Atypical Behavior Analyst

The year 2020 brought disruptions felt around the world. As communities shifted, behavior analysts also felt a shift in the way we practice. Many BCBAs were accustomed to teaching and training in-person, providing valuable in situ feedback, frequent fidelity checks, and development of a relationship/rapport with clients and their teams. On the other hand, utilizing technological advances have been shown to provide quality and effective outcomes; and the data isn’t just from recent years. 

In this episode Shana and special guest, Julie, discuss the history of telehealth and then consider several pros and cons for utilizing telehealth in a behavior analytic practice. Whether working with adults or children, direct care or consulting with caregivers and team members, providing the option of telehealth may be worth investigating. 

Learning Objectives:

1. List similarities from professions who utilized telehealth historically to modern applications. 

2. Tact pros and cons for utilizing telehealth with a variety of clients. 

3. Determine some of the pre-requisite skills for utilizing telehealth.

4. Modify and create goals when moving from face-to-face sessions to telehealth.

Take Aways- your bite-sized educational noms

- Navigate the options on an individual basis- what’s best for the client’s progress? Doesn’t have to be only face to face or telehealth, can utilize both modalities.

- Trial and error is okay! It’s a part of growing and learning and developing new skills.

- Be patient! Consider it a learning opportunity- grow your problem-solving skills, enhance your skills and repertoire. 

Worth: 1 Learning, 0 Ethics, 0 Supervision

Purchase CEUS for $8 at: https://atypicalba.com/product/ce-certification/

Have some interstellar discussion on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/atypicalba

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Don't need CEUs but want to support the show? Click here to donate to the adventure: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AtypicalBA

Contact us at: [email protected], [email protected]

Intro Music- The Clash “Should I Stay or Should I Go”

Music by: www.purple-planet.com

Picture this- you’re out cruising the galaxy and a distress signal pings across your board. You immediately respond with, “We’re here!” and you deploy rescue pods, only to have them float aimlessly through space, never completing their mission. What happened?

Often times our eagerness to help prevents us from taking the time to ask some very critical questions. What are your coordinates? What caused this to happen? What is the environment like going in? Can it be a clean rescue or do the processes need to be reviewed first in order to be more successful?

In our previous encounter with the PBS Matters team, we discussed the value of being fluent in the science; meaning, our language should be as easily interpreted by someone in the field as well as those implementing our recommendations. As behavior analysts we come equipped with a variety of tools that can be applied to a variety of settings. We’re taught to look at the environment, analyze the function, and then recommend/prescribe an intervention. But when progress stalls, to whom do we listen? Sure we check the data, but what about checking in with the people who produce the data?

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the values of listening and taking time to build rapport

2. Troubleshoot some of the barriers when taking time to listen

3.  Describe some examples of active listening

Take Aways- your bite-sized educational noms

• Culture- of the learning/treatment environment, histories of clients and stakeholders.

• Communication- appreciative inquiry. Ask purposeful questions. Get comfortable building rapport.

• Context- of the behavior, the speaker, the client. Talk about the rationale for programs and why they are important; what’s the point?

• Contingencies- that progress learning forward, that hinder learning and teaching.

Worth: 1 Type Learning CE, 1 ethics, 0 supervision

References:

- Seligman’s PERMA+ Model Explained: A Theory of Wellbeing.

- Jumping Into the Chaos of Things - David Pitonyak

- Fong, E. H., Catagnus, R. M., Brodhead, M. T., Quigley, S., & Field, S. (2016). Developing the Cultural - Awareness Skills of Behavior Analysts. Behavior analysis in practice, 9(1), 84–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0111-6

- Biglan A. The Need for a More Effective Science of Cultural Practices. Behav Anal. 2016 Feb 4;39(1):97-107. doi: 10.1007/s40614-016-0051-z. PMID: 27606190; PMCID: PMC4883505. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31976264/

- Beaulieu L, Addington J, Almeida D. Behavior Analysts' Training and Practices Regarding Cultural Diversity: the Case for Culturally Competent Care. Behav Anal Pract. 2018 Dec 7;12(3):557-575. doi: 10.1007/s40617-018-00313-6. PMID: 31976264; PMCID: PMC6743533.

