Today, we're diving into empowering parents and the magic of early intervention through teletherapy with Glory Lichon, founder of Glow Bright Therapy. Glory’s journey started in school-based therapy, but like many SLPs, she faced burnout. That experience led her to create a teletherapy practice focused on early intervention, where parent involvement takes center stage.Without the barrier of school-based settings, early intervention teletherapy actively involves parents, guiding them through s...

I connected with my guest Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author, Dr. Paul Gavoni, on LinkedIn. His work focuses on creating positive and safe cultures by driving meaningful behavior change. He explains that learner behavior often reflects the actions of adults in their environment, a key idea in Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), an application of the science of ABA.Dr. Gavoni describes OBM as "zooming out" to look at how adult behavior impacts learners. He shares a sto...

Today I am joined by Eileen Lamb, founder of the Autism Cafe. I recently shared a video of Eileen’s son, Charlie, that really struck a chord with my audience. It showed how his use of AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) had progressed over time, offering a message of hope for others in similar situations.Eileen talks openly about how tough it can be to share your family’s journey online. Her story started when Charlie began showing signs of autism at 18 months. What began as upda...

From taping in my walk-in closet to experiencing incredible growth and change over the last 199 episodes, it's been an amazing journey. Today, as I record this special episode, I’m also celebrating my 16th wedding anniversary—with none other than today's guest, my husband, Patrick Griffin.Seven years ago, I started ABA Speech with two physical products: Action Builder Cards and Double Up. Since then, I’ve branched out, and in recent years, I've focused heavily on this podcast. In this episode...

Joining me today is the SLP behind the Instagram account @language_processing, Kathleen Oppenheimer. She caught my attention because she consistently shares excellent information on her page about language processing and the research behind it.Gestalt Language Processing (GLP) is a hot topic these days. Kathleen defines GLP as a hypothesis about how language is acquired, in contrast to Analytic Language Processing (ALP). It’s important to note that these terms are not commonly used outside th...

Today, I learned about a new tool in therapy and AAC, speaking with guests Dr. David McNaughton and Dana Patenaude, who collaborated on the research article "Using Visual Scene Displays With Young Children: An Evidence-Based Practice Synthesis," published in the Journal of Special Education Technology.Visual Scene Displays (VSDs) are interactive visual representations, such as photos or images, that depict scenes, objects, or events. They allow users to engage with elements within the image, ...

Approximately 25–30% of autistic children are minimally verbal, often requiring alternative communication methods like Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Jean Jarrett, SLP-BCBA, joins us to continue highlighting AAC during the month of October. Selecting the right AAC system can be overwhelming due to the many factors involved: communication partners, environments, and caregiver involvement. The process requires input from various disciplines, careful planning, and individualiz...

October is AAC Awareness Month! Today’s guest, Chris Bugaj, is the co-host of the *Talking with Tech* podcast, which explores the world of AAC, inclusive design, and the creators, providers, and users behind these systems. As an SLP, Chris realized early in his career that he had a knack for technology, which led to his role on his district's Assistive Technology Team for Inclusive Learning.During our chat, we discussed the history of early AAC devices, their flaws, and how these limitations ...

Are you ready to transform your approach to autism therapy with naturalistic interventions?Introducing my new self-paced CEU course, Naturalistic Interventions for Autistic Learners – Next Steps. This 5-hour course is divided into 7 bite-sized modules covering essential topics like play, social skills, joint attention, parent support, and more!Natural Environment Teaching (NET) is quickly becoming the standard in our field, but how do you get started? Play-based therapy is rich with nuance, a...

Dr. Rick Kubina, a distinguished Professor of Special Education at The Pennsylvania State University, has had a dynamic career, collaborating with prominent figures in the fields of special education and applied behavior analysis (ABA). In our discussion, we delve into a topic that is close to my heart as both a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA): the critical role of data in effective decision-making. Dr. Kubina emphasizes that the foundation of qua...

Linda Thoresen joins me today for a special Member Spotlight. She is an SLP and a member of ABA Speech Connection, and I first met her in her onboarding meeting. During this conversation, Linda shares about her journey from medical therapy to teletherapy. As a seasoned therapist, Linda has been in the field for 20+ years. We discuss the changes in course work from her training to the present day, as well as the change in working with adults to now school-age and autistic learners. She has a g...

There’s been a noticeable shift in the field of behavior analysis, with more BCBAs being hired as full-time employees in public schools. This is a big change from the past, when BCBAs were typically brought in as outside consultants. Schools are now seeing the benefits of having these experts on staff to support students with specialized needs directly in their school environment, rather than sending them out of the district. Today, I spoke with Melissa Connor-Santos, someone I connected with...

