It’s common practice to have IEP goals with an 80% mastery criteria. In this episode, I challenge whether that level of mastery is sufficient for building new skills. 80% means one out of every 5 is wrong. In some skills and goals, a 100% mastery criteria will demonstrate the total level of understanding needed to move on to the next skill. ---------------------------------------------- Enrollment for our Professional Development Membership will reopen from 9/12/23-9/19/23! Sign up for the waitl...
Jul 03, 2023•6 min•Season 1Ep. 235
One of the most controversial opinions I have is about how to laminate and cut out pieces. There are heated opinions on whether or not to pre-cut before laminating. When special ed teachers need to prep hundreds of materials each year, time saving yet effective strategies are a must. ---------------------------------------------- Enrollment for our Professional Development Membership will reopen from 9/12/23-9/19/23! Sign up for the waitlist here: https://shop.theautismhelper.com/pages/membershi...
Jun 26, 2023•5 min•Season 1Ep. 235
When destructive behaviors happen in a classroom, the results can be disastrous. In Facebook groups, I occasionally see posted photos of trashed classrooms. In this episode, we explore what the negative consequences of this could be and why it likely won’t have the desired effect. ---------------------------------------------- Enrollment for our Professional Development Membership will reopen from 9/12/23-9/19/23! Sign up for the waitlist here: https://shop.theautismhelper.com/pages/membership-w...
Jun 19, 2023•8 min•Season 1Ep. 234
There is a popular phrase in the special ed world: Data or It Didn’t Happen. As a BCBA who loves data, I hate this phrase. This phrase put unreasonable expectations on teachers and doesn’t take into account the competing contingencies that happen with data collection. Just because there aren’t enough resources to collect thorough data doesn’t mean we should ignore what is happening. ---------------------------------------------- Enrollment for our Professional Development Membership will reopen ...
Jun 12, 2023•7 min•Season 1Ep. 233
Lois Letchford is a reading specialist who is passionate about teaching struggling students how to read. In this episode, Lois dives into the problems with many traditional literacy approaches and the impact this can have on students. She shares some key strategies for building reading skills by building engagement and focusing on comprehension. Lois shares numerous specific examples that really help listeners visualize the strategies she shares. https://www.loisletchford.com/ ------------------...
Jun 05, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 232
In this episode, learn why both administrators and teachers love The Autism Helper’s Curriculum Access. Leah Green, Special Education Coordinator from West Fargo Public Schools, shares why her district decided to implement Curriculum Access within their special education classroom. She shares what features were important to her as an administrator and the variety of ways it is being used through schools. Elementary Special Education Teacher, Madison Waln, shares how she is currently using the cu...
May 29, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 231
Michelle B. Rogers is an Autism Mom & Life Coach for Parents of Children with Autism. In this episode, we discuss essential life skills that Michelle works with parents on teaching their children. Michelle shares the 3 critical skills that all children need to be successful. We dive into one of those skills - toilet training. Michelle shares some of her strategies and tips for toileting success. https://michellebrogers.com/ ---------------------------------------------- Interested in our Yea...
May 22, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 230
In this episode, parent, podcast host, and advocate Lia McCabe shares her story of her children’s and her own diagnosis with autism. She shares how her diagnosis with autism impacts her parent and also what lead her to share her story and provide support within the autism community Lia is the Founder of AutismWish, a charitable initiative providing autistic children with sensory/therapeutic items and parent resources. She is also the host of the Embracing Autism Podcast and certified in special ...
May 15, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 229
Gabriella Nelson is the founder and CEO of Lively Behavioral Solutions LLC, a provider of Applied Behavior Analysis services, and can be found on Instagram as @thebehaviorchick . Gabriella shares why parent collaboration is so essential to making progress with a learner. She gives practical tips and advice for how to include parents, what topics to provide training and feedback on, and how to overcome the obstacles to effective collaboration. ---------------------------------------------- Intere...
May 08, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 228
Andrea Pollack is a mother and parent coach helping families with autistic children and teens. In this episode, Andrea shares why conventional parenting wisdom and old-fashioned discipline techniques often backfire. She breaks down why these strategies may miss the unique needs of some children and how the focus on connection can have a much bigger impact. Andrea shares how the coaching model allows for the individualization of strategies and can help address mindset - the most important piece o...
