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ABA on Tap

Mike Rubio, BCBA & Dan Lowery, BCBA (co-Hosts) & Suzanne Juzwik, BCBA (Producer)

The ABA podcast, crafted for BCBAs, RBTs, OBMers, and ABA therapy business owners, that serves up Applied Behavior Analysis with a twist!

A podcast for BCBAs, RBTs, fieldwork trainees, related service professionals, parents, and ABA therapy business owners

Taking Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) beyond the laboratory and straight into real-world applications, ABA on Tap is the BCBA podcast that breaks down behavior science into engaging, easy-to-digest discussions.

Hosted by Mike Rubio (BCBA), Dan Lowery (BCBA), and Suzanne Juzwik (BCBA, OBM expert), this ABA podcast explores everything from Behavior Analysis, BT and RBT training, BCBA supervision, the BACB, fieldwork supervision, Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA), OBM, ABA strategies, the future of ABA therapy, behavior science, ABA-related technology, including machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual learning or virtual reality, instructional design, learning & development, and cutting-edge ABA interventions—all with a laid-back, pub-style atmosphere.

Whether you're a BCBA, BCBA-D, BCaBA, RBT, Behavior Technician, Behavior Analyst, teacher, parent, related service professional, ABA therapy business owner, or OBM professional, this podcast delivers science-backed insights on human behavior with humor, practicality, and a fresh perspective.

We serve up ABA therapy, Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), compassionate care, and real-world case studies—no boring jargon, just straight talk about what really works.

So, pour yourself a tall glass of knowledge, kick back, and always analyze responsibly. Cheers to better behavior analysis, behavior change, and behavior science!

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20 episodes
weekly
Avg 58 min
English

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S7 · E43
Sunday · 1 hr 9 min
What If Small Courtesy Is The Real Test Of Society?: Shopping Cart Justice with CartNarcs Special Agent Sebastian Davis (Part 2 of 2)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present CartNarcs Special Agent Sebastian Davis (Part 2 of 2): A stray shopping cart is never just a cart. It’s a tiny decision with outsized ripple effects, and it can tell you a lot about how people treat strangers when no one is “in charge.” We continue to brew along with Cart Narcs special agent Sebastian Davis to unpack why cart returns create such strong reactions, and why small courtesy might be one of the clearest signals of a healthy society. We get practical about incentives and culture, from Aldi’s quarter deposit (a surprisingly clean token economy) to Sebastian’s eye-opening comparison with Japan, where carts get returned without any coin mechanism at all. Along the way, we talk about anonymity in big cities, how community standards form in small towns, and why “someone’s paid to do that” is really diffusion of responsibility wearing a mask of logic. If you’re into applied behavior analysis, you’ll hear familiar ideas like reinforcement, effort, and rule-governed behavior show up in the wild. Then we go deeper into what happens when people are confronted. Sebastian explains how cognitive dissonance fuels escalation, why some folks “see red,” and how he keeps the message clear while managing real public safety risk. We also connect the cart problem to broken windows theory, everyday etiquette like airplane deboarding, and variable reinforcement that makes bad habits stubborn. If you’ve ever wondered why the smallest norms feel like the hardest to protect, this conversation will stick with you. Subscribe to ABA On Tap, share this with a friend who loves a good social debate, and leave a review with your take: is returning the cart a moral test or just basic manners? Tune In, Drink Up, Return Your Cart and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E42
October 25 · 52 min
What If Small Courtesy Is The Real Test Of Society?: Shopping Cart Justice with CartNarcs Special Agent Sebastian Davis (Part 1 of 2)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present CartNarcs Special Agent Sebastian Davis (Part 1 of 2): A stray shopping cart can scratch paint, block a space, and ruin somebody’s day, but the bigger story is what happens when a stranger calmly says, “Hey, the cart return is right there.” We sit down with Sebastian Davis, the creator of Cart Narcs, to unpack 'why' a simple request triggers such outsized reactions and what it reveals about social norms, accountability, and everyday ethics. Sebastian walks Mike and Dan through how Cart Narcs began, why shopping carts are the ideal “caught in the act” public behavior, and the kinds of excuses he hears on repeat. Then we go deeper into the escalation cycle: why people rarely climb down once they start yelling, why bystanders sometimes side with the loudest wrongdoer, and how staying polite and steady can de-escalate conflict without surrendering the point. We also get practical about the legal myths people throw around in parking lots. Sebastian explains the basics of recording in public where there is no expectation of privacy, why “I don’t give you permission” is usually a deflection, and how his magnetic “tickets” are designed to avoid damage while still delivering clear feedback. Along the way, we connect it all to applied behavior analysis (ABA), including matching law and reinforcement, to answer the real question: what makes returning a cart motivating when no one is forcing you? Subscribe for part two, share this with your most “lazy bones” friend, and if you enjoy the show, leave a review and tell us your most outrageous shopping cart excuse. Tune In, Drink Up, Return Your Cart, and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E41
