What began as Rob’s excuse to talk about his favorite Mario games turned into a long discussion of research about gamification and its role (if any) in improving human behavior. We review the literature, the theory, and the anecdotes around this hot hot trend in every field from education to environmentalism. Is gamification the Fortnite of pro ...…

In a world where individuals with mental health needs are struggling, could acceptance and commitment training be the answer? We chat with Dr. Adam Hahs to learn all about this third-wave behavior therapy, its procedure, the research, and exactly how the phrase “milk, milk, milk” could help parents with autism. Articles discussed this episode: ...…

While it might be the shortest month of the year, ABA Inside Track is running long on exciting content. Switching up our preview format a bit, we’re here to tell you everything coming up in the ENTIRE MONTH! That’s right: Three full-length episodes in a row! We’ll be talking about acceptance and commitment training with our special guest, Dr. A ...…

It’s a belated birthday episode for Diana! In her honor we’re talking about joint attention, one of the primary deficits noted in most children with autism. This week we discuss what joint attention is, which treatments are effective for improving responses and initiation to joint attention, and how a trip to Uncle Moe’s Family Feedbag might be ...…

While Diana deals with a diaper change, Rob and Jackie enjoy some time together talking about joint attention in this week’s preview. After a quick update on some great journal articles to read for next week’s episode, we jump into errata featuring some emails and a reminder to get your tickets to the Behavior Analyst Leadership Council Confere ...…

Treating chronic absenteeism and school-refusal behavior is a growing need in many parts of the world. Heck, we even did a whole episode on it! Luckily, we have dedicated psychologists like Dr. Christopher Kearney working to meet these challenges through research and writings for professionals and for parents. Dr. Kearney joins Rob on the show ...…

So, you learned a new skill. That’s great! But can you use that skill over here? How about here? What about with these items? If you said no, perhaps you’d be interested in hearing all about general-case analysis, a nifty classic technique that provides all the handy-dandy steps you need to promote amazing response generalization. Plus, we reme ...…

Ever want to train an individual in a new skill but don’t know how the heck you’re going to be able to promote its generalization? And do you think there’s enough time to train on every possible combination of stimuli? There’s got to be a better way!! And next week, we’ll be talking all about that way: General-case instruction. But first, errat ...…

As 2018 draws to a close, we gather round together with our pal Matt Cicoria from the Behavioral Observations podcast to discuss what’s been going down with applied behavior analysis in the past 365 days. We talk losses, changes, and where we think 2019 will take us as a field. Happy Holidays, everyone!…

It’s our very first LIVE recording from the floor of BABAT 2018. This year we took part in a panel discussion on dissemination of behavior analysis, our favorite topic. And we even brought our very own data! Thanks to the organizers of the BABAT conference and to everyone who took our survey. And huge thanks to everyone who attended our panel. ...…

After the world has moved on, bands of wild behavior analysts roam the deserts, searching for reinforcement wherever it can be found. Yet there are still tales. Tales of the last research journal library, home of the mythical grab bag wherein the full repository of behavior analytic knowledge still remains. Many pseudoscientists scoff at these ...…

Because we can’t be bothered to come up with a theme when an episode hits a multiple of 12, it’s another fun research grab bag. Hooray! And this time we run the gamut of research from ages 9-99. But first, fun with astral projection and your emails. Articles for next episode: Fritz, J.N., Dupuis, D.L., Wu, W., Neal, A.E., Rettig, L.A., & Lastra ...…

This week we’re joined by special guest, Dr. Solandy Forte, of Milestones Behavioral Services, to help us to gain a better understanding of the issue of cultural competence. It’s a very client-centered episode which lays out the positives and pitfalls that improved cultural understanding can bring. Articles discussed this episode: Fong, E.H., C ...…

While I think all of us at ABA Inside Track are pretty with it, woke, and progressive, that doesn’t mean that we don’t have room to grow, especially in the area of cultural competence. So, like any good behavior analysts, we found some research and reached out to an expert to wisen us up. But, before that happens, we celebrate a listener birthd ...…

We’ve got nothing but mand after mand for our special guest, Dr. Sarah Lechago. And when we stop asking about her cool model volcano, we finally get to the heart of her research on teaching children with autism to mand for information. How does she do it, you ask? Sorry, your podcast player can’t respond. You’ll just have to listen to the whole ...…

Our live recording wasn’t the only awesome thing happening at the Thompson Center for Autism’s 2018 Conference. We had the chance to chat with some of the other speakers about their research and favorite moments from the show. We also talked with a number of presenters at the student poster session. Plus, Rob finds a way to play video games. Th ...…

Where? Who? How? are just some of the mands for information we have coming up on next week’s episode. And rather than answer these questions by ourselves, why not mand for information from someone who researches mands for information, Dr. Sarah Lechago. In the meantime, we respond to your mands for information in errata with our normal preview- ...…