May 01, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 227
The Data Driven Classroom is an engaging and in-depth course that breaks down the data collection process for special education classrooms. This course will teach you how to streamline your data collection process and collect data that will truly inform your instruction. This course will teach you the Data Driven Framework through 5 modules of training videos. Videos are short and break down each concept into actionable steps. This course covers Academic/Social Skill/Functional Skill Data, Behav...
Apr 24, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 226
Kim Bender is a former special education teacher and current school based BCBA. In this episode, Kim shares what her role looks like as a BCBA working in the schools as well as some of the challenges and highlights that can come along with this role. We discuss the role of our ethical guidelines in the school setting, how to balance the multiple aspects of the role, and best practices for collaborating with the team. More from Kim on Instagram @behaviorbender ------------------------------------...
Apr 17, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 225
April is Autism Acceptance Month. This month is a great prompt to level up our initiatives to promote autism awareness and acceptance. In this episode, I share 3 strategies for celebrating autism acceptance. Teaching lessons and facilitating discussions in your school community with general education students is a great way to promote change at a local level. Setting up a fundraiser for a local non-profit is also a good option for this month. The last strategy is to create opportunities for mean...
Apr 10, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 224
In this episode, hear from current educators that are using The Autism Helper Curriculum Access in their schools! Curriculum Access is a school-based subscription service for The Autism Helper Curriculum. Curriculum Access allows teachers to get every subject and level of the curriculum plus placement assessments, implementation guides, extension activities, and more. Victoria Diez, BCBA, is an inclusion specialist at the International School of Panama. She shares the variety of ways her school ...
Apr 03, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 223
When teaching students with a wide range of skill sets all within the same classroom, assessments are definitely not a one-size-fits-all situation. In this episode, we break down the overwhelm that comes with assessments and review best practices for implementing useful informal assessments. Embedding this into your daily routine is key for staying consistent and getting the most out of your assessments. ---------------------------------------------- Interested in our Year-Long Curriculum Access...
Mar 27, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 222
Curriculum Access is a school-based subscription service for The Autism Helper Curriculum. This highly rated curriculum is rooted in evidence-based strategies and best practices. Curriculum Access allows teachers to get every subject and level of the curriculum plus placement assessments, implementation guides, extension activities, and more. Spring is an amazing time to add new things to your classroom. Not only do you have an in-depth understanding of the needs of your learners, you also have ...
Mar 20, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 221
Assessments can easily seem overwhelming and daunting. Many formal assessments may not provide sufficient information for planning goals and instruction. In this episode, BCBAs Shira Karpel and Shayna Gaunt from How to ABA break assessments and share actionable tips for your classroom. Shira and Shayna review why assessment is important, how often assessments should be conducted, and how to use informal checklist-style assessments. https://howtoaba.com/ https://howtoaba.com/podcast/ ------------...
Mar 13, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 220
Episode 219: Tips for Utilizing the VB-MAPP with Nicole Morris The VB-MAPP is the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program. BCBA, Nicole Morris, breaks down why this tool is useful and how to streamline implementation within the classroom. Nicole gives an overview of what the VB-MAPP is and how it can help plan your instruction. Giving this assessment can be overwhelming, but Nicole gives helpful advice on how to use this program within a busy classroom setting. VB-MAPP: https...
Mar 06, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 219
The Executive Functions Masterclass is reopening for enrollment on 3/1! This course has been taken by hundreds of teachers, clinicians, and parents with consistently great reviews. This course will prepare you to support struggling learners by building executive functioning skills. You will learn how to assess skills, create a thorough plan, and develop proactive supports. In this episode, we review how this course will improve your classroom. From decreasing negative behaviors to increasing ind...
Feb 27, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 218
Executive functions expert and coach, Seth Perler, shares what executive functions are and why these skills are critically important for success. Seth and I cover a lot of topics from strategies to family involvement to the role of mental health and more. Seth shares great examples and actionable strategies you can incorporate into your class or home right away. https://sethperler.com/ https://executivefunctionsummit.com/ ---------------------------------------------- Enrollment for our Data Cou...
