We’ve been in the field of ABA a long time. But let’s review the basics. What does a BCBA do? When I first got into the field of ABA, my mother thought that I babysat kids with autism. I’ve always been told that I need a good elevator pitch. If someone asks you what you do, an elevator pitch would be something like a 30 second synopsis that you would tell somebody in an elevator before they got out on the third floor.
We’re taking some time to look back on 2022, and what a year it has been! Throughout 2022, we hosted many great speakers, covered several key topics, and hosted and spoke and industry conferences. In our lookback, we share some personal growth stories and accomplishments as well. We’re looking forward to 2023 and would love to hear feedback from our listeners on what you’d like to see.
The Premack Principle is one of the first things that I look for in a student. So we’re going to talk about why it’s so important. For example, if money is reinforcing, we are more likely to do our jobs if we get paid. It’s the same for the kids that we work with. We refer to this as the first/then contingency, which is another term for Premack Principle.
Shobhna Srivastava is a BCBA with a background in clinical psychology and mental health and here, she shares her unique perspectives and experience. We talk about the caregiver’s burden and why it’s important to address it with families, and the differing needs between older and younger children. Shobhna also shares tips on how to build rapport, suggestions for improvement in the field of ABA, and her favorite go-to resources.
Negative reinforcement vs punishment can be confusing terms in ABA. Do you know the difference? These are some of those terms that people mix up all the time. But today, we’re going to talk a little bit more about what those terms really mean and how they should be used.
Michelle Ward is a certified public accountant (CPA) and the owner of MW Group and Modern CPA. Michelle shares some of the major tax and accounting challenges she sees with therapists and practitioners who start their own practices. She also provides tips on how to keep track of expenses, how write-offs work, and the pros and cons of being an employee versus an independent contractor.
Did you know that every time we want to decrease a challenging behavior, we should replace it with something? Today’s topic is all about replacement behaviors.
Jordyn Hargrave is a BCBA and a member of the How To ABA community. She’s currently pursuing a second master’s degree and works as a BCBA within a school system. Jordyn shares a personal story about how an accident changed her perspective when working in the field. We also discuss creative reinforcers and the importance of mentorship as a new BCBA.
How do we know what our students’ favorite reinforcers are? Today’s topic is all about ABA preference assessments.
Jessica Winne is a BCBA who came to us to talk about OBM and performance feedback. Jessica received her master’s degree in behavior analysis from the University of North Texas and her thesis was on how to give corrective feedback. We discuss the role emotions play in receiving feedback, how feedback can make or break a staff culture, the importance of rapport, and more.
