The ABA Speech Podcast- Easy Strategies for Speech Therapists, BCBAs, and RBTs

Everything made sense once I saw the full picture.

Receiving a later-in-life ADHD diagnosis can be both validating and eye-opening, and that’s exactly what we explore in this conversation. As I talk with Lindsay, I’m struck by how her story reflects something I see often, high-achieving, capable individuals who have been compensating and masking for years without realizing why things felt harder behind the scenes.

We talk through wha...

Raising children with profound special needs means stepping into truth, even when it’s uncomfortable.

I had such a meaningful conversation with Sarah Kernion about what it really looks like to raise children with profound, nonspeaking autism, and how that reality often differs from the public narrative. Sarah shares her journey as a mom, from those early intuitive concerns to navigating diagnosis, therapy, and building a t...

Ever feel intimidated by AAC or unsure how AI fits into your clinical work?

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Nerissa Hall and Dr. Michelle Boisvert to talk about two topics that can feel overwhelming but are full of possibility. We explore how AAC is not about waiting for prerequisites, but about giving individuals access to meaningful, independent communication. I share my own experience of feeling intimidated at first, and we ...

Communication isn’t owned by one profession, it’s something we all share and protect together.

I’m joined by Dr. Lilith Reuter-Yuill "Dr. RY" for a thoughtful conversation about what it really takes to ensure communication access for every learner. We talk about her journey from sign language interpreter to dually certified SLP and BCBA, and how that shaped her passion for collaboration and innovation.

We dig into some of t...

Collaboration in schools can feel messy, complicated, and sometimes even uncomfortable, but it is also where some of the most meaningful progress for our students can happen.

In this conversation, I sit down with Ashley Patton to talk about what real collaboration looks like between teachers, BCBAs, speech therapists, and other service providers in school settings. Ashley brings a unique perspective because she has worked ...

How can technology help us diagnose autism earlier and get kids the support they need sooner?

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Cheryl Tierney to talk about an exciting advancement in autism diagnostics and how technology is helping clinicians and families access answers faster. With long waitlists and limited specialists in many areas, getting an autism diagnosis can sometimes take months or even years. Dr. Tierney sha...

Two trends I’m seeing in speech therapy and ABA have been on my mind lately, and honestly, they worry me about the future of our fields.

First, I saw a discussion where future BCBAs were debating whether they even needed to read the Cooper book. For me, that text was foundational when learning the science of behavior analysis. When professionals start skipping core readings just to pass a test, it raises questions about ho...

What if we could safely practice real-world situations before our students ever experience them?

In this episode, I’m joined by Marsha and Rita from Floreo to talk about how virtual reality is supporting autistic learners in building social, communication, safety, and life skills. Floreo is a VR platform that allows learners to step into immersive environments like airport security lines, grocery stores, and even digital conversatio...

If AAC has ever felt intimidating, you are not alone, and this episode is going to give you a clear, practical path forward.

In this conversation, I sat down with Gabriella Wendling, an AAC specialist who has dedicated her entire career to assistive technology and augmentative communication. We talk honestly about how most of us received minimal AAC training in graduate school and how real confidence comes from experience, collabora...

When you move from treatment rooms to team meetings, everything changes, including how you show up as a BCBA.

In this episode, I talk with Shalini Solomon about her transition from clinic-based ABA to working as a school-based BCBA. If you’ve worked in both settings like I have, you know they are completely different worlds. In a clinic, you’re often running sessions. In a school, you’re collaborating, coaching, and transl...

Starting your own practice does not have to mean doing it all alone.

In today’s episode, I sat down with Bukhtar Khan, co-founder and CEO of Finni Health, to talk honestly about what it really looks like to start and grow an independent ABA practice. We talked about the fears BCBAs often have around finances, insurance, staffing, and burnout, and how Finni Health is built to support clinicians who want autonomy without sac...

Stepping into your first leadership role can feel overwhelming, and navigating autism services as a parent can feel even harder, even when you’re already in the field.

In this episode, I sat down with Rayni McMahon for a powerful conversation about leadership, advocacy, and what happens when your professional world and personal life collide. We talked about what it really feels like to move from clinician to administrator,...

Prompting AAC is abuse? Let’s talk about that and a few other AAC conversations that keep coming up again and again.

In today’s solo episode, I’m diving into five hot topics in AAC that have been surfacing repeatedly in my recent calls, trainings, and collaboration meetings. After more than 20 years as a speech therapist and being dually certified as a BCBA, I’ve seen how confusing, overwhelming, and sometimes divisive AAC conversat...

In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of welcoming Dr. Kathleen Dyer, Dr. Anna Linnehan, and Dr. Mary Jane Weiss for a powerful conversation around their article Fostering Belonging in Autistic Individuals. This was actually the first time I’ve had three guests on the podcast at once, and it felt like the perfect conversation to mark that milestone.

We spent time unpacking the difference between inclusion and true b...

In today’s episode, I sat down with Nafisa Obi to talk about what it really looks like to bring speech therapy, occupational therapy, and ABA together under one roof. Nafisa shared her journey from starting a small speech therapy practice to co-founding Essential Speech and ABA Therapy, which has grown into a nationwide franchise model focused on early intervention and true interdisciplinary collaboration.

We talked honestly about t...

I’m bringing back one of my mini episodes that continues to spark great conversations around verbal imitation. This reprise dives into how we think about echoics and verbal imitation in a way that is thoughtful, ethical, and grounded in collaboration. I share why this can be such a tricky area, especially when speech-language pathologists and BCBAs are working together, and why context always matters more than a checklist.

In this reprise episode, I’m revisiting an important conversation with Dr. Michael Selbst and Dr. Jeniffer Cruz about Pathological Demand Avoidance, often called PDA. I began getting more questions about PDA as clinicians and parents shared concerns about students who weren’t responding to traditional strategies and seemed to escalate around even small or well-intended demands.

In this episode, we break down what PDA is and how it’s...

Functional Communication Training can change everything when behavior is really communication and we take the time to listen.

In this reprise episode, I’m revisiting one of our most popular conversations of the year, all about Functional Communication Training and how to get started in a way that is practical, ethical, and truly supportive for students. I hear so many questions about what to do when students are struggling to expres...

Strength training and structured fitness can transform quality of life for autistic and neurodivergent individuals. Eric Chessen began developing meaningful fitness programs after realizing there was almost no guidance on how to safely and effectively support this population. His work focuses on bridging the gap between exercise science and positive behavior support so individuals of all ability levels can build strength, confidenc...