When you hear the term “BST model,” what comes to mind? Typically, we think of staff training or social skills, but in ABA, we can use it for so much more. Here, we cover the various applications of behavioral skills training in more detail. The more you can practice a scenario in a calm, relaxed environment, the better prepared you are to handle it when it comes up in real life.

We discuss the four distinct parts of BST: instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. We sometimes forget how valuable practice is, so we spend time talking about the importance of rehearsal. We also cover how to incorporate reinforcement and feedback and provide some real-world examples of BST in action.

What’s Inside:

• How to use BST outside of staff training and social skills.
• The importance of rehearsal, or practice.
• How to incorporate reinforcement.

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Blog – What is Behavioral Skills Training (BST)
Bx Blueprint

One of the first things we teach our learners is requesting, or manding. As ABA professionals, it’s important to know why teaching manding is important as well as the best ways to do it, especially with beginner learners. If you’ve ever traveled to another country that doesn’t speak your language, the first thing you’ll want to learn is how to get your basic needs met. Teaching manding is similar in this way, and here we dive into how to best approach it.

Teaching requesting leads to further expressive and receptive language development. When you teach a learner how to get their basic needs met, it lays a good foundation and also reduces negative behaviors. We walk through manding terminology and how to work with non-verbal learners. We also discuss how manding and shaping go together, how to incorporate manding into a session, and more.

What’s Inside:

• Why you should begin with teaching manding around basic needs.
• How to teach manding to non-verbal learners.
• How to incorporate manding into a session.

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Transfer Trial Visual
Video: How to Increase Mean Length of Utterance (MLU)

Starting a small business in ABA can be a challenge. Here, we provide useful tips to reduce overwhelm and make the process run smoothly. Many of us spend the majority of our ABA education learning job-related skills, but we’re not always equipped with the business knowledge needed to run our own clinics. Owning a business is stressful at times, but it’s also extremely rewarding to be your own boss. Business owners are often short on time and wear many hats, but it pays to be organized and delegate when you can.

We start by covering time management and discussing some techniques you can put in place to cut down on stress. Using a calendar, delegation, and saying no to things that take you off task help you take your time back. We talk about how to put the right systems in place, like organizational charts, training, and onboarding programs. We also discuss setting intentions and how to keep yourself on track with your long-term goals.
 

What’s Inside:

• Practical tips for starting and growing an ABA business
• How to better manage your time
• How to stay on track with long-term goals

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CEU Event: How to Scale Your ABA Business Without Burning Out

2023 was an awesome year full of amazing experiences. As we close out the year, we wanted to share everything How to ABA has done through a year in review. One of the most significant things we did was launch our Bx Blueprint, which is a series of videos for paraprofessionals and RBTS. It’s 20 hours of content and it’s perfect for RBTs looking for extra certification for their jobs. It’s also great for onboarding staff and helping them get acclimated to their roles.

One of our major goals at How to ABA is to make your jobs just a little bit easier because we’re in the field doing those jobs as well. We have so much in store for 2024. We’re also in the process of launching another course on executive functioning with Dr. Alan Schnee. Here, we also talk about the guests we’ve had on the podcast this year, the CEUs we’ve offered, and more.

What’s Inside:

• Our launch of the Bx Blueprint and how it can help
• Our collaboration with Dr. Alan Schnee on a new course
• A recap of our guests and offered CEUs

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As BCBAs, part of our job is to target challenging behavior. Here, we discuss how to do so in a compassionate way so that our learners feel safe. Sometimes, our learners just need our empathy and support after a rough day. As behavior analysts, we have to shift our focus from a follow-through perspective to how to best support those we work with. The best solutions to challenging problems often come from providing a safe, welcoming environment.

Having a trauma-informed approach is key, and pushing through sometimes makes challenging behaviors worse. Creating the foundation of a solid relationship should come before we place any real demands on our learners. Our conversation includes how to reframe our perspective to a more compassionate approach, how to build trusting relationships, and how to make environments more enriching and fun.

What’s Inside:

• How to create a safe environment for our learners.
• How to make the learning environment more enriching and fun.
• How to reframe our perspective to a more compassionate approach.

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Episode 061: 7 Steps to Instructional Control with Robert Schramm

Morgan van Diepen is the founder of ABA Visualized, a company whose goal is to make behavioral expertise approachable, accessible, and relatable. As a BCBA working abroad and then with the vibrant international community in Los Angeles, Morgan quickly developed a passion for supporting under-serviced families. She realized the recurring barriers affecting these communities and limiting their access to effective behavioral expertise: long waitlists to learn from expert service providers and an abundance of technical jargon-filled texts.

