Episode 315 - Social Validity of Parent Training w/ Dr. Roseanne Lesack + Dr. Jillian Wilson

While we’ve been discussing how to move away from just getting parents to buy in to proposed behavioral treatments, there’s still a huge gap between what works, what parents are told could work, and what parents like (when everything works). So we decided to kick off our Special Guest Month by having two experts at parent training, Drs. Roseanne Lesack and Jillian Wilson, help us figure out how to effectively promote better social validity practices when collaborating with parents. We revisit the classic Allen and Warzak article on parental nonadherence and delve deeply into what treatment ideas parents prefer at almost any child’s age. Plus: the secret history of validating statements! This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU. Articles discussed this episode: Allen, K.D. & Warzak, W.J. (2000). The problem of parental nonadherence in clinical behavior analysis: Effective treatment is not enough. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 33, 373-391. doi: 10.1901/jaba.2000.33-373 Wilson, J.B. & Lesack, R.S. (2024). Parent perceptions of behavior analytic interventions. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 1050-1073. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-01010-3   If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

Nothing says “summertime” like visiting friends. And what’s the podcast equivalent of a summer get together? Why a whole month devoted to guest episodes! This July we’re doing a world tour of topics from all over the ABA map. We kick things off with Dr. Roseanne Lesack and Dr. Jillian Wilson updating us on some of the best practices in improving social validity of parent training planning before crossing the country to discuss many of the questionable practices lurking in single-case experimental design with Dr. Matthew Tincani. Next we take a quick trip back home in our ongoing series on professional collaboration with special education teacher/BCBA, Carolyn Beaumier. Finally, , we travel to the other side of the topic world to listen to Dr. James Meindl on his work regarding a hypothetical functional account of mass shooting behavior. It’s a podcast vacation for the ages, and you’re invited to join us for free! The only thing missing is the little bag of pretzels. Articles for July 2025 Social Validity of Parent Training w/ Dr. Roseanne Lesack + Dr. Jillian Wilson Allen, K.D. & Warzak, W.J. (2000). The problem of parental nonadherence in clinical behavior analysis: Effective treatment is not enough. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 33, 373-391. doi: 10.1901/jaba.2000.33-373 Wilson, J.B. & Lesack, R.S. (2024). Parent perceptions of behavior analytic interventions. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 1050-1073. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-01010-3   Identifying Questionable Research Practices w/ Dr. Matthew Tincani Tincani, M., Gilroy, S.P., & Dowdy, A. (2024). Extensions of open science for applied behavior analysis: Preregistration for single-case experimental designs. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. doi: 10.1002/jaba.2909 Tincani, M., Travers, J., Dowdy, A., Slocum, T.A.,& Dietrich, R. (2025). Questionable and improved research practices in single-case experimental design: Initial investigation and findings. Perspectives on Behavior Science. doi: 10.1007/s40614-025-00441-9   Professional Collaboration (Special Education Teachers) w/ Carolyn Beaumier Giangreco, M.F., Pennington, R.C., & Walker, V.L. (2023). Conceptualizing and utilizing board certified behavior analysts as related services providers in inclusion-oriented schools. Remedial and Special Education, 44, 73-85. doi: 10.1177/07419325211063610 Squires, M., Cutrer-Pãrraga, E.A., Morris, J.R., Miller, E.E., & Hansen, B.D. (2024). Navigating collaboration: Factors influencing special education teachers’ relationships with BCBAs in diverse school contexts. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 1033-1049. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-010009-w Reilly, A.M., Crowell, G.E., Thoele, J.M. et al. School-Based Transdisciplinary Teaming to Maximize Behavioral Supports. Behav Analysis Practice (2025). doi: 10.1007/s40617-025-01054-z   Predicting and Preventing Mass Shootings w/ Dr. James Meindl Meindl, J.N., Ivy, J.W, Delgado, D.M., & Swafford, L. (under review). Towards a functional account of mass-shooting: Prediction and influence of violent behavior. Meindl, J.N. & Ivy, J.W. (2018). Reducing media-induced mass killings: Lessons from suicide prevention. American Behavioral Scientist, 62, 242-259. doi: 10.1177/0002764218756918

