“WAZOWSKI! YOU DIDN’T FILE YOUR PAPERWORK LAST NIGHT!” is a line that resonates with all of us (and we make about 50 times in this episode). But, despite a fear of our own personal Rozes at work, most of us still tend to let those pesky piles of papers slip our minds as we go about the important business of being a behavior analyst (the direct helping of others). But, as with most skills, there’s got to be a better way and, this week, we take that mantra all the way to the In Box with research on how you too can become a paperwork pushing master.

This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Luna, O. & Rapp, J.T. (2019). Using a checklist to increase objective session note writing: Preliminary results. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12, 622-626. doi: 10.1007/s40617-018-00315-4

Halbur, M., Reidy, J., Kodak, T., Cowan, L., & Harman, M. (2024). Comparison of enhanced and standard data sheets on treatment fidelity and data collection for tact training. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 533-543. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00869-y

Brown, K.J. (2022). The use of a pictorially enhanced self-instruction packet ot improve weekly time sheet completion in an ABA clinic. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management. doi: 10.1080/01608061.2022.2063221

If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

We’re finishing up our two-part Listener Choice episodes highlighting tutorial articles that give you the “how to” when it comes to important BCBA skills. And if you enjoyed our episode on procedural integrity, you’re going to LOVE this tutorial all about using token economies. We dive into some token economy history, basic set up, application, and come to the conclusion that WE’VE BEEN DOING TOKEN ECONOMIES WRONG! Or, at least not as well as we could be. If you’ve ever laminated Sponge Bob stickers, you owe it to yourself to listen to this episode.

This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Ackerman, K. B., Samudre, M., & Allday, R. A. (2020). Practical components for getting the most from a token economy.Teaching Exceptional Children, 52(4), 242-249. doi: 10.1177/0040059919892022

Kazdin, A.E. (1982). The token economy: A decade later. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 15, 431-445. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1982.15-431. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1982.15-431

Degli Espinosa, F. & Hackenberg, T.D. (2024). Token economies: Evidence-based recommendations for practitioners. Behavioral Interventions. doi: 10.1002/bin.2051

If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

Here come Research Cottontail.

Hoppin’ down the ABA trail.

Hippity hoppity, Grab Bag’s on it’s waaaaaaaay!

Bringing every behavior analyst

Baskets full of discussion panelists

Things to make your Grab Bag podcast greaaaaaat!

This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Nevill, R.E., Crawford, M.F., Zarcone, J.R., Maquera, E., Rooker, G.W., Schmidt, J.D. (2024). A retrospective consecutive controlled case series analysis of the assessment and treatment of elopement in children with autism in an inpatient setting. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-00979-1

Santa Cruz, H. A. C.,  MIltenburger, R. G. & Baruni., R. R. (2024). Evaluating remote behavioral skills training of online gaming safety skills. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 246-256. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00830-z

Kelly-Sisken, S., Reeve, K. F., McPheters, C. J., Vladescu, J. C, Reeve, S. A., & Jennings, A. M. (2025). Comparing equivalence-based instruction to a PowerPoint video lecture to teach differential reinforcement descriptors to college students. Behavioral Interventions, 40, online first publication. doi: 10.1002/bin.70002

If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

Enjoy a short preview of our latest full-length Book Club episode.  Want to hear the whole thing and get 2.5 CEs for FREE? Subscribe to our Patreon today at the premium $10+ levels for that plus other bonuses!

Could this book actually save your marriage? Well, that's not really the point of it; however, we found a LOT to enjoy and reflect on in our discussion of "Divergent Minds" by Jenera Nerenberg, a broad look at adult female neurodiversity in the modern era. Just how much of our socialization process practically mandates masking behavior in autistic women? And what does it mean to an individual labeled "highly sensitive" when entering the workforce or family life? Join us as we take a look at five commonly identified neurodivergences and the experiences of the women learning to live in a world not designed for them.

This full version of this episode is available for 2.0 LEARNING CEUs.

Patrons at the $10 and up level, as part of your subscription, you’ll be able to earn these CEs for no charge! Subscribe to our Patreon today!

Content discussed in this episode:

Nerenberg, J. (2020). Divergent mind: Thriving in a world that wasn’t designed for you. Harper One.

Spring has sprung on us with a bunch of freezing rain. So what better time than now to get set for a cozy crop of new podcasts for April. First up, as visit from our favorite mythical bunny with a grab bag of goodies in the form of new articles to discuss. Then finally wrap up our (winter!) Listener Choice episode with a tutorial on token economies before coming up with new ways to finish our paperwork and create meaningful family supports. Then, for patrons-only, our Spring Book Club looking at the female neurodivergent-supporting book, Divergent Mind. By the time you’ve listened to all of these episodes, the flowers will definitely be in bloom.

