Function Junction:Behavior Matters

Susan and Cissy share about being thankful and have a discussion about how "thank you" fits into verbal behavior.  November is a great time to reflect on things for which we are thankful and, of course, behavior analysts have to take apart the behavioral aspect of things people do.  Have a listen and see if you agree.  Feel free to share your disagreement (or agreement) with the answer to the question at the end.

Join Susan and Cissy for the second half of their conversation with Kathy Hearsey.  Kathy is the Director of Training for TEACCH at UNC.  She is bound to make you think about the whole child, the whole person, and what is important in the long run. Her years of training and experience come through in the ease with which she talks about serving others.  Stay for the question at the end.

Have a listen to Susan's and Cissy's conversation with Kathy Hearsey.  Kathy is the Director of Training at UNC's TEACCH and one of the author's of the Task Galore book series.  Teachers all over the world have benefited from her training and most probably have each of the books.  She has many years of experience working in the field of autism and her love for people comes through.  We hope you enjoy listening to one of the experts in the field.  We have a question for you at the end.

Cissy talks with Susan about how she and her husband were semi-lost on a trail in Ohio.  They managed to find their way back to their car and laughed along the way.  Have a listen about how behavioral principles come into play even when we are having fun on vacation.  Stay for the question.

Here is the rest of this most recent conversation with Chris and Lucinda.  It is wonderful to hear how they have learned from and helped one another.  We should all see that our path to success is ever changing and always under construction.  Susan and Cissy hope you enjoy these two as much as they did.  There is a question at the end as usual.

Susan and Cissy have another conversation with Lucinda and Chris Thelan and this is the first half of that conversation.  Chris talks about a recent keynote speech he gave.  He does a beautiful job talking about how success can look different for each person.   You will be convinced that he is certainly successful. You can find Chris's keynote speech at https://cdd.tamu.edu/service-outreach/bcs-success-conference/. He also talks about ways he found to get himself more active.  Cissy and Susan hope you enjoy this conversation as much as they did.  There will be a question at the end.

John Ross Palmer is a wonderful Houston artist whose artwork is in places like Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, the Jung Center,  and amazing restaurants.  His work is a part of the collections of the Dalai Lama, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.  He clearly sees how the science of behavior is a part of art.  Have a listen to how he has used his passion to help others artist be able to pursue their passion. Enjoy and stay for the question.

Teresa Peterson continues her conversation with Susan and Cissy.  She tells us about her son's self-advocacy and her own learning of how to help him communicate to get to what he wanted.  All their work made big differences in his life - from being a part of the high school football team to finding work that he enjoys.  Whether the children you love have learning differences or not, you can learn good strategies from Teresa.  Stay for the question.  As always, thank you for listening.

Susan and Cissy have a great conversation with Teresa Peterson about the impact her son had on her life as she worked to make things happen for him.  Originally, the diagnosis was a bit scary, but she started gathering information and advocating for him.  This led to overcoming some of her own learning challenges.  Her story of overcoming those challenges is amazing.  As she worked to find ways to help her son, she found a very rewarding career in helping people with post traumatic stress disorder.  Have a listen to the first part of that conversation and stay for the question.

Susan and Cissy have read articles and heard talk that some people think ABA is harmful and should be eliminated.  They discuss their thoughts and potential reasons people may have a negative opinion.  Of course, they see the field as trying to make a positive impact in the kindest way.  Have a listen and let the podcast know your thoughts.  Stay for the question at the end.