- Callahan, K., Foxx, R. M., Swierczynski, A., Aerts, X., Mehta, S., McComb, M. E., Nichols, S. M., Segal, G., Donald, A., & Sharma, R. (2019). Behavioral Artistry: Examining the Relationship Between the Interpersonal Skills and Effective Practice Repertoires of Applied Behavior Analysis Practitioners. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 49(9), 3557–3570. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04082-1

Purchase CEUS for $8 at: https://atypicalba.com/product/ce-certification/

Have some interstellar discussion on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/atypicalba

Check out us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atypicalba/

Don't need CEUs but want to support the show? Click here to donate to the adventure: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AtypicalBA

Contact us at: [email protected], [email protected]

Intro Music- "Message in a Bottle"- Sting and the Police

Music by: www.purple-planet.com

Graphic by: Nikko Macaspac at Unsplash

Behavior analysis is not the only method people turn to when they seek to improve their quality of life. Some people utilize other methodologies such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy. But is it so different than behavior analysis? Come explore the similarities and differences between CBT and ABA and maybe learn that we have more in common than we originally thought.

Learning Objectives:

- Describe the similarities between CBT and behavior analysis.

- Provide examples of parallels in behavior analytic research to CBT.

- List some cognitive distortions and create operational definitions.

- Describe some potential replacement behaviors for the distortions.

Take Aways- your bite-sized educational noms

- CBT can be applicable in many settings, including those in which BCBAs often find themselves.

- Cognitive distortions can be described in observable and measurable terms.

- Replacement thoughts and behaviors can be developed with the clinician and client and can be defined in such a way that allows for data collection.

- The Constructional Approach (Israel Goldiamond) uses similar data collection methods: environment, emotions, etc.

Worth: 1 Type Learning CE, 0 ethics, 0 supervision

Purchase CEUS for $8 at: https://atypicalba.com/product/ce-certification/

Have some interstellar discussion on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/atypicalba

Check out us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atypicalba/

Don't need CEUs but want to support the show? Click here to donate to the adventure: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AtypicalBA

Contact us at: [email protected], [email protected]

Music by: www.purple-planet.com

Graphic by Nagy Arnold from Upslash.com

“How do you know someone is fluent?” When they demonstrate certain behaviors? Emit certain phrases and buzz words? Complete their SAFMEDS in record time? What about the outcomes we’re usually interested in: understanding what other people are doing and why they are doing it, and describing it in such that a way that ties it to behavioral principles. Meaning, breaking down the information we’re given into relevant behavior elements (Humility Note: don’t break it down and feed it back to them. Please do it in your own head unless they ask you). Once you have your internal translation, use plain language to gauge your own and your listener’s understanding, instead of relying on jargon. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Provide definitions of fluency in both behavior analytic and layman’s terms. 

2. Describe the values of being fluent in one’s practice and science.  

3. Describe ways to assess fluency.

Take Aways- your bite-sized educational noms:

- Check your audience: Provide examples with topics that are known and understood in that person’s repertoire and experiences. Forcing jargon doesn’t change a person’s understanding (and it probably doesn’t do great things for rapport and pairing).

- Receive instead of transmit: Instead of prescribing, consider what question to ask next to gain more information and paint a more accurate picture. Operate under the assumption that everyone has something to add. 

- Values of Fluency: Deeper understanding of what other people are doing and why they are doing it, efficacy, improved perspective taking. 

- Something to consider- we require new practitioners (RBTS, newly certified BCBAs,and BCaBAs) to use perfect jargon when answering questions, interacting with other professionals and stakeholders, yet, they lack experience. How does this style of training potentially hinder the progress of our field and consumers?