Morgan then created the ABA Visualized Guidebook, which utilizes step-by-step visuals and approachable language to accomplish that sought-after accessible behavior expertise. Today, ABA Visualized, as a company, has grown to offer a collection of books and trainings available worldwide. Here, Morgan shares insights into the development of ABA Visualized. We also discuss Morgan’s work with behavior plans, dealing with imposter syndrome, and findings from Morgan’s pilot study.


What’s Inside:

• How and why Morgan created ABA Visualized.
• Morgan’s experience with behavior plans and imposter syndrome.
• Data and findings from Morgan’s pilot study.

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ABA Visualized
BIP Visualized

Students aren’t always intrinsically motivated in the classroom. It’s important to include some type of reinforcement for these students to motivate them and encourage more positive behaviors. One of the most common objections we get from teachers is that reinforcement isn’t needed, but there will always be those few learners who have challenges or just can’t keep up. An extra push to get through the day helps those who might be too tired or unmotivated.

Another objection is that classroom reinforcement doesn’t work, but that’s often due to not understanding the key components of a reinforcement system. We discuss how these components help make reinforcement effective and why reinforcement isn’t bribery. We also talk about individual reinforcement systems, group and individual contingencies, and the do’s and don’ts of successful classroom reinforcement programs.

What’s Inside:

• Common objections to classroom reinforcement.
• The difference between bribery and reinforcement.
• Do’s and don’ts of successful classroom reinforcement programs.

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As ABA practitioners, we’re familiar with the terminology of FFCs, which stands for feature, function, and class. Here, we dive into what comes after we teach FFCs and how to assist learners who have a hard time with those “WH” questions. In many cases, we simply teach learners to memorize responses to these questions, but they don’t actually understand what they mean. When we then start to mix and vary questions, it sometimes causes confusion.

We discuss how language develops, the importance of comprehension, and why we need to teach across operants. Sometimes this approach takes a bit longer, but learners can really grasp what’s being taught instead of memorizing an answer. We cover how to handle error correction, how to utilize matching and visuals, and provide information on our upcoming webinar.

Want to go even further on teaching WH questions? Join us on Wednesday, December 6th at 12pm EST for our CEU event Beyond Rote Responding: The Progression of WH Questions.

What’s Inside:

• Why teaching across operants is key when teaching WH questions.
• How to utilize matching and visuals.
• Information on our upcoming webinar.

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YouTube Video – Strategies to Teach WH Questions
WH Questions eBook

The holidays are fast approaching and we’re starting to plan for the upcoming busy season. Parties and gatherings with a lot of people can be stressful and overwhelming for many of our learners. Here, we dive into ways we can help decrease stress throughout the holiday season. The first thing we discuss is how to use a visual schedule. The unpredictable nature of the holidays can really throw off a child’s routine. A schedule provides structure and having it in visual form keeps things front and center.

It also helps if you have time to practice skills or visit locations ahead of time. For example, if holiday plans involve taking a lot of pictures, have a photo shoot beforehand to minimize overwhelm and confusion. We also share tips on how to say no to invitations, designating a safe space for kids to take a break, and how to handle transitions smoothly. 

What’s Inside:

• How a visual schedule can reduce holiday overwhelm.
• How to use priming to practice skills ahead of time.
• How to handle transitions smoothly.

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Ideas for Successful Transitions

Chris Collins is the Executive Director of Ability to Include, and he joins us here for a chat about what he’s been up to in the field. Since the last time we spoke to Chris, he’s expanded his business ventures. Today, he’s focused on social skills within team sports. As an RBT, Chris coached soccer and realized there was room for ABA strategies on and off the field. Currently, Chris works with a variety of different children, including those on the spectrum.

Chris shares insights into inclusion, which has become sort of a buzzword. While many define inclusion as mixing autistic children into a regular classroom setting, for Chris, it goes beyond autism. Kids with medical complexities, learning disabilities, and trauma also face unique challenges and inclusion should be extended to them as well. Our conversation with Chris also includes how he obtains funding, his thoughts on the future of ABA, and why we need better training and development for RBTs.

What’s Inside:

• Why Chris believes inclusion should extend beyond kids with autism.
• How Chris obtains grants and funding.
• Advice for BCBAs looking to run their own programs.

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AbilitytoInclude.org