I've seen posts on social media here and there about World Behavior Analysis Day, but honestly I did not know a whole lot about it. And this is why I was really excited to sit down and chat with WBAD President, Elizabeth Drago, for a deep dive. 

It turns out that WBAD is more than a 'high five' amongst like minded behavioral scientists. In fact, the WBAD Alliance is doing a lot for dissemination, especially internationally. So as you might expect by now, we get into that and a whole lot more in this special episode of Behavioral Observations!

In our chat, Elizabeth mentioned various resources, etc... and I hope I've captured all of them below:    

• The WBAD main website 
• The WBAD contact page for inquiries
• WBAD on YouTube 
• Ways to get involved 
• WBAD on Facebook and Instagram 

Please note:

• Check out the 2022 Verbal Behavior Conference!
• Learn about the benefits of subscribing via Patreon!
• Grab some CEUs on the go... learn by listening to your favorite Behavior Analysts!

In this episode, we cover the following:

• How Kevin discovered Behavior Analysis.
• How Kevin endeared himself to his then co-worker, now wife, and previous BOP guest, Dr. Nicole Rodriguez.
• What inspired some of the early Preschool Life Skills studies.
• How universal protocols like Balance and PLS fit into PBIS. 
• The role of preference for contingent reinforcement, and,
• A brief primer on Joint Control... something I am not very familiar with, but am looking forward to learning more about, especially at Kevin's upcoming talks at the 2022 Verbal Behavior Conference. 

Kevin also leaves us with four pieces of just outstanding advice. I've been pushing my guests lately to really think hard about answering this question lately, and Kevin does not disappoint. As such, you're going to want to listen through to the end. 

For Patreon subscribers, we spend an additional 5-10 minutes talking about his interest in the role that ecological validity plays in applied research. 

Here are some resources for what we discussed:

• Session 164 with Kelsey Ruppel.
• The folks at FTF!
• An Introduction to Joint Control. Lowenkron (2006).
• The maintenance of behavior change as an indicator of social validity. Kennedy (2002).
• Nearly all the other publications we discussed.
• Never split the difference, Chris Voss.
• How to have impossible conversations, Boghossian and Lindsay.
• Cruciallearning.com.

This podcast is brought to you with support from:

• Institutional Tier Patron Greenspace Behavioral Technology. Greenspace behavior offers cutting edge supervisor coaching, performance and competency-based trainings, and organizational supports for new BCBA and trainees. Find out how you can optimize your supervision practices, improve clinical outcomes, and increase employee satisfaction at Greenspacebehavior.com.
• We are also brought to you by HRIC Recruiting. If you’re a new BCBA – or a BCBA of any experience level for that matter – and you need an independent person to advise you on today’s job market, go to HRIColorado.com to schedule a confidential appointment with Barbara Voss.
• Are you interested in getting CEUs on the go, all while listening to your favorite BOP episodes? Click here to learn more!

In Session 181, Dr. Francesca Degli Espinosa, Ph.D, BCBA-D, joins me for a wide-ranging conversation that in my opinion, got better and better as it went on!

If you're not familiar with Francesca or her work, she is director and consultant at ABA Clinic Ltd., adjunct professor at the University of Salerno, and a guest lecturer at Queen's College, Belfast, and Pennsylvania State University. She is regarded as an expert in Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior, and will be one of the featured speakers at the 2022 Verbal Behavior Conference, which incidentally, is coming up right around the corner.

We cover quite a lot in this interview, including why she pivoted away from studying medicine, her first response to reading Verbal Behavior, how she 'stalked' Vince Carbone at a conference, her paper, Teaching generalized question-discrimination skills to children with Autism: Conceptual and applied considerations, why clinicians at all levels should still do direct therapy, what she plans to discuss at this year's Verbal Behavior Conference, why we should seek to understand concepts and principles better rather than being overly technological in nature, and lots more!

As always, we close the public feed with Francesca sharing some excellent advice for newly-minted BCBA's. And, for you, the Patreon subscriber, we spend another 15-minutes or so discussing dog training. In this subscriber-only segment, Francesca talks about why she finally got a dog (his name is Darwin), the ups and downs of training, and what she's learned from this experience. 

Other resources mentioned in this podcast

• Schlinger (1995). A Behavior Analytic View of Child Development.
• Remington et al. (2007). Early intensive behavioral intervention: Outcomes for children with Autism and their parents after two years. 
• Michael, Palmer, and Sundberg (2011). The multiple control of verbal behavior.
• Horne and Lowe (1996). On the origins of naming and other symbolic behavior. 
• Miguel (2016). Common and Intraverbal Bidirectional Naming.
• Verbal Behavior Conference registration page. 

Session 181 is brought to you with support from:

• Behavior University. Their mission is to provide university quality professional development for the busy Behavior Analyst. Learn about their CEU offerings, including their brand new 8-hour Supervision Course, as well as their RBT offerings over at behavioruniversity.com/observations.
• Tate Behavioral, a progressive ABA provider located in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts. If you’re a BCBA looking to work for a supportive and innovative team, and live in the heart of charming New England, visit their jobs page by clicking here!
• The Secret Agent Society Small Group Program helps kids 8 to 12 years old crack the code of emotions and friendships through an animated ‘secret agent’ theme.  With a sophisticated digital health platform now at the heart of the program, you can deliver groups face-to-face, with telehealth, or a combination of formats. Follow this link to book a live demo from anywhere around the world. Also, don’t forget to mention that “Matt sent you” to have your SAS Provider establishment fee waived (a minimum $500 USD value)!
• Last but not least, special thanks goes to this year's Verbal Behavior Conference! Click here to learn more and register.