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The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria

This is a podcast about the field of Behavior Analysis. Each episode will feature an interview with a Behavior Analyst where we discuss a specific topic in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. Some of these topics include functional behavioral assessment, treating severe behavioral disorders such as aggression and self-injurious behavior, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), behavioral ethics, autism treatment, parenting, and the history of Applied Behavior Analysis.
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The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria
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Now displaying: September, 2020
Sep 29, 2020

Dr. Nick Green joins me in Session 132 for his third appearance on the show. In this episode, we discuss:

  • How he responded to being furloughed for a few months.
  • His contributions to Covid-19 research at the University of Florida.
  • Nick's general principles on how he helps clients develop and accomplish fitness goals.
  • How to overcome barriers to fitness, especially when gyms are closed.
  • What are some basic movement patterns that people should train.
  • Some of the great results his fitness clients are seeing.
  • His advice on wearable tech and other methods for collecting fitness analytics.
  • How to think about time allocation so busy people can still meet their fitness goals.
  • How to incorporate health and fitness into a comprehensive ABA program.
  • What steps Behavior Analysts can take to begin work in the health and fitness industry.

We also took questions submitted by members of The Behavioral Observations Membership Program. Here are the links to the stuff we talked about:

Session 132 is brought to you with the support of the following sponsors:

  • 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.
  • The ABA Marketing Minute with Rich Brooks. Digital marketing guru and two-time guest Rich Brooks and I have teamed up to provide listeners with 60-second micro-lessons in digital marketing. You'll hear the first installment later in this broadcast, so I won't spoil it here, but let's just say the message should parallel a lot of what we should strive for in our clinical practice. If you're interested in marketing your practice on social media or Google, or if you want to give your website a makeover, I highly recommend working with Rich and his awesome team over at Flyte New Media.
  • And while I'm promoting the stuff on my website, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the membership program. Think of it as a DIY Patreon… Members get access to a private FB group in which they are able to get nearly instantaneous access to the videos of these podcast interviews. For example, this interview has been available to members for two months. Members get the raw feed. That means no ads, and none of these introductory comments. You just get right to the interview. Another cool thing we do is hold Zoom Hangouts with former guests so where you can interact with them directly. For more information, check out behavioralobservations.com/membership.
Sep 14, 2020

Dr. Camille Kolu joins me in Session 131 to provide a primer on all things Trauma, and how this broad area applies to the practice of Behavior Analysis

In this interview, Camille talked about how she began working in the area of trauma, what is trauma actually, how she screens for trauma histories, what ABA practices are contra-indicated for individuals with traumatic backgrounds, and so much more.

This was an interview that could've gone for at least another hour if time permitted. If you're interested in hearing Camille expand on this topic, I highly suggest checking out the New Hampshire ABA 2020 Conference (disclosure: NHABA is sponsoring this episode).

Camille has been a leader in disseminating her work in this area. You can check out her website, cuspemergence.com and browse the dozens of blog posts she's written in the area of Trauma-Informed ABA. If you're like me, and you're interested in taking your knowledge in this area to the next level, she has a series of courses available, and you can find those at cuspemergenceuniversity.com.

During our chat, Camille fielded questions from the Behavioral Observations Membership group. The BOP Membership is my DIY Patreon. And lucky for us, Camille has agreed to join the membership for a Zoom hangout, either in late September or early October. Once we get a date nailed down, I'll be sure to share the details via the email list, social media, and so on.

Here are the links from Session 131:

This podcast is brought to you with the support of the following sponsors:

  • The 2020 New Hampshire Association for Behavior Analysis Virtual Conference! NH ABA is only a handful of years old, but for a smallish state, our conference has punched above its weight. The 2020 event will be no exception. This year's speaker list includes Drs. Solanday Forte, Deb Grossett, Bridget Taylor, Alyssa Wilson, Camille Kolu, and Emily Sandoz. NH ABA also acknowledges that the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in financial burdens on many Behavior Analysts, so they've decided to use a values-based registration fee, which means that while there are suggested registration fees, you can participate in the event for a lot less if that's appropriate to your financial situation. For more information, check out nhaba.net, and I hope that you choose to join us virtually on September 26th!
  • HRIC Recruiting. Barb Voss has been placing BCBAs in permanent positions throughout the US for just about a decade, and has been in the business more generally for 30 years. When you work with HRIC, you work directly with Barb, thereby accessing highly personalized service. So if you're about to graduate, you're looking for a change of pace, or you just want to know if the grass really is greener on the other side, head over to HRIColorado.com to schedule a confidential chat right away.
Sep 10, 2020

I've never attended CalABA. In fact, I've never even set foot in the state. And while I live all the way across the country, I recognize the importance of Behavior Analysts banding together to advocate for our clients, our communities, and of course, our profession.