October 18 · 58 min
Bring The Noise And Start Hearing It: Beyond the ABCs with Holly Blais (Part 2)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap continues the brew with Holly Blais (Part 2 of 2): A school can be loud with “problems” and still be full of useful information, if you know how to listen. ABA on Tap resumes their chat with Dr. Holly Blais to talk about school-based ABA and why the fastest way to fail as a BCBA is to walk in thinking you can manage people, fix teachers, or control a classroom. The only behavior we can truly control is our own, so we start with what actually moves the needle: relationships, context, and the conditions educators work under every day. The brew turns practical about functional behavior assessment in schools, including how to spot adult and system variables that quietly maintain student behavior. Dr. Blais explains why cookie-cutter tools like universal token boards can make a teacher’s job impossible, and why “ecologically valid skills” matter more than checking off generic social skills goals. We also dig into psychoeducational evaluations and standardized scores: when they help, when they harm, and how a trauma-informed, equity-focused lens keeps us from reducing a kid to a number. From ACT and psychological flexibility with teachers, to writing IEP goals that measure what we want to see increase, to district-level MTSS work that actually fits a community, this conversation stays grounded in what schools can sustain. We even tackle the brutal loop of attendance problems plus zero tolerance suspensions, and what a broader, more restorative approach can look like. Subscribe for more conversations on ABA in schools, share this with a colleague who’s trying to do systems work the right way, and leave a review if it helps. What’s the “noise” in your school that you want to understand better? Tune in, Drink Up, and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E40
October 11 · 53 min
Bring The Noise And Start Hearing It: Beyond the ABCs with Holly Blais (Part 1)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to brew with Dr. Holly Blais (Part 1 of 2): A worksheet hits the desk, a student melts down, and the room labels it “escape behavior.” The Tap doesn't buy that shortcut, and neither does Dr. Holly Blais. Holly brings a rare mix of school-based behavior analysis, special education, systems consulting, and lived experience with dyslexia to ask a harder question: what are we missing when we stop at the three-term contingency and call it the full story? ABA on Tap and Holly trace her path from being the kid who felt misunderstood and judged as lazy to becoming a paraprofessional, special educator, and BCBA who now pushes for values-driven, transdisciplinary work in schools. Along the way, she breaks down why “context” is more than a classroom label. It includes health, stress, learning history, identity, peer dynamics, instructional design, and the constant trade-offs educators face. Her art history background becomes a powerful metaphor: like a painting, behavior makes no sense if you only describe what you see without analyzing the forces that shaped it. We also get into systems change and social impact, including her focus on prejudicial bullying and why purely collecting ABC data can miss development, language, social status, and cultural messaging. Then we tackle a tension many educators and clinicians feel: acceptance and neurodiversity affirming practice still needs challenge. Dr. Blais defines “push” using zones of proximal development plus ACT and RFT, aiming for growth without chronic stress, restraint-heavy practices, or blind compliance. Subscribe for part two, share this with a school-based BCBA or teacher, and if this hits a nerve, leave a review and tell us: where do you see “context” getting ignored most in student behavior support? Tune In, Drink Up, and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E39
October 4 · 1 hr
