The ABA and PT Podcast

Mandy and Aditi discuss why professionals from the two fields find it difficult to be friends. The hosts debunk the biggest myths of their practices and explain the reasons behind this stereotyping. 

They also perform a role-play and introduce the ABA and OT Ice Breaker that members from either profession can use to open a conversation that fosters collaboration and leads to positive results.

HIGHLIGHTS

06:27 Honoring Dr. Jose Martinez-Diaz

13:52 Myth 1: OT and ABA have different guiding theories   

16:42 Myth 2: ABAs don't need the expertise of anybody else  

20:57 Myth 3: Behavioral intervention results in robotic skills that don't generalize

23:25 Myth 4: OTs don't base on evidence or measure data 

26:38 Myth 5: OT's are all about sensory, 

30:17 Myth 6: ABAs don't consider intrinsic factors

33:13 Myth 7: ABA is all about discreet trial 

35:28 Role-playing the ABA and OT Ice Breaker

Ice Breaker questions:

1. "That's how my session looked. How does your session look, Mandy?"

2. "What are the underlying component skills for handwriting that he's missing to assist us to get him to form those letters?"

3. "I can definitely expose you to some of those and if it's something you can incorporate into your session, I think it would be a win for both of us."

4. "I'm excited at those measures that you have, and I say measures because that's what you're recounting to me. I'm excited that we can measure some of those things and provide interventions and look at response."

5. "Mandy, would you be open to another thought here? When I work with Sam..."

6. "Is it behavior that I've reinforced in some way? Is it both? Is it just one? Is that something that you and I could really tease out and figure out?"

RESOURCES

Join our The ABA and OT Podcast Facebook Group to get access to the following resources:

- ‘The OT & ABA Icebreaker’ : questions to get the collaboration started.

Facebook group link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/397478901376425

EXTERNAL RESOURCES

Interprofessional Collaborative Practice between Occupational Therapists and Behavior Analysts for Children with Autism - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336314593_Interprofessional_Collaborative_Practice_between_Occupational_Therapists_and_Behavior_Analysts_for_Children_with_Autism

Calkin, A.B. Inner behavior: Empirical investigations of private events. BEHAV ANALYST 25, 255–259 (2002) - https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03392063

QUOTES

20:05 "It's a myth because in fact behavior analysts with their interactions with their own governing bodies are required to refer to experts in specific areas beyond their area of practice."

21:35 "Poor application of the science of medicine might misdiagnose or prevent recovery from heart failure just like the poor application of behavioral science might prevent skills from showing up where they are needed."

26:21 "I do think OTs can do better with data even though we have a different time frame that we work in. There's a huge push in OT to take data."

28:04 "Now in the US, OTs are becoming a lot more cognizant of behavior and not just sitting there blindly and saying okay, it's sensory and that's it."

31:04 "Some behavior is either impossible or very difficult to measure so it looks like we're disregarding it. It's just that we care so much about measurement and improvement."

34:01 "Unfortunately, in this country, the understanding of ABA is seen through repeated discreet trials with young children with autism. And this is not the science of behavior analysis and this is not applied behavior analysis."

36:00 "You have to get really comfortable saying things like 'thank you for that idea or tip' to the OT or ABA."

In this debut episode of The ABA & OT Podcast, Mandy and Aditi discuss the goals of the podcast which center on inter-professional collaboration, education on challenging behavior, and having conversations on the wealth of intersections between the two fields.

Mandy tells the story of her daughter's autism which sparked her interest in applied behavioral analysis (ABA). Similarly, Aditi also shares her journey in occupational therapy (OT) and her goal to treat her son's ADHD. The two then discuss how they realized their common goals and agreed to start this podcast.

HIGHLIGHTS

00:31 The ABA & OT Podcast: What it is and what it's not

05:41 Meeting Mandy: Her journey to understand her daughter's autism 

13:55 Meeting Aditi: Her quest to treat her son's ADHD 

16:19 Realizing a common goal and starting the podcast 

RESOURCES

Join our The ABA and OT Podcast Facebook Group to get access to the following resources:

- The History of ABA and OT complete with links and videos

Facebook group link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/397478901376425

QUOTES

01:28 "Like so many things that are valued but difficult to attain, such as fine wine or even marriage, effective teamwork, collaboration is an art as much as it is science. It requires a great deal of practice, patience, and nurturing to flourish." 

03:26 "What does it mean when she says Johnny needs proprioceptive input? Or when a behavior therapist discusses the importance of differential reinforcement? Whether you're a behavior therapist or an OT, we want to make your life easier."

11:28 "The consequence matters. In other words, what happens after a behavior determines if it's going to happen again."

18:20 "As I start to read more and learn from you, I start to get really excited about the underpinnings of OT, and really, how our vision is the same and that is to engage people in meaningful pursuits and to help people overcome obstacles."