Getting Staff Buy In: Session 286 with Anika Costa and Paulie Gavoni

In this session of The Behavioral Observations Podcast, Dr. Jim Johnston, BCBA-D, joins me for a conversation about the history of contemporary Behavior Analysis. Jim is uniquely equipped to provide this perspective, having held presidential positions in all of our flagship professional organizations (e.g., the Association for Behavior Analysis International, the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts, the Behavior Analysis Certification Board, etc...). As a young graduate student at Auburn University, I had the opportunity to work in Jim's laboratory at the Institute for Biological Detection Systems, where we conducted federally contracted research on the olfactory capability of explosive and drug detecting dogs (perhaps a story for another podcast). I was also fortunate to have Jim supervise my Master's Thesis, so it is a treat to have him on the podcast for a long overdue chat. Jim's academic and other professional accomplishments are too great to list here, but Jim's website, www.talkingaboutbehavior.com, offers this summary: Dr. Johnston received his doctorate from the University of Florida in 1970 and held faculty positions at Georgia State University, the University of Florida, and Auburn University. He has published both laboratory and field research with both human and non-human species on a variety of topics. He has longstanding interests in the area of developmental disabilities and founded the Master's Program in Applied Behavior Analysis in Developmental Disabilities at Auburn University. He has served as editor of The Behavior Analyst and on the editorial boards of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, among others. In addition to discussing the development of our field, we talk about the challenges associated with the rapid growth of practitioners and how the 4th edition of Strategies and Tactics for Behavioral Research is coming along. Jim concludes with some sage advice for new practitioners. This podcast is sponsored by bSci21.org, which is an ABA news site that connects our science to everyday applications. If you get a chance, go check out some of the thought provoking stories that are available over there. Finally, if you enjoy the show, please head over to iTunes and leave a rating and review. Ratings and reviews really help the show to stand out from all the other podcasts out there.

24 Juni 201655min

Dr. Greg Hanley returns to the Behavioral Observations Podcast, and in this episode we talk about best practices for functional analyses and function-based treatment.  For additional resources on these topics, check out Greg's website, www.practicalfunctionalassessment.com. Greg also has an online CE training on these topics, and to learn more about this, check out this post at www.behavioralobservations.com.  Greg has generously offered to return to the podcast to do some Q & A, so if you have questions about these topics, go to the contact page and let me know what's on your mind.  Finally, this podcast is sponsored by bSci21.org, which is an ABA news site that connects our science to everyday applications. If you get a chance, go check out some of the thought provoking stories that are available over there.

25 Maj 20161h 9min

In Session 6 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast, Dr. D.J. Moran, BCBA-D joins me to provide an overview of one of my favorite topics in Behavior Analysis: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). D.J. has been a practitioner of ACT for over 20 years; applying these concepts across a range of applications that include supporting children and parents with Autism, providing therapy in mental health settings, and more recently, using the ACT model to help corporations improve their safety and leadership initiatives. He's also a fellow podcaster to boot! In this podcast, D.J. tells us how he first encountered ACT, describes the core features and concepts of the ACT model, and discusses how ACT can help support caregivers of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. While D.J. is the author of many peer reviewed articles and chapters, listeners to the podcast would do well to check out his book, Building Safety Commitment, which provides one of the most accessible blueprints of the ACT model I have seen. Even though the book is about behavioral safety, one can easily transfer the ACT concepts to school, clinic, and home settings. As D.J. notes in the podcast, listeners who want to learn more about ACT should head over to contextualscience.org, the internet home of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. Joining the ACBS provides access to a wealth of resources for all things ACT. If you enjoy this show, please leave a rating and review in iTunes. It only takes a minute and it ensures that the message of Behavior Analysis stands out amongst all the other podcasts that are out there. Finally, The Behavioral Observations Podcast is sponsored by bSci21.org. I encourage listeners to check out bSci21.org as Todd Ward (another ACT expert) and his contributing writers continue to publish great articles that discuss Behavior Analytic principles and applications in a fun and accessible format.