Today we welcome returning guest, Cindy Watson. Be sure to check out episode 115, where we discuss Early Intervention Speech Therapy. Along with Cindy, we are joined by MC, Cindy’s youngest daughter. MC shares about her story, autism diagnosis, and her perspective as a middle schooler.Cindy shares about MC’s life pre-diagnosis and the concerns she noticed along the way. Labeled often as “the easy kid”, MC shied away from social settings and talking with peers. And her mom fought judgment as a...

I love hearing from Autistic Adults, and Paige Layle has garnered quite a following on TikTok and Instagram, sharing her story and creating resonating content for her viewers traveling similar journeys.Paige’s recently published memoir, But Everyone Feels This Way: How an Autism Diagnosis Saved My Life, has been an opportunity to reach her followers on a deeper level, connect beyond the internet, and create a resource for those that relate to her story. Just two weeks before her 15th birthday...

Lisa is a BCBA and the mom of 3 boys, including Kruz. He is Lisa’s youngest child and has Autism Spectrum Disorder. You may be familiar with their journey as they share it with you through @CruisingWithKruz on Instagram.During our conversation, Lisa dives into the struggles that take place when it comes to advocating for a diagnosis and the other ones that pile on once you do get it! Waitlists can be excruciatingly long, not only for evaluations but for services too. That’s why it’s key to st...

Parents are an important piece of the team. Today I am talking with Dr. Janie Funk about parent training in ABA. Caregiver engagement is imperative to an individual's success. Dr. Janie explains how her team at Behaven Kids supports parents through a strong team of clinicians with great interpersonal skills, a referral network for access to services in collaboration with other providers, and ensuring systems are in place to support caregiver concerns and questions.Parental support is a mandat...

I always love the opportunity to talk with a parent and hear their story. I feel it really provides an opportunity for learning and growth as a provider. Susanna Peace Lovell, a professional life coach and advocate, joins me to discuss her journey as a parent of a child with autism and her book on the topic, Your True Self is Enough: Lessons Learned on My Journey Parenting a Child with Autism.In her book Your True Self is Enough, Susanna shares her story of being of support and service to par...

“Well, I guess you better figure it out”. Those are words you do NOT want to hear from your CFY supervisor. Supervision in your Clinical Fellowship Year is so important for setting the tone for the rest of your career. Lynn Dudek shares her experience on both sides of the spectrum, from not meeting any of her expectations to exceeding them all. What makes a positive mentor and supervisor? It all comes down to communication and these qualities Lynn lists for us are: being a good communicator, ...

Enjoy this replay from episode 62.Joint attention is closely linked to receptive and expressive language skills, highlighting the power of communication. To build connection before communication, use shared activities like playing with toys, singing songs, and reading books. Even if students aren't fully engaged initially, tracking their baseline data and progressing with goals can lead to impressive transformations and excitement.Toys: Playing with toys in therapy is all about creating inter...

Conflict is part of what we do as a provider in this field. When it comes to helping the most difficult learners, it's no surprise we might find ourselves contentious at IEP meetings, I’ve definitely had my fair share in my 20+ year career. But you CAN get through them with the best interest of the learner at hand. Here are my top 5 tips for navigating contentious IEP meetings:Know the guest list. Who's gonna be there? Lawyers, advocates, etc., you need to know so you can properly prepar...

AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. These are communication devices, systems, strategies and tools that replace or support spoken language. We have talked about this many times on the podcast but I am sharing some top tips for AAC that I have learned along the way during my 20+ years! It’s okay to not have all the answers!! Let this be your mantra. Students will be using different devices and software. You can’t know everything, but you can learn.What access do you...

Even though I started as a school-based SLP, when I found my way to an ABA setting, I also found my true passion to help all autistic learners find communication. Navigating a non-public program can have challenges and is certainly different than working in a school, so I want to share a few of my own gems of wisdom with you!What I wish I knew: 5 tips for working in an ABA setting:It's a different, challenging, and sometimes intense setting. You are working with children who are traditionally...

Are you transitioning into a school-based SLP role? Let me share the gems of wisdom I have learned looking back on my first year in a public school setting. I am back with another short episode for my summer series, sharing 5 top tips and strategies as a school-based SLP!The administrative assistant and the custodian are your best friends, go out of your way to be kind and friendly because they can help you SO much!You will NOT have all the answers. It’s okay to ask when you don't know someth...

Welcome to the Summer Series! I’m going to be doing a series of solo shows on topics and questions I get through the summer, packaged up into bite-sized, easy-to-consume episodes for those of you enjoying your summer vacation.Today I am talking all about my journey of becoming a dually certified SLP, BCBA, a unicorn certification of less than 500 people in the entire world! Over my 20+ year career, I’ve gained some wisdom and learned some lessons that I want to share with you.I started my car...