PBS The Podcast

In this episode, Menna explores the gap between knowing words and being able to use them spontaneously in everyday situations. We discuss language retrieval, processing, confidence, and the different reasons a child may understand far more than they can express. Menna also shares practical strategies parents and educators can use to help children communicate more confidently and effectively.

Nour Teebi is an Occupational Therapist with over five years of experience supporting children and adolescents across school, daycare, and clinical settings. She has worked with families to provide comprehensive assessments, environmental observations, and home and school consultations tailored to each child's individual strengths and needs.

Nour has experience in occupational therapy assessments, sensory-based intervention, and developing comprehensive occupational profiles that support children in participating more independently and confidently in their daily activities and routines. Her clinical experience includes working with children with autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, ARFID, and other developmental and complex support needs. She is passionate about helping children build meaningful skills, improve self-regulation, and achieve functional goals that enhance their quality of life.

In this episode, Mariam Azzazi explores the important role of shadow teachers in supporting children within the classroom and the impact that effective training can have on a child’s learning, development, and independence. We discuss the essential skills a well-trained shadow teacher should have, from understanding a child’s individual needs to knowing when and how to provide the right level of support. The conversation also looks at how over-supporting or poorly implemented support can unintentionally limit a child’s independence, and why the ultimate goal should be to help children become increasingly confident and capable within their learning environment. Communication is another key focus, as we explore the importance of strong collaboration between the shadow teacher, school team, and parents. Mariam shares insight into why shadow teachers may struggle when they lack the necessary training, guidance, or understanding of their responsibilities and what can be done to better prepare and support them

Shireena El Gallal, M.S., CCC-SLP is a medical Speech-Language Pathologist specializing in pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders, stuttering, voice, and craniofacial disorders. She has over 10 years of experience working at a leading children's hospital in the United States and has extensive experience across both pediatric and adult medical settings. Shireena earned her master's degree from the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston and is passionate about providing evidence-based, family-centered care while raising awareness on communication and feeding difficulties.

Nour Howaidak holds an Honors Degree from the University of Wales and a Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Nour began her career as a Nursery Teacher, where she first encountered Applied Behavior Analysis six years ago. Since then, she has dedicated herself to using ABA to support children with developmental delays and learning disabilities, with a particular focus on children diagnosed with Autism.

With extensive experience in the field, Nour has worked directly with children to implement evidence-based ABA interventions. She also has a strong background in training new staff on ABA principles and Verbal Behavior techniques. Currently, Nour serves as the Program Manager, overseeing program development and ensuring the delivery of high-quality services.

Amira Refaie, Executive Director of Ataa Fund, explains the importance of partnerships, awareness, and capacity-building in the Egyptian field of disability today. Ataa Fund is a non-profit charitable joint-stock company and is considered the first charitable investment fund in Egypt dedicated to supporting persons with disabilities. Amira shares the process of how projects are designed and implemented through registered civil society organizations, licensed non-governmental organizations, governmental entities, or affiliated bodies involved in charitable activities serving persons with disabilities. 

In this episode, we speak with Aya El Ganzouri about the growing movement toward compassionate Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and what it means in practice for children, families, and practitioners. Together, we explore how ABA has evolved over time and why compassion, respect, and collaboration are now central to effective behavioral support. Aya explains the core principles of compassionate care in ABA, emphasizing the importance of understanding the child’s emotional experience and building trusting relationships. 

In this episode, behavior analyst Menna Mahrous explores the key elements of Selective Mutism, a childhood anxiety disorder that affects a child’s ability to speak in certain social situations despite having the ability to speak comfortably in others. Rather than being a choice or simple shyness, selective mutism is understood as an anxiety-based response where the child’s nervous system enters a “freeze” state in environments that feel overwhelming, such as school or unfamiliar social settings. 

Radwa is a Board- Certified Behavior Analyst BCBA) and have a master’s degree in Applied behavior Analysis & autism (ABA) from the Sage College, New York. She is the founder of Simplify center for behavioral services in Egypt. She is in the autism world since her son got diagnosed with ASD in 2004 and since that time, she dedicated her life to learn and teach herself about evidence- based strategies to help her son and other children live a better life. She started her education and professional life in ABA since 2010. Radwa is providing behavior analytic services to individuals diagnosed with ASD, ADHD, other related disorders, and also to typically developing individuals that are facing problem behaviors, and need to learn new skills. She created “ABA Egypt” Facebook group in 2016 to disseminate the amazing science of ABA. She conducted so many ABA trainings in different topics face to face and remotely to hundreds of people from different Arab/Middle East countries. She is a member in the Association of Behavior Analysis Organization (ABAI), and member in the Professional Advisory Board of the International Behavior Analysis Organization (IBAO) and the Egyptian Ambassador of the World Behavior Analysis Day Organization (WBAD). She has so many things that She like to do in her life, the most important is spending valuable time with her family, reading, Pilates, walking, watching shows, and fishing with her husband.

Mariam is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the American University in Cairo and her Master's degree in Psychology from Arizona State University. After some time, she was awarded her BCBA certification from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board after studying Applied Behavior Analysis through the Florida Institute of Technology. She then started working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with children on the Autism Spectrum and other developmental disabilities.