunities to approach trauma as a viable avenue for behavior analytic research and argue that omitting trauma-informed care from ABA could be detrimental not only to the public perception of ABA, but to the effectiveness of our assessment and treatment procedures. Rajaraman et al. (2022) During the discussion, we covered: How this large group of authors became connected. What motivated them to write this paper. What literatures outside of Behavior Analysis informed their point of view. How this paper is a "Big Idea Paper." Why Behavior Analysts may shy away from discussing trauma. The core commitments of Trauma-Informed ABA. The parallels between Compassionate Care and Trauma-Informed ABA. The role of Respondent Conditioning. Whether a Trauma-specific certification for ABA providers would be helpful. If you haven't done so already, I do recommend going back in the catalog and checking out Session 131 with Dr. Camille Kolu. As a matter of fact, I've been in contact with her recently, and we're planning on a follow up episode, so if you're interested in learning more about the implications of adverse experiences as they relate to the practice of Behavior Analysis, simply stay tuned. As with the other shows in the Inside JABA Series, this episode is available for BACB Continuing Education. If you'd like to learn more about how to access these podcasts for your professional development needs, click here. Also, if you enjoy the Inside JABA content, please consider subscribing to the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Compared to other journals, it's quite a bargain price-wise, and it helps to support the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. Resourced discussed in this episode: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma* Toxic Childhood Stress* Compassionate Care in Behavior Analytic Treatment. Taylor, LeBlanc, and Nosik (2018). Centers for Disease Control ACES page.

18 Tammi 20221h 20min