This week we’re coming to you LIVE from our taping at the Thompson Center for Autism Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. Thanks so much to all of the organizers for giving us a great venue for our very first live recording of the show. Our topic was all about the transition to college for students with autism. We review some trends and possible ...…

Good news, everyone! More students with autism are attending college than ever before. Bad news, everyone! Many of these students are still struggling to graduate. What are the critical pieces of transition planning that have been underdeveloped? Next week, we’ll be discussing some research on the subject at our very first LIVE taping of ABA In ...…

When crisp fall air strikes, you know that the BABAT conference is about to get underway. This year, we celebrate New England’s coolest conference for behavior analysts by talking with some of the students featured at the evening poster session. Then, to honor the last BABAT held at scenic UMass Amherst, we gather some dear friends around two p ...…

We wrap up our two-part book club covering Dr. Glen Latham’s The Power of Positive Parenting by sharing some of our favorite chapters including dealing with tantrums, developing self-esteem, and what to do when everything goes to hell. Plus, our final reviews of the book and whether we think it’s right for you. And hilarious parenting anecdotes ...…

Wondering if you’ve got what it takes to be a positive parent? Find yourself needing the greatest parenting tips for the families you work with? Terrified that you keep coming back to the old “yell at the kids until they behave” strategy your parents used? Well, let ABA Inside Track’s second annual book club pick, The Power of Positive Parentin ...…

Fresh off our last multi-part episodes comes another multi-part episode. For the next two weeks, we’ll be holding our annual book club and discussing Dr. Glen Latham’s book, the Power of Positive Parenting. In the meantime Jackie explains just how much online learning is too much and Rob attempts to apologize and to usher in a new age of conver ...…

Are you tired of spending hours running session after session to find the function of a problem behavior? Do you find yourself scoring tape into the wee hours of the night, shaking your head and saying, “There’s got to be a quicker way”? Well, Dr. Josh Jessel is here to tell us how we can find maintaining variables in as little as 30 minutes. S ...…

Next week we’ll be joined by Dr. Josh Jessel to discuss how the IISCA and latency measurements can make functional analysis run faster than you could ever imagine. But first, watch Rob opine over the best fall activities to do in New England. Articles for next episode: Thomason-Sassi, J.L., Iwata, B.A., Neidert, P.L., & Roscoe, E.M. (2011). Res ...…

If you enjoyed excerpts from our conversation with Dr. Hughes-Lika about supervision and technology, then you’re going to love the full interview. The sky’s the limit with technology in the hands of a BCBA and we run down some of the coolest tech apps out there with an eye towards what the future may hold. Resource Links: Mentimeter Kahoot Goog ...…

It’s been a wonderful September full of supervision and we round out this group of episodes with a review of the best ways to train others. Surprisingly, the answer includes even more training. Plus stories of our first jobs, Mickey Mouse’s first words, and first steps towards skill competency. The rationale for listening to our podcast is exce ...…

The supervision train rolls on, but, if you’re not careful, might end up in one of the many many pitfalls strewn along the way to becoming the best BCBA supervisor ever. Luckily we’re here to review how to start your supervision off on the right foot and the top 5 tips to stay on top of your game. And when we take a quick break from the main to ...…

Supervision September 2 starts off this week with a look at the future of supervision. Namely, we discuss updates to supervision for BCBA trainees as laid out this past year by the BACB. Then, after the dry stuff, Rob talks with Dr. Jamie Hughes-Lika of Summit Autism Services about some technology tools that may make your supervision a little e ...…

Back in time for the start of the new school year, it's our 2nd (annual?) Supervision September! All this month, we have episodes devoted solely to supervision: Supervision and technology, barriers to supervision, and supervision in training others. That's three episodes on supervision in a row! Plus, we unveil our exciting survey on technology ...…

This week, we're discussing asking for help and ways to improve this important life skill. We discuss basic requests for help, how to prevent overgeneralization of the response, and high- and low-tech solutions for asking for help when lost. Plus, Rob goes out of his way to make the absolute worst jokes possible in a feeble attempt to lighten t ...…

No one makes it through this crazy world alone. Whether a full-grown adult or a child with disabilities, everyone needs to be able to ask for help once in a while. But what happens when you keep asking for help all the time? Or your need help but don't know who to ask or where you are? Next week we'll be reviewing articles that have the answers ...…

STOP! Before you start using that discontinuous data sampling system in your program, listen to special guest, Dr. Mary-Katherine Carey, join us for a discussion of its pros and cons. We'll review previous and recent research to determine whether discontinuous data systems really do save a lot of time, whether sampling data can ruin student pro ...…