The Biggest Risk To ABA Might Be Perception: Autism Therapy Under the Microscope with Chris Larson (Part II)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Chris Larson (Part 2 of 2): Private equity didn’t just “enter” ABA, it helped build the modern autism therapy industry as we know it and that reality comes with uncomfortable questions. Mike and Dan continue the brew with Chris Larson from Behavioral Health Business for part two, and we get specific about what investment capital changed at the macro level: access, scale, hiring, payer relationships, and the growth that followed insurance mandates. Then we turn the lens toward the hidden cost of speed, especially when investors expect a three to seven year arc and clinical care requires trust, continuity, and judgment. We talk through the ethical tension head-on. Chris breaks down why private equity firms answer to limited partners, why that mindset can clash with provider ethics, and why “McDonald’s ABA” is a real fear across the field. At the same time, we don’t let clinicians off the hook: nothing gets implemented without a BCBA green light, and the culture we teach new BCBAs can become the culture they assume is normal. That leads into workforce pipeline problems, the lack of a nursing-style university partnership model, and why the field keeps having to build its own training engine. From there, we move into the push for an ABA standard of care and why it keeps stalling, including iCHOM efforts and newer bets like Project Align and eye tracking technology. We also unpack the Maryland RBT strike and union vote, what “living wage” means when reimbursement rates are set by payers, and why RBT turnover hurts kids, families, and providers. We close by exploring collaboration with pediatricians, the limits of “objective” measurement in behavioral healthcare, and why opioid-crisis comparisons can mislead even when incentives rhyme. If you care about ABA therapy quality, reimbursement, RBT wages, BCBA ethics, and the future of autism services, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave us a review. Tune in, Drink Up and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E38
September 27 · 59 min
The Biggest Risk To ABA Might Be Perception: Autism Therapy Under the Microscope with Chris Larson (Part I)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Chris Larson (Part 1 of 2): Autism therapy sits at the intersection of healthcare, politics, and money, and that collision is getting louder. Mike and Dan talk with healthcare journalist Chris Larson from Behavioral Health Business about why ABA has become an easy target for skepticism, how federal narratives can trickle down into real-world payer behavior, and what parts of the backlash are cultural versus policy-driven. We also get concrete about the mechanics that shape a provider’s survival. Chris explains why Medicaid acts like the pace-setting car for reimbursement and utilization rules, how state Medicaid programs can rapidly tighten oversight, and why changes like fixed fee schedules, accreditation expectations, and hour caps can reshape access. Even if you mostly serve commercial members, you still feel Medicaid and Medicare influence through benchmarks like daily limits and authorization standards. Then we tap into the private equity debate with fewer slogans and more operations. Why did some investor-backed ABA roll-ups collapse while others kept growing? We break down thin margins, reimbursement delays, scaling problems, and the shortage of executives who truly understand the subtleties of autism therapy delivery. If you’re a BCBA, clinic leader, or founder trying to build ethical growth in a volatile market, this conversation gives you a clearer map of the terrain. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest question about where ABA goes next. Tune in, Drink Up and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E37
September 20 · 1 hr 7 min
What Happens When Profit Becomes The Plan: ABA Business Leadership with Stephen and April Smith
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to spend more time with Stephen and April Smith: It's a pod swap! Please go to the ABA Business Leaders podcast to continue listening to this conversation. In fact, they are so cool, you can watch it all too! https://youtu.be/WSIQRW0ngQo?si=1jguM4nkf0z9J4vs If you’ve ever watched a great BCBA become a burnt-out owner running on payroll panic, this conversation will feel uncomfortably familiar. Mike and Dan pod swap with Steven and April Smith from 3Pie Squared to get brutally practical about what actually keeps an ABA company ethical and sustainable when real-world pressure hits. The get into the nitty gritty regarding payor rules, credentialing delays, overhead, turnover, and the constant temptation to choose “easier” over “right.” We talk through Steven’s new book on building an ABA business and why he leans on questions, not cookie-cutter steps. The core idea is simple and hard: write down your vision, values, and red lines early, then use them to make decisions when the ecosystem tries to dictate your clinical work. That includes saying no to bad rates, resisting session models that drift toward daycare economics, and refusing shortcuts that sacrifice training, supervision, or compliance for short-term profit. We also dig into the true cost of RBT turnover, why undertraining becomes a safety issue, and how leaders can avoid recreating the same company culture they tried to leave. Finally, Steven and April share what they’re building next: a new all-in-one practice management software with waitlist management, parent portal, data collection, claims submission, telehealth, team messaging, and an AI session note checker designed to teach, not ghostwrite. Subscribe, share this with an ABA owner who needs guardrails, and leave a review with the one “non-negotiable” you refuse to compromise on. For Part 2, go to: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aba-business-leaders/id1574542939 https://open.spotify.com/show/3JNNWZfF5p37XVwAH6coWO?si=7eabf9f34fc642b3 Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E36
