ABA Inside Track

As July heat makes its way to New England, we're staying inside with the AC on and a bevy of exciting guests in the studio. That's right: It's GUEST MONTH! Nothing but episodes featuring amazing guests. First we kick things off by reviewing how to get ready for the new school season with Dr. Kristin Foley and Dr. Fina Robertson sharing their work on preparing behavior analysts to work effectively and ethically in schools. Next Dr. Jon Bailey shares his unique and masterful perspective on ethical behavior from the past to the future! Turning back to schools, we learn from Dr. Mawule Sevon how to look for and plan against inequitable discipline practices that are harming Black students, especialy Black girls. Then Dr. Denise Ross and Dr. Douglas Greer teach us how to teach others how to read no matter the age in a secret Book Club episode. And it's a good time too because we also find out what books we'll be reading in the 2026-2027 podcast year. Will Diana be happy with our listeners' choices? Either way, she'll be happy with all these awesome guests!

Articles for July 2026

Preparing for Public School Practice w/ Dr. Kristin Foley + Dr. Fina Robertson

Squires, M., Cutrer-Pãrraga, E.A., Morris, J.R., Miller, E.E., & Hansen, B.D. Navigating collaboration: Factors influencing special education teachers' relationships with BCBAs in diverse school contexts. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 1033-1049. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-010009-w

Copeland, S.R., Duffie, P., & Maez, R. (2025). Preparation of behavior analysts for school-based practice. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-01028-7

Light-Shriner, C., Pizzella, D., Schreiber, J.B., & Wahman, C.L. (2025). Collaborative practices of behavior analysts in school settings: Evidence from the field. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 18, 681-692. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00883-0

Robertson, F., Favre, C., Foley, K., Symons, R. & Weiss, M.J. (in review). Ethical competence for the school-based behavior analyst: Perceptions and preparedness.

Ethics for Today and Tomorrow w/ Dr. Jon Bailey

Bailey, J.S. (1991). Marketing behavior analysis requires different talk. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 24, 445-448. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1991.24-445

Sellers, T.P., Seniuk, H.A., Lichtenberger, S.N., & Carr, J.E. (2025). The history of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board's ethics codes. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 18, 650-660. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00803-2

Inequitable Discipline w/ Dr. Mawule Sevon

Ladson-Billings, G. (1998). Just what is critical race theory and what's it doing in a nice field like education? International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 11, 7-24. doi: 10.1080/095183998236863

Epstein, R., Blake, J.J., & Gonzàlez, T. (2017). Girlhood interrupted: The erasure of Black girls' childhood [White paper]. Center on Poverty and Inequality, Georgetown Law. https://genderjusticeandopportunity.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/girlhood-interrupted.pdf

Sevon, M. (2022). Schooling while Black: Analyzing the racial school discipline crisis for behavior analyst. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 15, 1247-1253. doi: 10.1007/s40617-022-00695-8

So You Want to Teach Reading (When Text Speaks Book Club) w/ Dr. Denise Ross + Dr. Douglas Greer

Ross, D.E., Greer, R.D. (Eds.) (2025). When text speaks: Learning to read and reading to learn. Sloan Publishing.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: To earn CEUs for listening, you MUST sign up and listen to this episode on our website to get credit.

To listen for the fun of learning? Just push play!

Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

Some of us struggle going to the doctor. Some of us shrink in terror at the sight of nail clippers. But when individuals with histories of avoiding medical care need help learning to tolerate these necessary procedures, what treatments can we use? This week we head to the doctor's office with a review of a broad spectrum of articles discussing teaching medical toleration. Let's just say Amazon isn't the only group putting together big packages we're excited to see.

This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Cuvo, A., Raegan, A., L., Ackerlund, J., Huckfledt, R., & Kelly, C. (2010). Training children with autism spectrum disorders to be compliant with a physical exam. Research in Autism Spectrum Disoders, 4, 168-185. doi: 10.1016/j.rasd.2009.09.001

Dowdy, A., Tincani, M., Nipe, T., & Weiss. M. J. (2018). Effects of reinforcement without extinction on increasing compliance with nail cutting: A systematic replication. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 51, 924-930. doi: 10.1002/jaba.484

Slifer, K. J., Avis, K. T., & Frutchey, R. A. (2008). Behavioral intervention to increase compliance with electroencephalographic procedures in children with developmental disabilities. Epilepsy Behavior, 13, 189-195. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2008.01.013

Enjoy a short preview of our latest full-length Book Club episode. Want to hear the whole thing and get 2.0 CEs for FREE? Subscribe to our Patreon today at the premium $10+ levels for that plus other bonuses!