When CalABA had to cancel their conference in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the timing was such that they were not able to recoup the costs associated with hotel reservations, conference venues, and the like. The amount of money CalABA lost from this "black swan" type of event was staggering.

In this podcast, Drs. Jennifer Harris and Greg Elsky take us behind the scenes of the events from the ill-fated CalABA 2020 conferecne. Specifically, we talk about what it was like leading up to the scheduled conference itself during the infancy of the Covid-19 pandemic, how they learned they had to cancel the event, what it was like to share this news with the attendees who were streaming into the venue, and we talk at length about the devastating financial consequences of cancelling the event.

We also talk about how CalABA can overcome such a difficult situation with their current fundraising campaign. To be candid, without an influx of cash, CalABA's ability to advocate on behalf of the field in the nation's most populous state will be seriously jeopardized.

Moreover, legislation that negatively affects the practice of Behavior Analysis in California has the potential to influence other states and provinces.

Based on these factors, I will be supporting CalABA in their fundraising efforts. The Covid crisis has hit many of us in the wallet (myself included), however if you have the means to do so, please consider donating to what I believe is a worth cause.

Sep 4, 2020

It's back to school time for children, and in this day and age, school is looking a bit different than it has historically. In my neck of the woods, school districts are reopening with a few different models ranging from fully online/remote, hybrid in-person/remote, and full in-person instruction. 

It's hard to tell what impact this might have on our children's ability to learn the basics, and it is with this in mind that I'm grateful to have Michael Maloney on the show to talk about his 40+ years of experience using Direct Instruction and Precision Teaching. 

In this podcast, we discuss the history of Direct Instruction (DI; also, see Project Follow Through Outcome data below), including the simultaneously fascinating and tragic story of Project Follow Through, how Michael learned about DI and applied it not only to school settings but also in the context of remediating adult illiteracy, his initial forays into running his own educational centers, as well as the instructional software solutions he's developed. 

Michael was also kind enough to field some questions from the Behavioral Observations Members.

Michael has also been generous enough to give away free instructional materials, so if this is something you're interested in, check out the site, maloneymethod.com

Here are some of the resources we discussed:

PROJECT FOLLOW THROUGH OUTCOME DATA

Huge thanks to the following sponsors for this episode!!!

  • The 2020 New Hampshire Association for Behavior Analysis Virtual Conference! NH ABA is only a handful of years old, but for a smallish state, our conference has punched above its weight. The 2020 event will be no exception. This year's speaker list includes Drs. Solanday Forte, Deb Grossett, Bridget Taylor, Alyssa Wilson, Camille Kolu, and Emily Sandoz. NH ABA also acknowledges that the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in financial burdens on many Behavior Analysts, so they've decided to use a values-based registration fee, which means that while there are suggested registration fees, you can participate in the event for a lot less if that's appropriate to your financial situation. For more information, check out nhaba.net, and I hope that you choose to join us virtually on September 26th!
  • My friends at Praxis CET have two great ACT and RFT classes coming up that seem really cool (Understanding and Using Relational Frame Theory for Behavior Analysts with Drs. Siri Ming and Tom Szabo and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Parents with Drs. Lisa Coyne and Evelyn Gould). These are live, online courses, where participants can ask questions, get feedback, etc... on the spot. For more information, go to www.praxiscet.com/bopod. If you check it out and decide to enroll, use the code OBSERVATIONS to save some $$$ at registration.
  • Two-time guest and digital marketing guru Rich Brooks dropped another 60-second lesson for ABA Business Owners. In this installment of the ABA Marketing Minute, Rich Brooks talks about how to get your business to rank highly for local search results in Google. If you are interested in a free 30-minute webinar on building an effective website for your practice, check out takeflyte.com/abaminute!
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