A 25 Year Look Across the Spectrum with Kelly Bermingham & Jen Lucero (Kelly Bermingham)

Kelly & Jen interview friend, fellow board member and founder if the Kind and Safe School Programs to promote Ability Awareness. Listen to the incredible statistics, (40-70% of kids with ASD reported being bullied) how to support the child living with autism toward bullying prevention and how this relates directly to our 2022 new ethics code. Do you know what to do for the child that is being bullied? Ability Awareness Project (kindandsafeschools.org)

Understanding what happens when autistic kids are hitting puberty is greatly under-researched. It may be a roller coaster but it is no quick ride. We scratch the surface talking about all of the challenged that come up, and decide to walk through a path of breaking down each topic to consider the brain, body and social nuances of puberty and sexuality.

Kelly and Kristy talk about collaborating as ABA therapists and OT’s including thinking beyond escape functions, and every day tips for families be prepared.

Kelly & Jen talk to Heather O'Shea, CASP Caregiver Collaboration SIG Co-leader (Kelly leads with her) and Bianca Ancona, mom, and leader of "Team Jake" about what is in a name. Why the term Caregiver Collaboration or Team Member is much more meaningful to them as caregivers, and the notion of BCBA's giving caregivers pop-quizzes about ABA terms or expecting caregivers to learn all of the technical language is not helpful or useful. Instead, they share that their child's individual goals are their caregiver goals, and they love the idea of support and collaboration this way.  We do too. We do too.

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Kelly & Jen are joined by returning guest Michelle and her bestie Victoria to discuss conservatorship for her two sons- and alternate options when it doesn't feel right. 

Kelly, co-chair of the September 26th project speaks directly with Maysoon Salah and Lubna Lana Salah about the September 26th project that turns tragedy into a wonderful legacy to remind families of children affected with autism, as well as a call to ABA providers to focus on the importance of safety preparation and practice. Safety is at the core of all individuals. Go to the website, use the checklists and resources to prepare yourself for safety and how to evacuate in the event of an emergency. As families and ABA providers we should unite toward this cause. www.september26.org

We are baaaaaack! Kelly, BCBA for 21 years, and Jen, mom to Dylan and Ethan talk through the best way to approach doctor's appointments with your autistic child. With nearly 40-80% of autistic individuals having medical co-morbidities, going to the doctor is not for the faint of heart for families. Listen to a caregiver's perspective over the years and how ABA providers can help support these appointments.

The Association for Science in Autism Treatment has fantastic resources to share with medical providers. You can find them here:

For Medical Professionals - Association for Science in Autism Treatment (asatonline.org)

This month, Jen and I will be talking about the role and feelings of the siblings of children with autism and special needs. A must listen for families and therapists working with children and families! 

Kelly & Jen are joined by Melaura Erickson-Tomaino, Ph.D, Co-founder and Principle at the Port View Preparatory Schools in California. Melaura discusses what worked and didn't work with on-line learning and shares information on a study here team is doing on the pandemic. 

Kelly & Jen talk to Mom, author and blogger, Susan Senator (susansenator.com) and Lyndsey Radcliffe, CEO of Morningstarabatherapy.com and an individual diagnosed on the autism spectrum about the importance and challenge of talking with and including the child/adult with autism into the conversation. To quote Susan's Facebook post: "How the fuck do I get the people in my life to stop talking about Nat in front of him as if he does not understand? When people talk about him in front of him, I die a little on the inside." We do too Susan. Let's chat about how to do this effectively and appropriately as practitioners, parents and family members. With so many newly minted BCBA's we HAVE to train for this and #dobetter.  www.susansenator.com  Magazine: A different way of seeing: Local business owner changing the national conversation around behavioral science (5/10/20) | Southeast Missourian newspaper, Cape Girardeau, MO (semissourian.com)

As we go into the holidays, are you going to use this time to completely relax, to maintain skills, try and learn a new skill you focus on or go to the September26th.org website and make sure you are prepared?  Listen to Kelly & Jen speak from experience on this topic and hear how Dylan has made many gains during his holiday breaks! As ABA providers we owe it to our families to review and help them organize how to spend their holidays. 

Kelly & Jen are joined by Hope (mother to Aries) as we talk about the challenges of 2020 on families of children with autism and therapists working with them, reframing the year, and planning for 2021!

Kelly & Jen chat with long-time friend Izzy Paskowitz about Surfer's Healing, an original surf camp for children and families living with autism, and how that one perfect day in the water surfing can be exactly what that child and family needed.  Founded in 1996, and a huge part of Jen, Dylan, and Ethan's life, the surf team is ready to get back to it this summer. You can find more about them here: Home | Surfers Healing

Kelly & Jen talk about the holiday challenges (including a thrown Christmas tree!) and calming tips & fire safety tips when it comes to live Christmas trees

This last year saw major changes in the field of ABA and other fields supporting children and adults with autism. Employers struggled to support team members remotely. People had major events happen in their lives after a year+ of pandemic life and many walked out and quit. Left behind are the families. Kelly and Jen talk about how difficult this has been as an employer and as families living with autism. On a positive note, Dylan and many others learned how to accept changes more smoothly!  What are you doing to adjust to this?