As more and more behavior analysts spread out from private clinics into the world of public school education, it becomes pretty obvious how little most of us know about the needs and challenges required of working with teachers, students, and administrators. But what if I told you there was a book that could give you a crash course to turn your understanding of behavior analytic principles into applicable plans for meaningful work in schools? Would you be more excited if the author himself told you that? We wrap up the 2025/26 Book Club season with a 10-year-anniversary discussion of Dr. Merrill Winston's "Adventures in Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis." And it's a doozy! We've got over an hour chatting with Dr. Winston himself about the wackiness of schools, whether his book should be required reading for BCBAs entering public school settings, and the the role of AI in the future of this work. Plus the ABA Inside Track Book Club crew gives their personal takes on the book while sharing some of their favorite excerpts. Rob says this episode is a MUST for BCBAs starting out in schools and a great refresher of all the lessons us veterans learned after muddling through our first years.

The full 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:

Winston, M. (2016). Adventures in special education and applied behavior analysis. Sloan Publishing.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: To earn CEUs for listening, you MUST sign up and listen to this episode on our website to get credit.

To listen for the fun of learning? Just push play!

Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

Sure, I bet we can all think of a concept. But could you define exactly what a "concept" is? What it isn't? How about teach a concept? This week Dr. Catherine Williams joins us to look at the concept of concepts using both behavior analytic terminology and some fun, experimental behavioral research. Because making up rules about what defines the concept of a fancy triangle doesn't always cut it. And because sometimes your non-examples are much too far out, hippie.

This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Williams, C.L., St. Peter, C.C., Perone, M., Aguilar, M., Cederberg, B.A., Gregersen, D.J., & Richardson, E.J. (2025). Using must-have and can-have features to improve conceptual learning. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 124, e70037. doi: 10.1002/jeab.70037

Williams, C.L. & Roop, J.C. (2025). Instruction consisting of a rule and set of examples and nonexamples reliably teaches concepts. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 124, e70061. doi: 10.1002/jeab.70061

NOTE: This episode is no longer available for CEs.

Double double your behavior.

Double double your analysis.

Oh no single podcast, ABA Inside Track freshens your brain like...

Double research, double discussion,

Come on and double listen.

ABA Inside Track, ABA inside Track...episode.

Articles discussed this episode:

Nussbaum, N.L. (2012). ADHD and female specific concerns: A review of the literature and clinical implications. Journal of Attention Disorders, 16, 87-100. doi: 10.1177/1087054711416909

Kurtz, P. F., Chin, M. D., Robinson, A. N., O'Connor, J. T., & Hagopian, L. P. (2015). Functional analysis and treatment of problem behavior exhibited by children with fragile X syndrome. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 43, 150-166. doi: 10/1016/j.ridd.2015.06.010

Lambert, J. M., Parikh, N., Stankiewicz, K. C., Houchins‐Juarez, N. J., Morales, V. A., Sweeney, E. M., & Milam, M. E. (2019). Decreasing food stealing of a child with prader-willi syndrome through function based differential reinforcement. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49, 721-728. doi: 10.1007/s10803-018-3747-y

As the summer weather turns its bright face towards New England, we find ourselves wrapping up another year of book club...just in time to start planning for NEXT YEAR'S BOOK CLUB!! Get your phone loaded with all the podcasts you need for the beach with this month's new episodes. First, we open up a themed grab bag with articles all related to participants with dual-diagnoses. Then we dig into the details of concept formation with Dr. Catherine Williams to find out exactly how you should really be teaching new things. Last, get prepared for your annual medical check-up with an episode all about medical toleration procedures. And as if that wasn't enough, Patrons gain access to our Summer Book Club pick, "Adventures in Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis" featuring an interview with Dr. MerrilI Winston in addition to our regular book club shenanigans. If you work in the school setting (or are getting ready to work in the school setting) you do not want to miss out.

Interested in selecting all of next year's Book Club selections? Then be sure to fill out our new poll to let us know what we should be packing in our summer go-bags for next year's episodes.

Articles for June 2026

(DUAL DIAGNOSIS) A Very Dual-Diagnosis Grab Bag (Summer 2026 Grab Bag)

Nussbaum, N.L. (2012). ADHD and female specific concerns: A review of the literature and clinical implications. Journal of Attention Disorders, 16, 87-100. doi: 10.1177/1087054711416909

Kurtz, P. F., Chin, M. D., Robinson, A. N., O'Connor, J. T., & Hagopian, L. P. (2015). Functional analysis and treatment of problem behavior exhibited by children with fragile X syndrome. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 43, 150-166. doi: 10/1016/j.ridd.2015.06.010

Lambert, J. M., Parikh, N., Stankiewicz, K. C., Houchins‐Juarez, N. J., Morales, V. A., Sweeney, E. M., & Milam, M. E. (2019). Decreasing food stealing of a child with prader-willi syndrome through function based differential reinforcement. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49, 721-728. doi: 10.1007/s10803-018-3747-y

Conceptual Learning w/ Dr. Catherine Williams

Williams, C.L., St. Peter, C.C., Perone, M., Aguilar, M., Cederberg, B.A., Gregersen, D.J., & Richardson, E.J. (2025). Using must-have and can-have features to improve conceptual learning. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 124, e70037. doi: 10.1002/jeab.70037