9 Maj 201655min

Session 5 of the Behavioral Observations Podcast features an in-depth conversation with Dr. Todd Ward, BCBA-D. Todd is the President of bSci21.org Media, which encompasses the Behavior Analysis news site, bSci21.org, as well as the online magazine, BAQuarterly.com.  In this interview, Todd tells us the story behind the creation of bSci21.org and what it's like to run a news website, manage the work of contributing writers, etc... in the niche world of Behavior Analysis. He  tells a few fascinating stories along the way, and concludes with some sage advice for practitioners at all experience levels.  This session of the Behavioral Observations Podcast is indeed sponsored by bSci21.org, so please take a moment to go check out all the great articles that Todd and his merry band of contributing writers publish over there.  If you enjoy this episode, please head on over to iTunes and leave a review and rating. Doing so really helps this podcast stand out amongst all the others that are out there. Also, if you have suggestions for future guests or topics, please go to the contact page of behavioralobservations.com and drop me a line. Finally, if you're interested in receiving an occasional newsletter, click on the large red button on the homepage to sign up for that.

22 Apr 20161h 4min

In Session 4 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast I sit down with Dr. Amanda Kelly, BCBA-D, a.k.a., the Behaviorbabe. In this episode, I learn how to properly greet a local in Hawaii, how the licensure laws are playing out across the 8 islands of that state, what it’s like to practice in the midst of volcanos and intermittent water availability, how she developed her online persona, and what not-to-do on social media as a behavior analyst. I also lose count of how many jobs Amanda currently has. If you want to learn more about Amanda, I recommend following her on Twitter (@behaviorbabe), liking her Facebook page (www.facebook.com/behaviorbabe), and checking out her website (www.behaviorbabe.com). For aspiring BCBA’s who are looking for exam prep assistance from Amanda, check out www.globalautismproject.com. This podcast is sponsored by bSci21.org. bSci21.org is an ABA news site that discusses Behavior Analytic concepts in a fun, non-academic format. If you have a chance, head on over to this site to check it out. You will not be disappointed! If there are topics or guests that you want to hear on the show, please go to www.behavioralobservations.com and click the Contact tab at the top of the page. If you have a minute, please leave a rating and review in iTunes as it really helps to disseminate this show amongst the thousands of podcasts that are out there.   Thanks for listening! Matt

3 Apr 201655min

I am thrilled to share this conversation that I had with Dr. Jon Bailey in the fall of 2015. Dr. Bailey's contributions to the field of Behavior Analysis are many, but he is perhaps best known as the preeminent authority on ethics in clinical practice. In this session of the Behavioral Observations Podcast, we discuss how he became a Behavior Analyst, how his interest in Ethical practice was shaped, and the general state of the field of ABA.  We also talk about one of his more popular books, Ethics for Behavior Analysts, 2nd Edition, as well as some of the revisions that he has in store for the 3rd edition.  Dr. Bailey invites behavior analysts to contact him if they have ethical questions. His website is http://www.baileyburch.com/, so if you need to reach out to him, you can go there and click the, "contact," button. This session of the Behavioral Observations Podcast is sponsored by bSci21.org. BSci21.org is an ABA news site with hundreds of articles connecting behavior analysis to our world in a non-academic format.  Check them out at bSci21.org. Finally, if you like the show and have a minute to spare, please click here to leave a rating and review in iTunes.  Thanks for listening and enjoy the show!

10 Mars 201647min

Hi Folks, in today's episode I have a conversation with my good friend, Steve Lawyer. Steve and I met as first year graduate students at Auburn University way back in the day. Nowadays, he is the Director of Clinical Training at Idaho State University. In today's episode we have a fun conversation about Science and Pseudoscience, and the implications for ABA practice.  This podcast is sponsored by Behavioral Science in the 21st Century, an ABA news site with hundreds of articles connecting behavior analysis to our world in a non-academic format.  Check them out at bSci21.org For more information about this podcast, please check out www.behavioralobservations.com

21 Feb 201647min

In the first episode of the Behavioral Observations Podcast, we chat with Greg Hanley from Western New England University. We find out about how being a terrible painter and having poor grades set Greg off on a path to being a prolific contributor to our field. In all seriousness, Greg talks about the development of the Interview Informed Synthesized Contingency Analysis (IISCA) procedure, and patiently walks me through how to set up and conduct this type of assessment.  If you are interested in more information on this, please check out Greg's website, www.practicalfunctionalassessment.com, where you will find lots of resources on this subject. This podcast is sponsored by Behavioral Science in the 21st Century, an ABA news site with hundreds of articles connecting behavior analysis to our world in a non-academic format.  Check them out at bSci21.org. For more information about the Behavioral Observations Podcast, please visit www.behavioralobservations.com. Connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/behavioralobservations or on Twitter @behaviorpodcast.

21 Feb 201655min