Worth: 1 Learning , 0 ethics, 0 supervision

Purchase CEUS for $8 at: https://atypicalba.com/product/ce-certification/

Have some interstellar discussion on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/atypicalba

Check out us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atypicalba/

Don't need CEUs but want to support the show? Click here to donate to the adventure: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AtypicalBA

Contact us at: [email protected], [email protected]

Music by: www.purple-planet.com

In this episode of the Atypical Behavior Analyst, we venture inwards to discuss self-awareness. We begin by stating what it is and reviewing the potential benefits to the service provider, clients, and their stakeholders. We then provide you with information on how to increase self-awareness, to include how that can be done in a behavior analytic manner.

In an effort to fine-tune the work that we do as behavior analysts, improving our abilities to help our clients and their stakeholders, we explore self-awareness – what it is, its benefits, the disadvantages associated with limited self-awareness, and how to increase it.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe various definitions of self-awareness and their critical components

2. Provide benefits of increasing both internal and external self-awareness and disadvantages of limited self-awareness in our professional and personal lives

3. Evaluate the benefits of teaching self-awareness to others, including supervisees, stakeholders, and clients

4. Describe how to work on and increase your self-awareness

5. State the similarities between assessing client behavior and working on self-awareness

Take Aways- your bite-sized educational noms

- Self-awareness can be described in a variety of ways. Broken down behaviorally, self-awareness is the behavior of responding to certain variables in the environment with the outcome being a change in behavior.

- You can use self-monitoring as a technique to improve your own self-awareness. Provide a place for others to give feedback, ask questions and seek out information.

- Behavior analytic breakdown: critical variable/event occurs- quickly review the context of the behavior and environment- respond in a more preventative way.

- Questions to further self-awareness should include more “what” questions instead of “why”. “What” furthers changes in behaviors instead of ruminating on past events.

Worth: 1 Type Learning CE, 0 ethics, 0 supervision

Purchase CEUS for $8 at: https://atypicalba.com/product/ce-certification/

Have some interstellar discussion on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/atypicalba

Check out us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atypicalba/

Don't need CEUs but want to support the show? Click here to donate to the adventure: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AtypicalBA

Contact us at: [email protected], [email protected]

Music by: www.purple-planet.com

Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash

You’ve set your coordinates and are on the adventure of a lifetime. But what happens when your course gets thrown off by a passing meteor or you find yourself trapped in an unexpected asteroid field? Come with us as we learn to navigate these events by finding how the principles of behavior analysis can be applied across multiple settings and a variety of performers.

In this episode we meet with Becky Herring, Procurement Operations Project Management at Lockheed Martin. She regales us with stories of how her original course took an unexpected turn and what she learned exploring different career paths. She describes how her behavior analytic skills generalized to the various work settings she found herself. Becky also provides examples on garnering information on preferences for reinforcement and feedback when working with adults in large corporations- surveys and Likert Scales can provide useful information!

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe how performance management systems can look across various settings and levels of administration.

2. Provide examples of similarities and differences when working with different types of performers and learners.

3. Create organization-based preference assessments for staff that are inclusive of multiple methods of praise and reward systems.

4. Once feedback and information are received, determine how the feedback will be reviewed and implemented across the organizational system.

Take Aways- your bite-sized educational noms

- Keep an open mind: Your career may change. Your goals may change. It’s okay.

- ABA will sneak into all aspects of your life: Parenting. Significant others. Advice for friends.

- Build your network: In Becky’s experience, more opportunities arose due to who she knew, rather than what she knew.

