Rebecca Womack, who is the Director of Clinical Compliance at BlueSprig Autism joins me in Session 101 to provide an overview of the importance of pinpointing and analyzing Key Performance Indicators, or, KPI's for short.

At first glance, this may seem like a topic that is about as exciting as doing your taxes. However, when we dove into this subject, my inner nerd was engaged, and I started thinking about how I could use this concept in all aspects of what I do. I guarantee that even if you do not work in an insurance funded setting, or if you are not in operations management - you'll still many takeaways from this conversation.

Rebecca effectively makes the case for using a KPI lens in your work. After we concluded our interview, I learned that she was not only battling pneumonia, but her husband was texting her with updates from their barn, as one of their goats was giving birth! So I appreciated Rebecca's ability to put aside these things to patiently educate me on this topic.

We mentioned a handful of resources in the episode:

• Article on Values-Based Care.
• Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP).
• Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, 3rd Edition.
• Panel on KPS's at the 2020 Association for Professional Behavior Analysts convention (details TBA).

Session 110 is brought to you with support from the following:

• My friends at FTF Behavioral Consulting are holding a two-day workshop covering all aspects of the Practical Functional Assessment and Skills-Based Treatment processes (formerly known as the IISCA). It will be held at the DCU center on April 16th and 17th in Worcester, Massachusetts. For more information, go to ftfbc.com and click the events tab.
• Let's say you're not in Massachusetts on April 17th, but some place warmer, like Melbourne, Florida, consider attending the FIT Behavior Analysis Student's Association conference! This event is also available online, so to learn more, check out fit.edu/continuing-education!
• Behavior University. Their mission is to provide university quality professional development for the busy Behavior Analyst. Learn about their CEU offerings and podcast-specific discounts over at behavioruniversity.com/observations.
• Last but certainly not least, on April 2nd and 3rd, the Verbal Behavior Conference will be going down in Austin Texas. This event will feature speakers such as David Palmer, Barbara Esch, Pat McGreevy, Mark Sundberg, and more! They’ve even asked me to moderate a panel at the end of the first day, so if this sounds like fun to you, go to ctac1.com/podcast, where you can register at a discounted rate.

Hey Everyone, welcome to session 109 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast! I’m joined by multiple-time guest, Dr. Pat McGreevy. We talk about what he’s been up to lately, how to support learners who have barriers in communication, implementing Essential for Living in public school settings, why he prefers working with non-behavior analysts…  and we end with a fun and poignant story about Pat’s mentor, Ogden Lindsley. 

We also spend some time discussing the upcoming Verbal Behavior Conference. It’s taking place on April 2nd and 3rd in Austin, Texas. In the spirit of transparency, I’m helping the Central Texas Autism Center promote the event, so keep that in mind for what it’s worth. 

In addition to promoting the event, I’m also excited to be a part of the program this year. At the end of the first day, I get to moderate a panel with all of the conference speakers! If this all sounds fun to you, head to ctac1.com/podcast and take advantage of the discount that was arranged for Behavioral Observations listeners. Also, if you’re traveling to Austin, the special event rates for the conference hotel, the Hilton Austin, will expire on March 2nd, so if this is something you're considering, I would advise you to make your plans soon!

If you can’t make it to the event, but want to learn more about Pat, and/or The Essential for Living Assessment and Curriculum, check out their website. And check out their options for online training at eflapp.com/training.

This podcast is sponsored by an event that’s coming up in a different part of the country. It’s called the Insider's Guide to Legal Tactics Used Against Schools: How Behavior Analysis Can Help! This event is brought to you by Brett DiNovi and Associates, and it takes place on February 28, 2020 from 9:30am-2:00pm at the DoubleTree by Hilton at SeaWorld in Orlando, FL. Attend either in-person or via webinar. Student discounts are available, and all proceeds go towards the BF Skinner Foundation!

Dr. Kendra Newsome joins me in Session 108. Our original plan was to discuss how FitLearning is incorporating ACT and other mindfulness based activities with their learners. And talk about that we did. However, we went down quite a few interesting and unexpected rabbit holes along the way.

The sidebar that was of most interest to me was our discussion on how they run staff meetings. I'm sure you're thinking to yourself, "how can staff meetings be interesting?" Well, it sounds like the FitLearning crew found an answer to that question. As such, you'll have to let me know what you think about their, "Get weird," approach to staff meetings.

Kendra also dispenses some really unique advice for newly-minted BCBA's. And in case you're wondering, the advice is applicable to BCBA's of all experience levels as well, so you'll want to listen to this episode all the way through to hear what she has to say on this topic.

We discussed a few books, podcasts, and articles in our chat, and I have done my best to capture all of them here:

• Kim Berens' first appearance on the show (which contains an excellent history of FitLearning for those who are interested).
• Nick Berens' interview, discussing, among other things, Relational Frame Theory.
• Kim's return to the podcast (recorded live at the Tate Behavioral Conference in October, 2019).
• Donny Newsome's interview on Why We Do What We Do, discussing the importance of fluency (highly recommend checking out if you're not familiar with this stuff).
• Tools of Titans, by Tim Ferriss.
• Tribal Leadership, by Dave Logan.
• Peak, Secrets From the New Science of Expertise, by Ericsson and Pool.
• Talking to Strangers, by Malcolm Gladwell.

This podcast is brought to you by the following:

The ACT BootCamp for Behavior Analysts that's taking place from March 19th-22nd in Reno, Nevada. Attendees will earn a total of 32 BACB Continuing Education units, including 4 ethics and 3 supervision CEU’s. If this sounds like something you’re interested, check out https://praxiscet.com/bopod (or hit the show notes to this episode), and use the code BO50 to save on your registration!

HRIC Recruiting. If you're looking for your dream job, work directly with agency owner Barb Voss, and let her put her 30+ years of recruiting experience to work for you. Whether you're re-locating or just wondering what else is available, go to HRIColorado.com and schedule a confidential chat right away.

An Insider's Guide to Legal Tactics Used Against Schools: How Behavior Analysis Can Help! This event is brought to you by Brett DiNovi and Associates, and it takes place onFebruary 28, 2020 from 9:30am-2:00pm at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Orlando at SeaWorld. Attend either in-person or via webinar. Student discounts are available, and all proceeds go towards the BF Skinner Foundation!

Lastly, I am honored to be part of this year's Verbal Behavior Conference that's being held on April 2nd and 3rd in Austin Texas. Come learn from VB experts such as Mark Sundberg, Anna Petursdottir, Ciao Miguel, Barbara Esch, and more! Click here for special registration prices for podcast listeners!