Feb 20, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 217
Marydee Sklar is a learning coach and executive functioning skills expert. Marydee is the founder of the Seeing My Time® Program, a scaffolded curriculum that builds metacognitive awareness. In this episode, Marydee explores why time management in particular is such an essential skill and the impact a struggle in this area can have on an individual. She also gives an overview of why metacognition is so important with all executive functions and why we need this to increase these skills. https://...
Feb 13, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 219
Life skills to me are more than vocational skills and what we teach in high school and transition. Life Skills are things that we want to really start early on because these are the important behaviors that we need to be independent and to be successful later in life. Our team is hard at work creating the latest subject of our Leveled Daily Curriculum - Life Skills ! It will be focused on teaching essential life skills related to the home and community while utilizing all real photos. Overall th...
Feb 06, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 215
Heather Cacioppo is a former special education teacher and currently a Special Education Curriculum and Assessment Facilitator. In this episode, Heather breaks down how to overcome the common obstacles that teachers face to collect consistent data within the classroom. She shares tips on scheduling, goal prioritization, and staff collaboration. Heather also explores digital data collection with google forms and gives actionable strategies for embedding this within the classroom. More from Heathe...
Jan 30, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 214
The Autism Helper Professional Development Membership provides ongoing training, resources, and consultation. In this episode, learn the 5 positive impacts that joining this membership can have on your classroom. Enrollment is only open from 1/24 - 1/31. This is the last time this membership will open this school year. When you join the membership, you will get access to the new, upcoming Data Course as a part of the group. https://theautismhelper.com/membership/ -------------- The Autism Helper...
Jan 23, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 213
School-based BCBA, Christina Herrera discusses what it means to be a “basic BCBA.” In this episode, we explore why outdated practices persist and how clinicians and educators can better meet the needs of the whole child. Christina reviews the role of a school-based BCBA and how it has helped make her a better practitioner. Follow Christina @inclusive_aba_ -------------- The Autism Helper Professional Development Membership is now OPEN for enrollment from 1/24 - 1/31! Sign up here: https://shop.t...
Jan 16, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 212
There are no magic wands when it comes to behavior change but there are quick wins. Quick wins are actionable strategies that can help move your behavior strategies in the right direction. These are tools to add to your toolbox. Not every tool works for every students, but having more resources has you better equipped to meet the needs of your learners. In this episode, I introduce my 10 Quick Wins for Behavior Change. These are often a mindset shift that can lead to a different outcome. To lear...
Jan 09, 2023•17 min•Season 1Ep. 211
Problem-solving is an essential skill that may sometimes require more focused direct instruction. Dr. Victoria Castillo shares her recent study on using problem-solving strategies for social problems. She explains why this skill is so important and what strategies can be used to build these skills. Dr. Castillo is a senior care manager at Humana and an adjunct professor for the Masters in ABA programs at Pepperdine University and Endicott College. Follow her at @behaviorguru https://link.springe...
Dec 12, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 210
Jenny Friedman MS, RD is a dietitian who helps families overcome picky eating and extreme pediatric feeding challenges. In this episode, Jenny shares tips and strategies for how to handle food anxiety, sensory disorders, and repeated refusal. She covers why eating and mealtimes can be stressful and what caregivers and educators can do to make the process less aversive. Jenny is the author of Stories of Extreme Picky Eating: Children with Severe Eating Challenges and the Solutions that Helped The...
Dec 05, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 209
Mallory Anderson-Macy, BCBA, is passionate about sharing the positive impacts of Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT). She currently works on helping parents and clients by focusing on Clinician Training around ACT and Life Balance. Mallory believes intervention starts with people who are at their best. When clinicians are supported they will better support parents and the staff they supervise- leading to better clinical outcomes. In this episode, Mallory discusses caregiver burnout, the role tha...
Nov 28, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 208
Saundra Bishop, MS, BCBA is the founder, CEO, and Clinical Director of the DC based BASICS ABA Therapy. She has over 18 years of experience working in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and with people with Autism/Autistic people and has been a BCBA for over 11 years and is licensed in Virginia and Maryland. She is especially passionate about Trauma-Informed Behavior Management and on using teaching models that focus on self-advocacy rather than compliance. In this episode, Saundra breaks down what...
Nov 21, 2022•32 min•Season 1Ep. 207