- Find 1-2 mentors: 1 that has similar goals, aspirations, successes; Another that is different and can show you new ways of thinking

Worth: 1 Type Learning CE, 0 ethics, 0 supervision

Purchase CEUS for $8 at: https://atypicalba.com/product/ce-certification/

Have some interstellar discussion on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/atypicalba

Check out us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atypicalba/

Don't need CEUs but want to support the show? Click here to donate to the adventure: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AtypicalBA

Contact us at: [email protected], [email protected]

Music by: www.purple-planet.com

What do Atilla the Hun, Notorious B.I.G., and behavior analysis have in common? Tune in to find out! We meet again with our across-the-pond pals to talk about interacting with humans on a less robotic level. For some of us, these skills don’t come easily, and we often fail to realize the power behind our interactions.

Come with us on a reflective journey where we discuss the value of complex internal behaviors and how our intentions may not always hit their mark. We can’t see the galaxy for the stars; we’ve become so focused on goals at hand that we’ve overlooked all the staff, caregivers, and clients behavior that are standing in the way. So buckle in, adjust your ear buds, and prepare for your inflight discussion on the value of evaluating our own public and private behavior and the impact on the work we set out to accomplish.

Learning Objectives:

Take Aways- your bite-sized educational noms

- Identify interpersonal skills where you feel you could use improvement.

- Ask a trusted friend, colleague, cohort to give you feedback on the selected behavior.

- Actively practice the skill so they can provide you feedback.

- Make action steps to change interactions based on feedback.

· Actively move the field forward by using and modeling interpersonal skills for others

Worth: 1 Type Learning CE, 0 ethics, 1 supervision

Purchase CEUS for $8 at: https://atypicalba.com/product/ce-certification/

Have some interstellar discussion on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/atypicalba

Check out us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atypicalba/

Don't need CEUs but want to support the show? Click here to donate to the adventure: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AtypicalBA

Contact us at: [email protected], [email protected]

Music by: www.purple-planet.com

Intro Music: "Why Can't We Be Friends?" WAR

Kelly here! Have you ever watched an animal training show and thought, “They’re using the same techniques I do with my clients!”? Or have you tried to train your pet to perform on command during your zoom calls in an attempt save your sanity during quarantine and lockdown? Then congrats! You’ve seen how behavior analysis can also be applied to the animal world. In this conversation, we’ll discuss some other similarities between working with humans and working with animals, in this case, dogs. Today, I meet with Laura Perkins (socially distanced via Zoom) to discuss her world of animal training, specifically dogs (though we do learn about some other critters she has had the pleasure of working with). She tells us about her history in behavior analysis, her experiences dog training in a pre- and post- pandemic world, and some of the discussions that go on in the animal training community. She also provides some cool resources and information for those interested.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the behavior analytic principles applied during animal training and compare their implementation to working with other organisms.

2. Evaluate the similarities and differences between working with humans and working with animals.

3. Describe how professional development can look in various applications of behavior analysis outside of human performance.

Take Aways- your bite-sized educational noms

- Same science, same principles, different organisms.

- There are similarities in treating animals and treating humans such as toilet training, sibling training, shaping and reinforcement.

- There are several avenues to explore in animal training: zoos, rescues, personal consultant, shows and competitions to name a few

Worth: 1 Type Learning CE, 0 ethics, 0 supervision

Purchase CEUS for $8 at: https://atypicalba.com/product/ce-certification/

Have some interstellar discussion on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/atypicalba

Check out us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atypicalba/

Don't need CEUs but want to support the show? Click here to donate to the adventure: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AtypicalBA

Contact us at: [email protected], [email protected]