September 13 · 57 min
Stop Taking The Train Away; Back to Basics in ABA with Michelle Burr (Part II)
Send us Fan Mail ABA is proud to present Michelle Burr (Part 2 of 2): A diagnosis can open doors, but it can also be withheld in ways that quietly shut families out. Mike and Dan continue the brew with Michelle Burr, to talk about what it looks like when autism diagnostic practices miss the mark, especially for families of color, and how those delays ripple into access to services, school support, and day-to-day quality of life. From there, we get honest about labels. We’ve all seen how a label can bring relief, community, and clarity, and we’ve also seen how it can narrow expectations until every moment gets filtered through a diagnosis. We unpack the strange new reality of self-diagnosis trends, the growing understanding of autism in girls and women, and why “normal” is a wide statistical range, not a social pass or fail. Then we go deep on assent-based ABA. Michelle lays out what assent actually looks like in behavior you can observe, why pausing matters, and how “assent-based” can get twisted into permissive, chaotic center-based services that do not teach functional skills. We talk functional communication, individualized programming, generalization beyond the clinic, and a hopeful model for ethical center-based care that starts with pairing, builds communication, and creates calm structure kids can succeed inside. If you want ABA that feels humane and still works in the real world, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a colleague or parent, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E35
September 6 · 59 min
Stop Taking The Train Away; Back to Basics in ABA with Michelle Burr (Part I)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Michelle Burr (Part 1 of 2): The fastest way to lose what makes ABA powerful is to turn it into a checklist. Mike and Dan sit down with Michelle Burr, a veteran clinician with decades in autism services, to talk about what happens when real teaching gets buried under perfect data sheets, rigid protocols, and insurance-driven “progress” that doesn’t generalize. Michelle walks us through her origin story, the early in-home era, and the Wisconsin initiatives that expanded access through Medicaid while also creating new bottlenecks like long waitlists and unrealistic parent-presence requirements. We also get honest about the complicated legacy of Ivar Lovaas, what the old structure got right, and what modern training often misses: the why behind prerequisite skills, the purpose of imitation, and the point of manding beyond scripted trials. From there, we zoom out to the field today: BCBA credentialing pressures, private equity in ABA, and the push to standardize services until they feel like fast food. Michelle shares why Montessori education became a turning point in her work, and how developmental, individualized environments can strengthen ABA rather than weaken it. We also unpack “assent-based” practice, HRE (happy, relaxed, engaged), and why skill-based treatment (SBT) gets risky when teams stop progressing demands and accidentally reinforce escape. If you care about ethical ABA therapy, practical autism intervention, and training clinicians to have both technical skill and real feel, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share with a teammate, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E34
August 30 · 51 min
Assistive, Augmentative, Alternative: Talking Tech with Jennifer Kraft (Part II)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Jennifer Kraft (Part 2 of 2): A single line in the wrong plan can change a child’s whole trajectory: “increase compliance.” We dig into what it looks like to replace that mindset with support that actually removes barriers, starting with augmentative and alternative communication and the broader world of assistive technology. We talk with Jennifer Kraft about why you are never too young or too old to start AAC, and why it is devastating when someone only gets the right device and the right team in adulthood. We walk through the practical reality of access, including the IEP process, insurance requirements, and how SLPs and physicians often become the documentation gatekeepers for prescriptions and funding. If you have ever searched “how to get an AAC device,” “assistive technology evaluation,” or “AAC through Medicaid,” you will leave with a clearer picture of what to ask for and where to look. Then we zoom out past speech devices into everyday assistive technology that changes lives: weighted bowls and spoons, pencil grips and slant boards, hearing supports, magnification tools, adapted computer mice, and the creative problem solving mindset behind it all. From there, we get real about school-based ABA consultation: building rapport with teachers, setting boundaries, observing the whole classroom system, picking targets that can actually work in a busy environment, and navigating the hard truth that sometimes school politics override good data. If you care about neuro-affirming ABA, assent and safety, and helping clients become who they are, not who someone else thinks they should be, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest AAC or school collaboration question. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E33