Kelly and Jen speak to Jennifer, BCBA, and mom to her 13-year-old son with ADHD. She shared his struggles with ADHD and anxiety coming out of the pandemic, trying to organize his homework and keep us with social pressures that ultimately led to hospitalization. Research tells us there is a stronger link between homework difficulties and ADHD than the general population. The National Institute of Mental Health suggests medication and behavioral therapy as the two main treatments. But how do you know when to do what? Hear Jennifer's story and her advice to caregivers and BCBAs.

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Taylor, Leblanc & Nosik wrote about the need for training for BCBAs and compassionate care. Their survey of caregivers found that many caregivers feel their BCBA is distracted and too focused on solving the problem. Kelly & Jen discuss what this looks like and talk about how the medical issues for those living with autism, like Dylan, can be so stressful and impactful on the family, compassion is key. Compassionate Care in Behavior Analytic Treatment: Can Outcomes be Enhanced by Attending to Relationships with Caregivers? - PMC (nih.gov). Sponsored by Cite Pro

Kelly & Jen talk about Jen's decision to have a limited conservatorship of the person for Dylan to protect him. She also actively engages in Supported Decision Making with Dylan and their family. Hear her story about this challenging process.

Kelly and Jen invite two mom's from their autism tribe to share their experiences as moms, and the powerhouse women they are in their careers that were shaped by their kids! 

Kelly & Jen talk with long-time Registered Behavior Therapist Salvador Cadenas about why he works with children and adults on the autism spectrum with severe behavior and shares his perspective on what BCBAs and families get right to keep behavior interventionists (RBTs) in their jobs, and what they don't get right, which may contribute to turnover and burnout. In this session, we also discuss the importance of not using jargon when working with families and reference the following research article:

Effects of Jargon on Parent Implementation of Discrete Trial Teaching | Request PDF (researchgate.net) Salvador is also a published author and you can find his book here:

The Lonely Blue: Cadenas Jr, Salvador, Bacon, Erika: 9798511837178: Amazon.com: Books Sponsored by: Cite Pro

Kelly & Jen wrap up season 3 by talking about the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysis, specifically 2.12, Considering Medical Needs. "Behavior Analysts ensure, to the best of their ability that medical needs are addressed and make referrals as needed." From the caregiver's perspective, finding qualified medical professionals that understand and even help those on the autism spectrum is nearly impossible. With GI disorders nearly eight times more common in children and adults with autism than other children and adults, a call to action must happen. Sponsored by Cite Pro

We start our month hearing from well-knows developmental pediatrician Dr. Robin Steinberg-Epstein, who works at UCI's Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders. She discusses the when, how and why's of disclosing an autism diagnosis drawing from her 20+ year career, as well as a parent of a child (now adult) on the autism spectrum.

Kelly & Jen talk to New Vista School about their Career Academy that seeks innovative jobs based on passion and interest for their adults in Southern California.  Great model to copy! 

Up to 75% of autistic children and adults will be bullied over the internet or taken advantage of in some way. Predators look for those who may not understand the nuances of social cues making autistic children and adults targets. In this podcast, Kelly speaks with Dennis Debbaudt, long-time safety trainer and author on how to create a cyber safety plan. Links for filters and protections can be found here:

Dennis: Autism Risk & Safety Management | Autism Training for Police (autismriskmanagement.com)

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Kelly & Jen talk to Morgan about her life growing up with a sister with special needs, describing jealousy as well as how it shaped her into being a therapist who feels strongly the siblings should be included in therapy as much as they can.  Kelly talks about the importance of considering the siblings and the families in an ABA assessment including data collection on peer interactions as well as listening to the siblings about their needs.

Parents of children with autism or other developmental disabilities have to make some tough choices, including if they want conservatorship or not conservatorship over their child. It's can be expensive and confusing. As ABA practitioners we are have to know this information too whenever we treat someone over the age of 28. Listen up to Hope's story. 

Puberty is extra challenging for autistic people- yet no one talks about it!  Why? Well we are going to talk about. All month!  Hear Barbie's story about the struggles she is having as her son is starting puberty. Increase in aggression, trying to figure out masturbation, oh my!