Articles for April 2025

Hoppin’ Down the Grab Bag Trail (Spring 2025 Grab Bag)

Nevill, R.E., Crawford, M.F., Zarcone, J.R., Maquera, E., Rooker, G.W., Schmidt, J.D. (2024). A retrospective consecutive controlled case series analysis of the assessment and treatment of elopement in children with autism in an inpatient setting. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-00979-1

Santa Cruz, H. A. C.,  MIltenburger, R. G. & Baruni., R. R. (2024). Evaluating remote behavioral skills training of online gaming safety skills. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 246-256. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00830-z

Kelly-Sisken, S., Reeve, K. F., McPheters, C. J., Vladescu, J. C, Reeve, S. A., & Jennings, A. M. (2025). Comparing equivalence-based instruction to a PowerPoint video lecture to teach differential reinforcement descriptors to college students. Behavioral Interventions, 40, online first publication. doi: 10.1002/bin.70002

Tutorial: Token Economies (Spring 2025 Listener Choice)

Ackerman, K. B., Samudre, M., & Allday, R. A. (2020). Practical components for getting the most from a token economy.Teaching Exceptional Children, 52(4), 242-249. doi: 10.1177/0040059919892022

Kazdin, A.E. (1982). The token economy: A decade later. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 15, 431-445. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1982.15-431. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1982.15-431

Degli Espinosa, F. & Hackenberg, T.D. (2024). Token economies: Evidence-based recommendations for practitioners. Behavioral Interventions. doi: 10.1002/bin.2051

You Forgot to Do Your Paperwork

Luna, O. & Rapp, J.T. (2019). Using a checklist to increase objective session note writing: Preliminary results. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12, 622-626. doi: 10.1007/s40617-018-00315-4

Halbur, M., Reidy, J., Kodak, T., Cowan, L., & Harman, M. (2024). Comparison of enhanced and standard data sheets on treatment fidelity and data collection for tact training. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 533-543. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00869-y

Brown, K.J. (2022). The use of a pictorially enhanced self-instruction packet ot improve weekly time sheet completion in an ABA clinic. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management. doi: 10.1080/01608061.2022.2063221

Family Supports and Contextualized Treatment Planning

Russa, M.B., Matthews, A.L., & Owen-DeSchryver, J.S. (2015). Expanding supports to improve the lives of families of children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 17, 95-104. doi: 10.1177/1098300714532134

Moes, D.R. & Frea, W.D. Using family context to inform intervention planning for the treatment of a child with autism. (2000). Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 2, 40-46. doi: 10.1177/109830070000200

Guinness, K.E., Atkinson, R.S., & Feil, E.G. (2024). Evaluating social validity to inform intervention development: Qualitative analysis of caregiver interviews. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 870-879. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00899-6

Divergent Mind Book Club (PATRONS ONLY)

Nerenberg, J. (2020). Divergent mind: Thriving in a world that wasn’t designed for you. Harper One.

While I doubt any of us would purposefully cheer on ableist behavior in our daily work, what if I told you that you may be secretly promoting ableism every single day? This week we do some tough reflection on the medical model that most of us work within and how it may inherently dismiss the environmental factors at play in determining the impact of disabilities on individuals’ lives. And while we’re boosters of the neurodiversity movement, is it possible that their critiques might be going too far in regards to ABA? Hot buttons will get pressed in this episode!

This episode is available for 1.0 TRAUMA-INFORMED CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Kapp, S.K., Gillespie-Lynch, K., Sherman, L.E., & Hutman, T. (2013). Deficit, difference, or both? Autism and neurodiversity. Developmental Psychology, 49, 59-71. doi: 10.1037/a0028353

Graber, A. & Graber, J. (2023). Applied behavior analysis and the abolitionist neurodiversity critique: An ethical analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 16, 921-937. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00780-6

If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

While most of us engage with goal writing, have you ever stopped to think whether the goals you’ve proposed to your client are…pointless? If so, put down your bopy of “101 Great Trigonometry Objectives” and join us and special guest, Dr. Shanna Bahry, to explore resources for crafting goals with your clients that might actually lead them to a productive, happier adulthood. We review some useful tools from Dr. Bahry, some pointers for how to use (and NOT use) many popular assessments, and discuss where and when those trigonometry goals could meaningfully come into play. Yes, there’s a time and place for every goal.

This episode is available for 1.0 ETHICS CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Bahry, S., Gerhardt, P.F., Weiss, M.J., Leaf, J.B., Putnam, R.F., & Bondy, A. (2022). The ethics of actually helping people: Targeting skill acquisition goals that promote meaningful outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 16, 672-695. doi: 10.1007/s40617-022-00757-x

Bahry, S., Gerhardt, P.F., Weiss, M.J., Driscoll, N.M., Leaf, J.B., Ayres, K.M., & Cauchi, J. (2024). Improving outcomes for adults with ASD by targeting meaningful skill acquisition goals: A review of the literature and available assessments and curricula. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi: 10.1007/s40489-024-00441-6

Bahry, S., Gerhardt, P.F., Weiss, M.J., Leaf, J.B., & Ayres, K.M. (2024). Improving goals written for individuals with autism: Preliminary results on assessing meaningfulness and relevance to adulthood. Behavioral Interventions. doi: 10.1002/bin.2006

If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

Since you can only get so far with surveys of how frequetly registered behavior technicians want to quit their jobs due to burnout, we wondered, is it possible to gather more relevant, actionable research questions? Enter Dr. Nicole Gravina who, with her colleagues, used qualitative analysis research design to dig deeper into more of the “whys” behind how burnout develops for RBTs in Florida, and what supervisors can do to help. Put down your calculators and get out your dictionaries for this episode: We’re looking at words in research!