August 23 · 57 min
Assistive, Augmentative, Alternative: Talking Tech with Jennifer Kraft (Part I)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Jennifer Kraft (Part 1 of 2): AAC is everywhere right now, but too many people still treat it like a gadget instead of a voice. Mike and Dan sit down with Jennifer Kraft, a longtime special educator, assistive technology specialist, and BCBA, about what actually makes augmentative and alternative communication work in the real world and what goes wrong when devices get handed out without true assessment, training, or follow-through. Jennifer shares a career journey that spans early intervention, life skills classrooms, ed tech facilitation, and behavioral health leadership in Pennsylvania’s evolving system (BHRS to IBHS). Along the way, she gets candid about the ethical pressure points in agency life, what it feels like to walk into a broken organization, and why protecting clients and clinicians sometimes means refusing to play along. That path ultimately leads her to launch her own practice, Krafted Care, and push through licensing and Medicaid barriers that can delay autism services for months. Then we dig into practical AAC best practices: why AAC does not take away speech, how it can serve as a backup during stress or motor planning challenges, and why modeling matters more than “handing over the device.” We also cover device fit, customizing pages for real routines, separating entertainment screen time from the AAC system, and the nonnegotiable need for constant access and a charged battery. If you care about ethical ABA, assistive technology, or helping kids and adults communicate with dignity, hit play. Subscribe, share this with your team, and leave a review with your biggest AAC question. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E32
August 16 · 56 min
The 'Hidden' Skills Behind Great ABA Leadership: Ethics, Growth and Parsimony with Kristyn Peterson (Part II)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Kristyn Peterson (Part 2 of 2): The hardest part of behavior analysis isn’t the data sheet, it’s the human side: how you show up, how you lead, and how you make change feel doable. ABA on Tap is back with Dr. Kristyn Peterson for a candid, practical conversation that connects behavioral artistry to the real-world pressures BCBAs face when business models clash with clinical values. If you’ve ever felt like you’re “making humans do the thing” without believing in the system behind it, you’ll recognize yourself here. We talk through Kristen’s path from clinical work into OBM-informed consulting, including how she and her team help organizations survive big technology changes by balancing people, process, and technology. You’ll hear concrete ways behavior analysts add value outside autism services: defining what success actually looks like, choosing measurable metrics, and using organizational change management to reduce stress, resistance, and turnover instead of bulldozing people with “because leadership said so.” Then we go deeper on leadership and sustainability: what it’s like to run a small company, document recommendations when clients won’t follow them, and protect your energy when your job becomes finance, sales calls, and crisis cleanup. Kristyn also breaks down Lean Six Sigma (including Master Black Belt training) and why its maintenance planning can be a model for better fade-out, parent training, and operational systems in ABA. We close with hot takes on culture (stop pretending pizza parties are an intervention), gatekeeping, and how to help BCBAs feel less trapped in a changing field shaped by private equity and regulation. If this resonates, subscribe, share this with a colleague who needs it, and leave a review so more behavior analysts can find the conversation. Tune In. Drink Up. And ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E31
August 9 · 59 min