Enjoy a short preview of our latest full-length Book Club episode.  Want to hear the whole thing and get 2.0 CEs for FREE? Subscribe to our Patreon today at the premium $10+ levels for that plus other bonuses! It's the ginormous book that got Book Club Guy, Alan Haberman, to travel to Massachusetts to talk about. But did we have a good time reading the tome that is synonomous with "trauma care"? Our Summer 2025 Book Club choice is the best-selling "The Body Keeps the Score", a go-to reference for anyone interested in learning more about trauma and its treatment. But, because it's us, if you think we're just going to do a happy-little review of what's between the hippy-dippy cover art and fawning back cover references, you really don't know our style. In between describing our favorite examples of "that's really a therapy?" we discuss the controversy over Dr. van der Kolk's work, how much trauma-informed practice has come since the book's publication, and answer the question, "Is this book really appropriate for behavior analysts?" Whether you're looking for other BCBAs to discuss this book with you or because you just don't have time for another 400-page doorstop right now, get your ear buds in and enjoy the discussion! The full episode is available for 2.0 LEARNING BACB / 2.0 TRAUMA-INFORMED QABA CEUs. Patrons at the $10 and up level, as part of your subscription, you’ll be able to earn these CEs for no charge! Subscribe to our Patreon today! Content discussed in this episode: Van der Kolk, B. (2015). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Penguin Books. Nietfeld, E. (2025, January/February). What the most famous book about trauma gets wrong. Mother Jones. https://www.motherjones.com/media/2024/12/trauma-body-keeps-the-score-van-der-kolk-psychology-therapy-ptsd/

As part of the work of a behavior analyst, our ethical code requires us to explain our services in language that can be understood by clients and stakeholders. That holds doubly true when our clients speak a primary language other than English. And just busting out Google Translate isn’t going to cut it! In the next entry in our Tutorial series, we break out the “how to” basics behind following best practices when working with an interpreter in delivering ABA services. From meaningful feedback and collaboration with an interpreter to ensuring a respectful flow of communication between all parties, we’ll get your practice up to speed in no time. Well, at least in the time it takes to listen to this episode. This episode is available for 1.0 CULTURAL (ETHICS) CEU. Articles discussed this episode: Dowdy, A., Obidimalor, K.C., Tinanci, M., & Travers, J.C. (2021). Delivering culturally sound and high-quality behavior analytic services when working with an interpreter. Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, 21, 51-64. doi: 10.1037/bar0000206 Vasquez, D.J., Lechago, S.A., & McCarville, M.J. (2024). Training behavior analysis graduate students to work with an interpreter. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 1160-1174. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-00938-w Hadziabdic, E., Albin, B., Heikkila, K., & Hjelm, K. (2014). Family members’ experiences of the use of interpreters in healthcare. Primary Health Care Research and Development, 15, 156-169. doi: 10.1017/S1463423612000680 If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

It’s Ethicstime, Ethicstime, Eth-eth-ethicstime Ethicstime, Ethicstime, Eth-eth-ethicstime Ethicstime, Ethicstime, Eth-eth-ethicstime ETHICSTIIIIIIIIIIME! This episode is available for 1.0 ETHICS CEU. Articles discussed this episode: Henderson, T.B., Ludden, B.J., & Romero, R.A. (2023). The ethical obligations, barriers, and solutions for interprofessional collaboration in the treatment of autistic individuals. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 16, 963-976. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00787-z Shreck, K., Ivy, J. W., & Zane, T. (2023). Teaching behavior analysts to address unethical behavior: Developing evidence based ethics instructional methods. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00845-6 Logue, J. J., Hustyi, K. M., Toby, L M., & Outlaw, E. E. (2023). Promoting ethical and evidence-based practice through a panel review process: A case study in implementation research. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00807-y If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

Watching treatment implementation is one of the key determinants behind whether great treatments lead to great results. But, deep down in our hearts, we all struggle to hit that magic 33% of sessions with greater than 80% agreement we all learned about in graduate school. But, what if interobserver agreement didn’t have to be that. What if we were thinking about IOA all wrong? This week we brush up on some of the basics of IOA procedures like “How do I calculate IOA again?” before moving on to more interesting research in the field like training folks to take good IOA and questioning the standard wisdom of how much IOA is good enough. We’ll be watching you! This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU. Articles discussed this episode: Hausman, N.L., Javed, N., Bednar, M.K., Guell, M., Schaller, E., Nevill, R.E., & Kahng, S. (2022). Interobserver agreement: A preliminary investigation into how much is enough? Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 55, 357-368. doi: 10.1002/jaba.811 Garrity, M.L., Luiselli, J.K., & McCollum, S.A. (2008). Effects of a supervisory intervention on assessment of interobserver agreement by educational service providers. Behavioral Interventions, 23, 105-112. doi: 10.1002/bin.258 Hartz, R.M., Gould, K., Harper, J.M., & Luiselli, J.K. (2020). Assessing interobserver agreement (IOA) with procedural integrity: Evaluation of training methods among classroom instructors. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 43, 1-12. doi: 10.1080/00168890.2020.1848404 If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

What are you still doing listneing to this drop reminding you the book club poll is up? Go vote! Really! You get to pick 3 whole books you want us to read. Quick before it's all over!!

