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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: August, 2018
Aug 28, 2018

Well I meant to have this episode out before my interview with Steve Hayes, but the timing was such that it made more sense to have Steve's episode published ASAP in case people were interested in participating in the ACT Bootcamp for Behavior Analysts (and if you do decide to go, use the promo code BOP to save $50 on registration). As such, there may be some references in my chat with Dr. Nick Berens about my interview-to-be with Steve. So I apologize for any confusing anachronisms. That said, I don't think the poor timing on my part detracts from the content that Nick brought to this conversation. If you're not familiar with Nick, here is his bio: Dr. Berens received his Ph.D. in behavior analysis from the University of Nevada under the supervision of Dr. Steven Hayes. He has served on several professional boards including the Standard Celeration Society, Nevada Association for Behavior Analysis, and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science’s education special interest group.  Berens is an experienced applied researcher and has published and presented in the areas of core behavioral process related to language and development, the merits of the scientist practitioner model, Relational Frame Theory, Precision Teaching, and program evaluation. He has spent the last 10 years researching and developing the Fit Learning system of instruction.  This system targets areas such as basic classroom readiness, core processing speed, phonemic awareness, reading fluency, reading comprehension, language-based comprehension, basic and advanced mathematics, grammar, expressive writing, logic, problem solving, and Executive Functioning.  He and the Fit Learning team have implemented the system with over 1,000 children ages 3-18 years old.  These children have presented with a variety of skill levels and diagnoses including children diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, learning disabilities including AD/HD, Dyslexia, Dygraphia, Dyscalcula, Auditory Processing Disorder, Non-Verbal Learning Disorder, and struggling learners, as well as, gifted students.  The Fit Learning system has consistently been shown to produce one year’s growth in 8-weeks. Nick in deep thought... ... and if the name Berens sounds familiar, in Session 44, I spoke with his better half as it were, Dr. Kim Berens, who described how Fit Learning was founded and what it's evolved into today. In this episode, Nick discussed the role of Relational Frame Theory as it relates to the work that they do at Fit Learning. As Steve did, Nick makes the case that derived relational responses are operants that are critical to language development. Likewise, we take a minute to discuss objections to RFT, and what he thinks about those who remain skeptical of this approach to understanding language development (and for those who are a little tired of all this ACT/RFT stuff, we'll have some other topics featured over the next few episodes). We didn't get too heavy into references, but Nick did suggest a few resources for folks to look into if they want to learn more: Dr. Eric Fox's online RFT tutorial. Learning RFT: An introduction to Relational Frame Theory and its Clinical Application, by Niklas Torneke, MD. And here are some of the publications by the Fit team Nick mentioned: School, Meds, and Moms- Using the Standard Celeration Chart for a Contextual Analysis of Behavior Putting the Precision in Precision Teaching- Using the Standard Celeration Chart for Ongoing Assessment Discovery Through the Lens of the Standard Celeraton Chart- Informing and Facilitating Inductive Intervention Strategies Assessing Functional Relations- The Utility of the Standard Celeration Chart I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! This podcast episode is sponsored by the following: Constellations Behavioral Services. CBS believes that everyone can learn, everyone can participate, and everyone can communicate. They provide outstanding ABA services in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and to learn more about career opportunities at CBS, click here. Clinical Behavior Analysis, Kentucky’s leading provider of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), counseling and direct support services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, acquired brain injury and autism. They are about to open The Center for Behavior Analysis, a 13,000 square foot, state of art facility in Louisville, KY, and they’re looking for a clinical director to lead a highly motivated team of clinicians and technicians. So to learn more, go to cbacares.com/careers and set up your confidential interview today! And while not technically a sponsor, if you're in the midwest and want to check out a cool event, consider attending the Hoosier Association for Behavior Analysis' 10th anniversary conference. I've interviewed almost everyone on the speakers' roster, so I know attendees are bound to hear some good stuff. I'll also be doing my first live, in-person podcast with HABA's keynote speaker, Dr. Matthew Normand. It should be a good time had by all, and I hope to see you there!

Aug 13, 2018

I had an amazing opportunity to chat with Dr. Steve Hayes, the Nevada Foundation Professor in the Behavior Analysis program at the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada, as well as ACT and RFT pioneer. He's also written more peer-reviewed articles than I've probably read in my lifetime. In this episode, Steve and I discuss his forthcoming book on Evolution and Contextual Science, ACT training for Behavior Analysis practitioners (including the upcoming Boot Camp that's taking place soon), and the preparation of today's BCBAs. Steve mentioned several books and papers in our conversation, and I've tried to capture them all here: Evolution and Contextual Behavioral Science: An Integrated Framework for Understanding, Predicting, and Influencing Human Behavior.  The ACT Bootcamp from September 27-30 in Baltimore, MD. (enrollees can save $50 at checkout with offer code BOP). Jablonka & Lamb, Evolution in Four Dimensions. Hayes & Brownstein (1986). Mentalism, Behavior-Behavior Relations, and a Behavior-Analytic View of the Purposes of Science. The Association for Contextual Behavioral Science website. I hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did. I'm sure this episode will generate a lot of feedback, and Steve is game for coming back for a Q & A episode. You can follow Steve on Twitter here. In addition to Praxis and the ACT Bootcamp, this podcast episode is sponsored by the following: Constellations Behavioral Services. CBS believes that everyone can learn, everyone can participate, and everyone can communicate. They provide outstanding ABA services in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and to learn more about career opportunities at CBS, click here. Clinical Behavior Analysis, Kentucky’s leading provider of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), counseling and direct support services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, acquired brain injury and autism. They are about to open The Center for Behavior Analysis, a 13,000 square foot, state of art facility in Louisville, KY, and they’re looking for a clinical director to lead a highly motivated team of clinicians and technicians. So to learn more, go to cbacares.com/careers and set up your confidential interview today! HRIC, which brings 30 years of recruiting experience to help BCBA's find their dream jobs. Click here to schedule your confidential inquiry.

Aug 6, 2018

Longish-time listeners will recall that we spent some time talking about Clinical Behavior Analysis' approach to embedding parent training in their ABA services. In Session 36, we spent some time with Brandon Franklin discussing CBA's RAPID Skills Training (RST) protocol in great detail. So in Sesison 57, we return to our friends at CBA to do a deeper dive into RST. Jason Simmons, the President and Executive Director of CBA, joins me to talk about how RST was initially developed, and how their organization has used it across a wide variety of applications (and you can find more background information on RST here). We also spend some time discussing the history of CBA, as well as the semi-recent history of ABA services in Kentucky. Along the way, Jason shares how he fell in love with the Louisville, Kentucky (and disabuses some potential stereotypes to boot!). As I have noted in previous episodes, CBA is opening a 13,000 square foot facility, and they are looking for a clinical director that shares their vision of providing quality services. For more information, check out their careers page here.  In addition to CBA, this podcast is brought to you by: Constellations Behavioral Services. CBS believes that everyone can learn, everyone can participate, and everyone can communicate. They provide outstanding ABA services in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and to learn more about career opportunities at CBS, click here. The ACT Bootcamp for Behavior Analysts workshop that's taking place in Baltimore, MD from September 27-30. Come learn from leaders in ACT field including Steve Hayes, Jonathan Tarbox, Evelyn Gould, and Thomas Szabo. And, if you use the promo code "BOP" at checkout, you'll save $50!

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