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 1! Kelly & Jen are baaaack and excited to announce they have partnered with Citepro, providing continuing education units for behavior analysts. This first episode, Kelly & Jen talk about the new ethic codes, and a look back at ABA from a historical perspective which often leads to the negative feedback some present about ABA. The new codes will surely help with this, as they include 4 major core principles that behavior analysts should follow regarding therapy: does it BENEFIT others, are we treating others with COMPASSION, DIGNITY & RESPECT, are we behaving with INTEGRITY and have we, as behavior analysts ensured our COMPETENCY.  Listening to our podcast sure will help expand competency!  Check us out for CEU's at: https://www.citepro.com/courses/podcastseptember

Ethics-Code-for-Behavior-Analysts-210902.pdf (bacb.com)

Families raising a child on the autism spectrum are faced with many different types of therapy and alternative options to try and help their child. Most are not evidence-based, some may even be harmful, while others may have a different, yet positive outcome than intended. Kelly & Jen talk about how families may make decisions and how BCBAs can follow their ethics code with kindness to help support and make decisions. Sponsored by: Cite Pro

Kelly & Jen speak with Thomas, a 28 year old man with autism and hear about his experience being bullied, and how him mom helped train the schools and get a teacher advocate. Want to know what that is? Give us a listen. 

Studies show that individuals with ASD have greater medical fears as compared to their peers. Kelly & Jen share their experience, strategies and research related to blood draws from their perspectives with their children who are now fully comfortable and independent in getting their blood drawn after years of stress!

Information:

⁠A pilot study to improve venipuncture compliance in children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders - PMC (nih.gov)⁠⁠Blood Work Parents.pdf (autismspeaks.org)⁠

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Jen & I talk all things ABA related including a parent's perspective on extinction procedures, mass trials and how we talk to kids on the autism spectrum with shortened words and sing-songy voices.  We found our voice and our tribe through this pandemic through this experience together. We have hired some young adults to help us come back in September better than ever!

A new trend in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis is for parents to be the Behavior Therapist/RBT for their child while being supervised by a BCBA. Kelly and Jen discuss this trend from their perspective of their 20 years of experience. Article referenced: https://bhbusiness.com/2024/01/09/parents-are-desperate-parent-led-aba-provides-tantalizing-remedy-to-autism-therapys-challenges/ Sponsored by: Cite Pro

Kelly & Jen talk through the real challenges and real solutions to support children with autism to brush their teeth and prepare and go to the dentist. Kelly shares information from the study she participated in on how to use analytic strategies to teach these specific skills.  Access to Dental Visits and Correlates of Preventive Dental Care in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder | Request PDF (researchgate.net) 

Try this kit to practice and prepare for the dentist!  Brush and Bite Starter Kit – Triple Bristle

We end our series on siblings by talking with Kaitlyn, 21 year old sister AND co-conservator of her brother, Dylan age 18. While we were not this put together at age 21, Kaitlyn is a remarkable young lady who worked through her own learning challenges and depression to come out as a strong sister and advocate for her brother, as well as going to college to become a teacher. Get your tissues ready!

Kelly & Jen talk with mom, Michelle, about raising her son with autism, and disclosing differently at different milestones. As a BCBA she has incredible perspective into this experience for practitioners. 

Kelly & Jen are joined by mom and advocate Kelly Haysley, mom to three children, two diagnosed on the autism spectrum. We discuss Kubler-Ross cycle of grief, and how this cycle repeats and repeats, adding guilt and stress, and how embracing the joyful times are worth it, even if it means not "running the program and taking data". They have specific tips for BCBAs to know.  Five Stages Of Grief - Understanding the Kubler-Ross Model (psycom.net)

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Kelly is joined by Amanda Ralston, founder of Non-binary Solutions. Home | NonBinary Solutions.  Kelly has been certified by the BACB for over 20 years, and Amanda since the turn of the century! They discuss their journey in the field including the changes that have happened in the field; working without any formal code of ethics until 2014 and being 2 women in a field dominated by men. The future indicates that while we are still a young field with much to accomplish, technology, compassionate care, and quality-of-life indicators seem to be leading the way.  

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Listen to Jen and Kelly talk about teaching mask wearing and social distance as cases rise

Jen & I talk about the process, and Dylan's experience of graduating high school with a certificate, entering a high school transition program until he was 22, graduating to an adult day program, oh wait. No, he didn't.  Covid partly to blame, but the system failed him, and as of right now he is home, bored, sad and starting to regress. We won't take this- but this could happen to you!  Listen to our story. 

Jen & Kelly talk to mom, Patti about her journey with her son and how and when she disclosed his diagnosis to him when he got older. Now, as he is graduating college, they talk about how to disclose and share on his terms.