Williams, C.L. & Roop, J.C. (2025). Instruction consisting of a rule and set of examples and nonexamples reliably teaches concepts. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 124, e70061. doi: 10.1002/jeab.70061

Medical Toleration

Cuvo, A., Raegan, A., L., Ackerlund, J., Huckfledt, R., & Kelly, C. (2010). Training children with autism spectrum disorders to be compliant with a physical exam. Research in Autism Spectrum Disoders, 4, 168-185. doi: 10.1016/j.rasd.2009.09.001

Dowdy, A., Tincani, M., Nipe, T., & Weiss. M. J. (2018). Effects of reinforcement without extinction on increasing compliance with nail cutting: A systematic replication. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 51, 924-930. doi: 10.1002/jaba.484

Slifer, K. J., Avis, K. T., & Frutchey, R. A. (2008). Behavioral intervention to increase compliance with electroencephalographic procedures in children with developmental disabilities. Epilepsy Behavior, 13, 189-195. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2008.01.013

Adventures in Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis Book Club (feat. Dr. Merril Winston)

Winston, M. (2016). Adventures in special education and applied behavior analysis. Sloan Publishing.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: To earn CEUs for listening, you MUST sign up and listen to this episode on our website to get credit.

To listen for the fun of learning? Just push play!

Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

While "just the facts" might be one way to ask questions, it's certainly not the ONLY way. And, if you're not careful, your interviewing style could get you all the wrong answers. This week we're joined by Dr. Ray Joslyn to discuss ALL the behavior analytic research there is on forensic interviewing. Is it the way we ask the questions or our responses to answers that influence accuracy the most? Are children or adults the most impacted by misleading statements? And did Scooby Doo really eat that ice cream cone? Are you sure? Hmm...ok, if you say so.

This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Doepke, K.J., Henderson, A.L., & Critchfield, T.S (2003). Social antecedents of children's eyewitness testimony: A single-subject experimental analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 36, 459-463. doi: 10.1901/jaba.2003.36-459

Sparling, J., Wilder, D.A., Kondash, J., Boyle, M., & Compton, M. (2011). Effects of interviewer behavior on accuracy of children's responses. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44, 587-592. doi: 10.1901/jaba.2011.44-587

Najafichaghabouri, M., Joslyn, P.R., & Preston, E. (2024). Idiosyncratic effects of interviewer behavior on the accuracy of children's responses. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 57, 463-472. doi: 10.1002/jaba.1065

Moon, S.L. Joslyn, P.R. (in press). Effects of adversarial questioning on response accuracy in analog forensic interviews.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: To earn CEUs for listening, you MUST sign up and listen to this episode on our website to get credit.

To listen for the fun of learning? Just push play!

Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

A few years back, we contributed a book chapter on non-traditional options for disseminating behavior analysis with Matt Cicoria where we became slightly enamored with the idea of communities of practice as a means for knowledge sharing. Well, thanks to our amazing listeners on Patreon, that topic is back and with a full episode. We look at how to create a community of practice, whether the idea actually leads to changes in professional behavior, and what barriers might keep your new group of professional problem solvers down. Protip: Being in Canada appears to be a huge help.

This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Busch, L., Zonneveld, K., Saini, V., Chartier, K., Leathen, N., Asaro, M., & Feltz, N. (2020). The more we get together: Communities of practice for behaviour analysts. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 52, 277-284. doi: 10.1037/cbs0000174

Hennein, R., Ggita, J.M., Turimumahoro, P., Ochom, E., Gupta, A.J., Katamba, A., Armstrong-Hough, M. & Davis, J.L. (2022). Core components of a community of practice to improve community health worker performance: A qualitative study. Implementation Science Communications, 3, 27-40. doi: 10.1186/s43058-022-002791

Barwick, M.A., Peters, J., & Boydell, K. (2009). Getting to uptake: Do communities of practice support the implementation of evidence-based practice? Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 18, 16-29.

Kerno, Jr., S.J. (2008). Limitations of communities of practice: A consideration of unresolved issues and difficulties in the approach. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 15, 69-78. doi: 10.1177/1548051808317998

NOTE: This episode is no longer available for CEs.

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.

Content discussed in this episode:

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

While Rob gets his Jedi robes back from the cleaners, let's take a moment for some fun chats, listener comments, and a preview of what's coming up this month on ABA Inside Track. First we open the Book Club vault to release last year's discussion of Jenara Nerenberg's female neurodiversity exploration, "Divergent Mind", the book that may have saved Diana and Rob's marriage (at least in the sense that they both liked it and are still married). Then we turn the episode-picking over to our listeners with a discussion of communities of practice and whether they're really as helpful for practitioners as they seem. Finally, we're joined by Dr. Ray Joslyn to cover a topic we didn't even know behavior analysts studied: the use and impact of adversarial questioning on the accuracy of eyewitness responding. Will we find out if humans are worse at interviews than Imperial probe droids? Stick with us the whole month to see.