Now that we’ve got some vacation time coming up in our near futures, we can sit back, relax…and make our listener’s choose our episodes for us! That’s right. We’ve got not one but TWO polls for listeners this month that will determine our summer Listener Choice topic as well as the next year’s worth of Book Clubs. Excited to vote? Well, only patrons (at ANY level) will have access to the LC and Book Club polls so, if you haven’t signed up yet, better get on it before everyone else chooses your books for you. Oh, and we have a full month of episodes all about IOA, working with an interpreter, and a whole grab bag of ethics! So, by vacation, we meant podcasting wearing sunglasses and shorts. Listener Choice Poll Book Club Poll Join the Patreon! Articles for June 2025 IOA Hausman, N.L., Javed, N., Bednar, M.K., Guell, M., Schaller, E., Nevill, R.E., & Kahng, S. (2022). Interobserver agreement: A preliminary investigation into how much is enough? Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 55, 357-368. doi: 10.1002/jaba.811 Garrity, M.L., Luiselli, J.K., & McCollum, S.A. (2008). Effects of a supervisory intervention on assessment of interobserver agreement by educational service providers. Behavioral Interventions, 23, 105-112. doi: 10.1002/bin.258 Hartz, R.M., Gould, K., Harper, J.M., & Luiselli, J.K. (2020). Assessing interobserver agreement (IOA) with procedural integrity: Evaluation of training methods among classroom instructors. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 43, 1-12. doi: 10.1080/00168890.2020.1848404   Ethicstime! (Summer 2025 Grab Bag) Henderson, T.B., Ludden, B.J., & Romero, R.A. (2023). The ethical obligations, barriers, and solutions for interprofessional collaboration in the treatment of autistic individuals. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 16, 963-976. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00787-z Shreck, K., Ivy, J. W., & Zane, T. (2023). Teaching behavior analysts to address unethical behavior: Developing evidence based ethics instructional methods. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00845-6 Logue, J. J., Hustyi, K. M., Toby, L M., & Outlaw, E. E. (2023). Promoting ethical and evidence-based practice through a panel review process: A case study in implementation research. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00807-y   Tutorial: Working With an Interpreter Dowdy, A., Obidimalor, K.C., Tinanci, M., & Travers, J.C. (2021). Delivering culturally sound and high-quality behavior analytic services when working with an interpreter. Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, 21, 51-64. doi: 10.1037/bar0000206 Vasquez, D.J., Lechago, S.A., & McCarville, M.J. (2024). Training behavior analysis graduate students to work with an interpreter. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 1160-1174. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-00938-w Hadziabdic, E., Albin, B., Heikkila, K., & Hjelm, K. (2014). Family members’ experiences of the use of interpreters in healthcare. Primary Health Care Research and Development, 15, 156-169. doi: 10.1017/S1463423612000680

As we come to the end of another school year in the US, we take a moment to ponder the question: What is it that a BCBA is supposed to do when they work in a school context? And to help us answer that question, we’ve enlisted the help of the other half of one of our favorite behavior analyst duos, John Staubitz! John walks us through all the stuff about comprehending the school ecology that you didn’t learn in grad school—unless you went to teacher grad school—like the laws and regulations that mandate policies and the do’s and dont’s of providing services to students. If you haven’t set foot in a public school since you grabbed your old principal handed you a diploma, you’re about to take the first step into a larger world. This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU. Articles discussed this episode: Stevenson, B.S. & Correa, V.I. (2019). Applied behavior analysis, students with autism, and the requirement to provide a free appropriate public education. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 29, 206-215. doi: 10.1177/1044207318799644 Stevenson, B., Bethune, K., & Gardner, R. (2024). Still left behind: How behavior analysts can improve children’s access, equity, and inclusion to their entitled education. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-00992-4 Copeland, S.R., Duffie, P., & Maez, R. (2025). Preparation of behavior analysts for school-based practice. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-024-01028-7 If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

Since time immemorial BCBAs have looked at their seven-item array of candies and asked, “Why can’t I do a preference assessment with huge items or unavailable activities?” Well, now you can with pictorial and/or video-based preference assessments! But don’t take my word for it. Or, do take my word for it, but my word paired with the word of all the research on the subject. And if you’re already using this technology in your preference assessments, shouldn’t you better double-check that you’re actually following the evidence-based guidelines. Or did you just assume that the picture of hanging out with friends playing on the iPad must be equivalent to the real thing? This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU. Articles discussed this episode: Heinicke, M.R., Carr, J.E., Pence, S.T., Zias, D.R., Valentino, A.L., & Falligant, J.M. (2016). Assessing the efficacy of pictorial preference assessments for children with developmental disabilities. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 49, 848-868. doi: 10.1002/jaba.342 Brodhead, M.T., Al-Dubayan, M.N., Mates, M., Abel, E.A., & Brouwers, L. (2016). An evaluation of a brief video-based multiple-stimulus without replacement preference assessment. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 9, 160-164. doi: 10.1007/s40617-015-0081-0 Wolfe, K., Kunnavatana, S.S., & Shoemaker, A.M. (2018). An investigation of a video-based preference assessment of social interactions. Behavior Modification, 42, 729-746. doi: 10.1177/0145445517731062 If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.