The 'Hidden' Skills Behind Great ABA Leadership: Ethics, Growth and Parsimony with Kristyn Peterson (Part I)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Kristyn Peterson (Part 1 of 2): A BCBA passes the exam, gets promoted fast, and suddenly has to lead teams, train new RBTs, manage payer demands, and still protect the client’s care. That jump can feel like getting handed the keys to a moving car, especially in underserved markets where there is no mentorship bench and no clean roadmap for what a clinical director should actually do. Kristen Peterson joins ABA on Tap to tell the truth about early-career leadership in applied behavior analysis, from building scalable supervision systems to navigating rural ABA service delivery across long distances. We dig into cultural competence in autism services, including how providers earn trust in communities with different religious norms, different parenting styles, and real skepticism toward “outside experts.” We also talk ethics in plain language, what happens when you see harmful punishment practices, and how to balance reporting obligations with compassionate parent support. Then we get into the hard part: private equity buyouts, policy shifts that squeeze training opportunities, and the moral injury that hits when leaders are asked to defend decisions they believe will hurt staff or families. We unpack how algorithmic hours tools and templated programming can quietly replace clinical judgment, and why the art of individualized ABA still matters when research meets the living room. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review if it resonates. Where have you felt the strongest pressure between efficiency and ethics? Tune In, Drink Up and ALWAYS Analyze Responsibly. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E30
August 2 · 1 hr
What If “Hardwired” Is Just History: Breaking the Rules and Finding Reinforcement with Mark Malady (Part II)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Mark Malady (Part 2 of 2): If you have ever felt pressured to list “behaviors for reduction” even when you know the real need is skill building, this conversation will hit home. ABA on Tap continues our sit down with Mark Malady, to talk about constructional ABA, where the aim is not to stop behavior for everyone else’s comfort but to build the repertoires that let a learner get their needs met with more freedom, safety, and dignity. We get into why procedure-heavy programming can create rigid learning that looks great on paper but does not generalize in real life. From joint attention and enriched environments to response classes and functional outcomes, we explore how to stop obsessing over response form and start focusing on what the behavior does. That includes a candid take on eye contact goals, developmental milestone traps, and why “critical periods” matter less than building the component skills that support informed choice. We also unpack process-based practice and measurement. Mark shares how process can still be measurable and accountable, why clinicians may need to make many small adjustments in a single session, and how low-dose models can outperform massive hour prescriptions when targets are chosen well. You will also hear about the 'GenArete' skill-based assessment, milestone benchmarking, and a powerful example of “dignity of risk” where opportunity, not skill deficit, is the real barrier. If this episode sharpens your thinking, subscribe for more conversations that challenge default ABA habits, share it with a colleague, and leave a review so more clinicians and families can find the show. What would you stop targeting tomorrow if you shifted fully to function and quality of life? Tune In, Drink Up, and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E29
July 26 · 59 min
What If “Hardwired” Is Just History: Breaking the Rules and Finding Reinforcement with Mark Malady (Part I)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Mark Malady (Part 1 of 2): A piece of duct tape on the floor becomes a turning point for how we think about safety, reinforcement, and basic human connection. Mike and Dan sit down with Mark Malady to trace the long arc from an IEP and constant school changes to building programs for adults with severe aggression and minimal communication. Along the way, Mark shares the moment he stopped accepting the “he doesn’t like people” assumption and started asking a better behavioral question: what history built this repertoire, and what would it take to build a new one? ABA on Tap and Mark give a full pour of the ideas that shape real clinical work. Mark connects early experience in adult disability services to big-picture themes in applied behavior analysis: functional communication, humane reinforcement, and why our field too often mistakes procedural compliance for effective intervention. He breaks down process versus procedure orientation in plain language, ties it to ACT and relational frame theory, and explains why relationship quality often predicts outcomes better than which “manual” you follow. Finally, we get honest about the hard parts of ABA in autism services and school settings: power dynamics, “firefighting” models that wait for crisis, and resource decisions that prioritize deceleration over skill acquisition. If you care about ethical ABA, assent and consent, better assessment practices, and building meaningful skills across the lifespan, this conversation will challenge you in the right ways. Subscribe for Part 2, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with the biggest question you want our field to answer next. Tune in, drink up and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E28
July 19 · 55 min