Ever sit down to take data and, as you're writing down all those pluses and minuses, tell yourself, "There's got to be a better way"? Well, I've got some good news and some bad news for you! Next week, we're talking with the newly-minted Dr. Carey about discontinuous data systems and the good, the bad, and the ugly about their use. But first, a ...…

It's our most popular episode type: Grab bag! And by popular, I mean popular to us because we get to read whatever articles we want to! This week, Rob sits down at the ol' baby grand and plays a tune about stimulus equivalence, Diana neutrally praises the effort, and Jackie eats all the poison we left on the floor. Perhaps our most disjointed e ...…

What's that sound coming across the misty moors? Some folks say a grab bag full of behavior analytic articles roams these dark plains, searching for a podcast to eat. Legend tells of a team of BCBAs who will tame the grab bag and bring its research to the ABA community. Might you be the ones the legend speaks of? Articles for next episode: Grif ...…

Though Rob may prefer to hit PAWS when it comes to talking about canines, Jackie and Diana have a howling good time on this week's episode all about dog behavior and behavior analysis. Wondering how functional analysis methodology can be used to treat dog challenging behavior? Or how shelter workers can actually be taught to train dogs on the c ...…

To celebrate America's birthday, we're finally giving Jackie her wish and doing an entire episode devoted to puppies. Specifically, dog behavior analysis. After a montage of dog pictures featuring sad Sarah Mclachan music, dry your tears to prepare for some summer reading assignments in Errata. Do you have ideas for ABA Inside Track episodes? E ...…

Not a day goes by that the treatment and care for children with autism and their families isn't in the news. Sadly, many recent headlines have focused on the alarming challenges that these families face in looking for effective treatment (i.e., ABA) even with the sweeping changes to insurance coverage of autism treatment signed into law in near ...…

Ah, the beautiful summer weather is finally upon us. And what better time to talk about how hard it is for some students to attend school. Is it bad teaching? Permissive parents? School anxiety? How the heck are we supposed to find out the function of school refusal behavior? Fortunately, Dr. Christopher Kearney and colleagues have been studyin ...…

So, when does, "Mommy, I don't wanna go to school" move beyond a frustrating way to start the day to a serious problem? Next week, we're talking all about the phenomenon of school-refusal behavior and what you can do to help. In the meantime we bring up some life-affirming quotes and get a glimpse at Rob's most prized possession. Articles for n ...…

This week we're researching the age-old question: Will I be happier by doing stuff or just waiting for the world to reward me? In behavioral terms, we're discussing whether humans prefer contingent or noncontingent reinforcement. After going over two excellent research articles exploring this question through the use of the ever-popular concurr ...…

You enter a hall full of all of your favorite things. The old knight of the Crusade beckons you to him. "Among you are the greatest delights known to humanity. You may engage in whip-cracking tricks to earn them. Or, I can give you one every now and again. You must choose...but choose wisely." And in that moment, you realize: you should have li ...…

This week we're running the gamut of issues facing older adults with dementia. We've got an article about hoarding items, an article about running a functional analysis, and an article about making people feel happy. Spoiler alert: ice cream shops are an evidence-based way to bring joy. But we could have told you that. Articles discussed this e ...…

We're going beyond our years for next week's discussion all about research on behavioral gerontology. But first, in errata, it's the return of the language master! And Diana is going nuts for a new eco-friendly straw. Articles for next episode: Donaldson, J.M., Trahan, M.A., & Kahng, S. (2014). An evaluation of procedures to increase cooperatio ...…

Ever feel like college and graduate classes are too boring for our modern times? Wish there were a way to improve the lecturing experience? Well, you're in luck because special guest Dr. James Soldner agrees and visits the show to share the magic of Interteaching. We'll run down his research on the subject and get a crash course on how this beh ...…

Two big things to keep in mind as we prepare for a full-length episode on interteaching with special guest, Dr. James Soldner. First, we find out the results of April's Autism Awareness fund drive to raise money for Autism Compassion Africa. Let's just say that we don't think Whitney's school in Ghana will be running low on chairs anytime soon! ...…

From vocal tics to biting nails, we've got you covered in this week's episode on the use of habit reversal. Rob shares what might be the ultimate resource guide to this nifty treatment package while Diana and Jackie describe the long, hard road behavior analysis took to make habit reversal an accepted intervention for Tourette disorder. That me ...…

Happy Earth Day, everyone! While we know not everyone will be spending today completely updating their lifestyle to be more eco-friendly, you can at least listen to one of our older episodes to hear a discussion of some research ideas on how you might go about being a bit kinder to the planet going forward. This episode was originally broadcast ...…

It's not quite RIRD; it's not quite CBT. It's: Habit reversal! And it's what we'll be talking about in our full-length episode next week. In the meantime Rob fears he's being entrapped by the BACB and we remind listeners to get CEs so we can donate all our fees to Autism Compassion Africa. Only two weeks left in April so listen, listen, listen! ...…