Music by: www.purple-planet.com

References:

www.lauraperkinsanimalbehavior.com/

http://sipsofscience.com/

What happens when behavior analysts stateside meet with behavior analysts across the pond? You get the Cross Polli-nation Podcast! Meet Paddy and Jo, the hosts of PBS Matters in the UK. (!!IMPORTANT NOTE PBS is different in the UK than PBS in United States!!) We discuss finding common ground not just with ourselves, but the other lifeforms we come across in our journey. Expanding and improving one’s range of knowledge and skill should be actively sought after through experience, supervision, and collaboration. Part of our ethical code as behavior analysts states that we should be educating ourselves, furthering our skills, and expanding our repertoires. Unfortunately, for a lot of us, we tend to stay in our comfort zone, the behavior analytic echo chamber, where we talk to people who share the same ideas and concerns of ours. But that’s not how we grow as organisms or as a field. In an effort to find common ground amongst ourselves (even if we’re several miles or kilometres apart) but also with those with whom we work alongside. In this first part of the CPP- Finding Common Ground, we talk about ways to expand your range as a behavior analyst.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss the value in having a range of experience and supervisors throughout your behavior analytic career including outside of your area of emphasis.

2. Discuss the importance of communication and collaboration with others outside of the field .

3. Describe how these factors can contribute to finding common ground amongst behavior analysts and the world.

Take Aways- your bite-sized educational noms

1. You can expand your repertoire and knowledge by extending communication to people and opportunities outside the field.

2. While our science is really cool, other fields and sciences are doing equally cool things and if we combine our “powers”, we can do a whole lot of good.

3. If you’re a supervisor, make sure to speak about and model communication with others outside of our field as well as with each other.

Worth: 1.5 Type Learning CE, 0 ethics, 1.5 supervision

Purchase CEUS for $8 at: https://atypicalba.com/product/ce-certification/

Have some interstellar discussion on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/atypicalba

Check out us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atypicalba/

Don't need CEUs but want to support the show? Click here to donate to the adventure: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AtypicalBA

Contact us at: [email protected], [email protected]

Music by: www.purple-planet.com

Intro Music: "Why Can't We Be Friends?" WAR

https://pbsmatters.wordpress.com/

https://www.bild.org.uk/about-pbs/

Sellers, T. P., Valentino, A. L., & LeBlanc, L. A. (2016). Recommended Practices for Individual Supervision of Aspiring Behavior Analysts. Behavior analysis in practice, 9(4), 274–286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0110-7

Sellers, T. P., LeBlanc, L. A., & Valentino, A. L. (2016). Recommendations for Detecting and Addressing Barriers to Successful Supervision. Behavior analysis in practice, 9(4), 309–319. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-016-0142-z

Per the latest data on the BACB website regarding professional areas of emphasis, most BCBAs are working with children with autism. Join us as we take a short jaunt to a nearby planet as we discuss how the science of behavior analysis is applied to working with adults with disabilities. There are several similarities when working with humans, regardless of age, but there are several potential variables that make working with adults with disabilities a different sort of challenge.

While at first glance, working with other persons who may be close in age if not older than ourselves may seem daunting, it can best be reviewed through a behavior analytic lens. While the applications may look different (eg reinforcers, program methodologies) the science remains the same. In this episode we discuss four differences that behavior analysts working with adults will encounter. We also provide some ideas for solutions and strategies for working through these variables.

Learning Objectives:

1. Recall the value of expanding experience and opportunities both professionally and personally.

2. Compare and contrast some of the variables between working with children with disabilities compared to adults with disabilities.

3. Understand the importance of these mitigating strategies and discuss how to include them in treatment planning.

4. Describe and create methods and strategies that can assist with the creation of more inclusive treatment recommendations.

Take-Aways: your bite-sized educational noms:

• Working with adults has similarities to working with children, but there are some key areas of difference.

• These difference include: the learner’s themselves, the stakeholders, the behaviors of concern, and the methods and strategies used with adults.

• These differences are more easily worked through when you work with others through  building rapport and actively listening.

Worth: 1 Type Learning CE, 0 ethics, 0 supervision

Purchase CEUS for $8 at: https://atypicalba.com/product/ce-certification/

Have some interstellar discussion on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/atypicalba

Check out us out on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atypicalba/

Don't need CEUs but want to support the show? Click here to donate to the adventure: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/AtypicalBA

Contact us at: [email protected], [email protected]

Music by: www.purple-planet.com