From Adaptive PE To BCBA Leadership In Schools: Lupe Castañeda Brews A Fresh Perspective (Part II)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to sit down with Lupe Castañeda (Part 2 of 2): You can have the best behavior plan in the world and still fail if the classroom doesn’t trust you. Mike and Dan pick up part two with Lupe Castaneda, and get practical about school-based ABA, BCBA leadership in schools, and the messy middle where collaboration meets real-world constraints. We talk through what it looks like when we’re “not the experts” in the family system or the classroom environment, yet we’re brought in because something is already going wrong, and the people in the room may not want change. From there, we get into the hard stuff most people won’t say out loud: school politics, predetermined placement decisions, and how to protect your staff when they’re doing great work but still getting nitpicked. Lupe shares how he approaches teacher buy-in by building rapport, talking with paraprofessionals, and living the principle of “show me, don’t tell me” rather than being the BCBA in the corner with a laptop. We also explore supervision and mentorship strategies that improve retention, including bi-directional feedback, coaching, and shaping performance instead of punishing mistakes. We then zoom into tactics for bridging 1:1 ABA into group instruction: small-group DTT, instructional pacing, short learning sprints, contextual fit, and preparing students for natural environments. Along the way we unpack clinical judgment, crisis prevention, and why it matters to teach teams how to think on the fly, especially when the difference between an extinction burst and failed treatment is not obvious to educators. We wrap with burnout prevention, skill diversification, and why staying curious might be the most underrated career strategy in behavior analysis. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a school-based BCBA or teacher, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s the biggest obstacle you hit when trying to collaborate in schools? Tune in, drink up and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E27
July 12 · 57 min
From Adaptive PE To BCBA Leadership In Schools: Lupe Castañeda Brews A Fresh Perspective (Part I)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to sit down with Lupe Castañeda (Part 1 of 2): If you’ve ever walked into a school confident in your assessment, your data, and your “best practice” plan, and still watched it fall apart by week two, you’re not alone. Mike and Dan sit down with Lupe Castaneda, a longtime school-based BCBA and consultant, to talk about what actually makes ABA in schools work, and what quietly makes it fail even when everyone has good intentions. We start with Lupe’s path into the field, from early exposure to children with disabilities to adapted physical education, autism support, and becoming one of the earliest full-time BCBAs employed by a Texas school district. Along the way, he shares the moments that reshaped his practice, including a hard lesson about making changes without family input and a blunt IEP meeting reminder that experience means nothing if you cannot explain what you will do for this specific child. From there, we dig into the practical heart of school-based behavior support: family-centered programming, meaningful long-term goals, parent education, and the legal and team-driven reality of the IEP process. We also break down two essentials for any behavior intervention plan or functional behavior assessment in a school setting: collaboration and contextual fit. A plan is only “evidence-based” if it can be implemented by real educators in real classrooms with real constraints, and if it respects the priorities of the student and family. This is Part 1 of our conversation with Lupe. Subscribe so you don’t miss Part 2, and if this resonates, share it with a BCBA, teacher, or parent navigating school services. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve seen when ABA meets the classroom? Tune in, drink up and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E26
July 5 · 55 min
Skittles, A Rubik’s Cube, And The ABA Rabbit Hole: A Sip and A Candid Chat with Asia Johnson (Part II)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Asia Johnson (Part 2 of 2): A kid can learn their colors and still be worse off if they’ve been trained to silence “no.” That tension drives our candid conversation with Asia Johnson as we wrestle with what ethical, modern ABA therapy should look like when the goal is a real life, not perfect compliance. We talk honestly about how many clinicians are shaped by a single supervisor, a single company, and a single packaged system, and how that funnel can turn good people into one-track practitioners without meaning to. From VB-MAPP popularity to PEAK’s assessment structure, we dig into “teaching to the test” and why assessment scores can’t be the finish line. We compare naturalistic teaching with discrete trial training as a tool, then zoom out to the bigger issue: assent-based practice, withdrawal of assent, and the fine line between instruction and coercion. We also unpack a hard but necessary question for client outcomes: what did it cost to get that progress, and did it create masking, trauma, or reduced self-advocacy? Then we shift into cultural competency in ABA and autism services in Black communities, where programming details matter, like hair care routines, barber shop versus salon experiences, and language goals that erase AAVE. Asia breaks down how competency, referral decisions, Medicaid access, and limited provider pools collide in the real world, plus why research diversity and historical medical mistrust shape family engagement. If you care about trauma-informed care, ethical ABA, and culturally responsive autism support, this conversation will stretch your thinking. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave us a review with the biggest “success metric” you think ABA should be judged by. Enjoy the second pour with Asia Johnson, share this with a parent or clinician who needs it, subscribe and leave a review with your take. Tell us---what should ethical ABA protect first? Tune in, drink up and ALWAYS analyze responsibly. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E25
June 28 · 1 hr
Skittles, A Rubik’s Cube, And The ABA Rabbit Hole: A Sip and A Candid Chat with Asia Johnson (Part I)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Asia Johnson (Part 1 of 2): A two-pound baby in the NICU. A young mom in a demanding academic track. Years of sleepless nights, confusing behaviors, and a system full of waitlists and half-answers. Asia Johnson joins us to share the throughline that connects all of it-- learning how to advocate for her daughter, and then bringing that same urgency and empathy into the ABA field as an RBT and later a BCBA. In this pour of ABA on Tap, Mike, Dan and Asia get real about what families feel after an autism diagnosis, especially when the people around them do not understand ASD, and when community stigma makes support harder to access. Asia breaks down why the five stages of grief are not just theory, but a practical tool for parent support and for clinicians who want to teach skills without ignoring the emotional load caregivers carry. We also talk about acceptance as a daily practice: redefining happiness, building structure, and choosing goals that protect dignity and independence. From masking and stimming to school accommodations and powerful self-advocacy, Asia gives vivid examples of what growing up autistic can look like for a level one pre-teen. Then we dig into culturally responsive ABA: dialect, identity, and why therapy must meet a child where they are rather than sanding down culture to fit a narrow idea of “proper.” Finally, Asia shares what she has seen when ABA goes wrong and why ethical leadership has to interrupt harmful clinic cultures before they reproduce. Enjoy this first pour, return for part 2, share this with a parent or clinician who needs it, subscribe and leave a review with your take. Tell us---what should ethical ABA protect first? Tune in, drink up and ALWAYS analyze responsibly. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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S7 · E24
June 21 · 54 min
Truth Telling and Good Hiring in ABA: A Couple of Drinks with Holli Beth Clauser (Part II)
Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Holli Beth Clauser (Part 2 of 2): Grab a comfortable seat and get ready for your second pour of truth telling and good hiring. "They’re just RBTs” might be the most expensive sentence an ABA organization can say. We sit down with Holli Beth Clauser to talk about truth telling, good hiring, and what happens when companies optimize for speed and margin while ignoring training, retention, and the human reality of autism services delivered in a family’s home. We dig into the hidden costs of turnover in applied behavior analysis: paid onboarding time, unstaffed cases, added BCBA supervision load, inconsistent sessions, and the reputational damage that follows. From there we get into the messy “soup” leaders actually face, balancing living wages, competitive market pay, and insurance reimbursement rates, plus the pressure to keep profit margins high. We also challenge the industry’s obsession with blanket hour recommendations and talk about what it means to “prescribe” ABA therapy with real clinical reasoning and empirical humility. Then we shift into what to do about it. Holli breaks down how to reduce silos between clinical leadership and talent teams through visibility, feedback loops, and accountability, and why “vibe check” interviews quietly bake bias into your hiring. You’ll hear a practical interview question you can steal, simple ways to create belonging through specific reinforcement, and a powerful reminder that protocols are for people, not the other way around. We also cover BCBA burnout and realistic career pivots, plus Holli’s personal diagnostic journey and what it taught her about communication, systems, and support. If you care about ethical ABA, RBT retention, sustainable growth, and better outcomes for kids and families, hit subscribe, share this with a leader on your team, and leave a review so more clinicians can find the conversation. Tune in, drink up AND ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Save the World Podcast In-depth lectures and interviews on issues affecting the continued survival of human... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻
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