This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Nastasi, J.A., McGarry, K.M., Peters, K.P., Leon, Y., Bacotti, J.K., & Gravina, N. (2024). A qualitative analysis of variables contributing to the Registered Behavior Technicians’ burnout and turnover in Florida. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-01033-w

Nastasi, J.A., Green, V., Te, P.J., & Gravina, N.E. (2024). “Everybody needs to take breaks”: A qualitative analysis of Registered Behavior Technicians’ experiences with taking breaks at work. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-00973-7

If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

Maybe it’s the lousy Smarch weather, but we’re in a bit of a mood to start of this month. Not because our special guests aren’t awesome. We had so much fun learning about qualitative analyses in exploring RBT burnout with Dr. Nicole Gravina and how to be more ethically responsible in creating meaningful goals for autistic adolescents and adults with Dr. Shanna Bahry. And not because we’re not reviewing tough issues like turnover in human services, deconstructing ableist practices in the medical model, and respectfully disagreeing with the abolitionist neurodiversity critique. Now that I’m writing about all the awesome episodes coming out this month, I can’t even remember why we sound so crabby.

Oh, right…the state of the United States political system. And rude emails.

Articles for March 2025

Qualitative Analysis of RBT Burnout w/ Dr. Nicole Gravina

Nastasi, J.A., McGarry, K.M., Peters, K.P., Leon, Y., Bacotti, J.K., & Gravina, N. (2024). A qualitative analysis of variables contributing to the Registered Behavior Technicians’ burnout and turnover in Florida. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-01033-w

Nastasi, J.A., Green, V., Te, P.J., & Gravina, N.E. (2024). “Everybody needs to take breaks”: A qualitative analysis of Registered Behavior Technicians’ experiences with taking breaks at work. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-00973-7

The Ethics of Meaningful Goals w/ Dr. Shanna Bahry (ETHICS)

Bahry, S., Gerhardt, P.F., Weiss, M.J., Leaf, J.B., Putnam, R.F., & Bondy, A. (2022). The ethics of actually helping people: Targeting skill acquisition goals that promote meaningful outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 16, 672-695. doi: 10.1007/s40617-022-00757-x

Bahry, S., Gerhardt, P.F., Weiss, M.J., Driscoll, N.M., Leaf, J.B., Ayres, K.M., & Cauchi, J. (2024). Improving outcomes for adults with ASD by targeting meaningful skill acquisition goals: A review of the literature and available assessments and curricula. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi: 10.1007/s40489-024-00441-6

Bahry, S., Gerhardt, P.F., Weiss, M.J., Leaf, J.B., & Ayres, K.M. (2024). Improving goals written for individuals with autism: Preliminary results on assessing meaningfulness and relevance to adulthood. Behavioral Interventions. doi: 10.1002/bin.2006

Ableism and the Medical Model of Diversity (TRAUMA-INFORMED)

Shyman, E. (2016). The reinforcement of ableism: Normality, the medical model of disability, and humanism in applied behavior analysis and ASD. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 54, 366-376. doi: 10.1352/1934-9556-54.5.366

Kapp, S.K., Gillespie-Lynch, K., Sherman, L.E., & Hutman, T. (2013). Deficit, difference, or both? Autism and neurodiversity. Developmental Psychology, 49, 59-71. doi: 10.1037/a0028353

Graber, A. & Graber, J. (2023). Applied behavior analysis and the abolitionist neurodiversity critique: An ethical analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 16, 921-937. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00780-6

We’re pretty social people, and we love working with other professionals to support client outcomes. But we’ve also learned that collaboration goes way beyond five-minute consult sessions and a few friendly emails. This week we’re bringing the research and our professional practice together to make a delicious cake of transdisciplinary goodness focusing on the ethics of great collaboration. Because what’s a BCBA without friends?

Bonus: See the whole episode with our slide deck as a video on our YouTube channel. It’s like our podcast but with lots of pictures!

This episode is available for 1.0 ETHICS CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Bowman, K.S., Suarez, V.D., & Weiss, M.J. (2021). Standards for interprofessional collaboration In the treatment of individuals with autism. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 14, 1191-1208. doi: 10.1007/s40617-021-00560-0

Gasiewski, K., Weiss, M.J., Leaf, J.B., & Labowitz, J. (2021). Collaboration between behavior analysts and occupational therapists in autism service provision: Bridging the gap. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 14, 1209-1222. doi: 10.1007/s40617-021-00619-y

LeBlanc, L.A., Onofrio, O.M., Valentino, A.L., & Sleeper, J.D. (2020). Promoting ethical discussions and decision making in a human service agency. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 13, 905-913. doi: 10.1007/s40617-020-00454-7

Brodhead, M.T. (2015). Maintaining professional relationships in an interdisciplinary setting: Strategies for navigating nonbehavioral treatment recommendations for individuals with autism. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 8, 70-28. doi: 10.1007/s40617-015-0042-7

If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.