Sleep problems are among the most urgent concerns for families grappling with autism. Nearly 80% of toddlers with ASD have disrupted sleep. Issues related to falling asleep, and more importantly staying asleep result in those living with ASD being in REM sleep 15% of the time, vs 23% of their neurotypical counterparts.  But what about the caregivers? How does this affect them, and what can we do as BCBAs to help? Kelly & Jen talk all things strategy they have learned over the last 25 years. Find the article on sleep here: Sleep problems in autism, explained | Spectrum | Autism Research News (spectrumnews.org)

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Parenting a child on the spectrum, being a BCBA supporting that parent, is all hard work! Even after over 20 years, we don't always know what to do and feel lost!  We talk through how we both had a week feeling like frauds, and how we brought ourselves out of it (again) to continue marching on! 

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Kelly & Jen get deep and talk about how Jen copes when her severely impacted son with autism is aggressive toward her, and suggests ways BCBAs can support caregivers after those moments. Sponsored by https://www.citepro.com

Kelly talks about the research she has found, resources she uses and her experience over 25 years teaching puberty skills, safe sex skills and supporting the unique social emotional challenges children and adults need support in regarding their sexuality.

Doctors told his parents to put him in an institution. Now he is taking college courses. Hear his story.

Kelly & Jen speak with Jennifer's son, Ethan, age 20, who shares his perspective on what age to talk to children about their sibling's autism, how volunteering in the autism community while also having his own activities made him the man he is today, and how he began to choose the people he surrounds himself with others that acknowledge his brother as a person. He shared his childhood and advice to others raising or working with those on the autism spectrum.  We are proudly sponsored by Cite Pro. www.citepro.com

Kelly is joined again with Kelly Haysley, mom to 3 children, 2 on opposite ends of the spectrum to talk about the REAL tips for getting through the holidays, beyond the fluffy memes you see out there posted this time of year. They talk about individualizing the holidays for each child and family, including how to find joy in the season, the unschool time, and the non-therapy therapy. (Jen was out sick! She will be back next week!)

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With the rates of autism increasing every year, the number of high-profile incidents involving law enforcement and the autism population are on the rise. As ABA providers we often try to train first responders but are we really capturing their attention?  Kelly & Jen speak with Kate Movius, founder and owner of the Autism Interaction Solutions where she brings in trainers with autism and provides a very specific and scenarios-based training to law enforcement and other first responders. Listen to how she does this so effectively.  Check her out here: Autism Interaction Solutions

Kelly speaks with Kristine Rodriguez, Chief Clinical Officer at Autism Learning Partners, and Co-lead of the CASP Client Outcomes SIG, breaking down the concepts of evidenced-based treatment and the importance of individual analysis before applying strategies in intervention.

Slocum, T. A., Detrich, R., Wilczynski, S. M., Spencer, T. D., Lewis, T., & Wolfe, K. (2014). The Evidence-Based Practice of Applied Behavior Analysis. The Behavior analyst, 37(1), 41–56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-014-0005-2

Lechago, S. A., & Carr, J. E. (2008). Recommendations for reporting independent variables in outcome studies of early and intensive behavioral intervention for autism. Behavior modification, 32(4), 489–503. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445507309034

Geiger, K. B., Carr, J. E., & Leblanc, L. A. (2010). Function-based treatments for escape-maintained problem behavior: a treatment-selection model for practicing behavior analysts. Behavior analysis in practice, 3(1), 22–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03391755

Grow, L. L., Carr, J., & LeBlanc, L. (2009). Treatments for attention-maintained problem behavior: empirical support and clinical recommendations. Journal of Evidence-based Practices for Schools, Vol. (10), 70-92

Tiger, J. H., Hanley, G. P., & Bruzek, J. (2008). Functional communication training: a review and practical guide. Behavior analysis in practice, 1(1), 16–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03391716

Ferraioli, S., Hughes, C., & Smith, T. (2005). A model for problem solving in discrete trial training for children with autism. Journal of Early and Intensive Behavior Intervention, 2(4), 224-246. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0100316

Brodhead, M. T., Quigley, S. P., & Wilczynski, S. M. (2018). A Call for Discussion About Scope of Competence in Behavior Analysis. Behavior analysis in practice, 11(4), 424–435. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-018-00303-8

On this short episode, Kelly & Jen talk about how are current state with COVID feels so much more stressful for our kids and their families with the constant changes, and how angry and polarizing this has become for everyone. We all have to be better for our kids.

Kelly & Jen talk about the risks and change they have done to move their children forward in life. Kelly describes the steps she and her husband took to take the risk of having their daughter move out on her own. The same type of steps applied to Jen trying to buy a new bed and furniture for Dylan. These risks are hard. Change is hard. It is the path forward. 

When an infant's attention is drawn to another person's face and voice, they experience a positive emotion as the amygdala and prefrontal cortex are activated. These networks are often faulty in children on the autism spectrum. As a result, no MO is created for wanting to look toward others. Coordinated eye gaze and shared experiences with others, knowns as joint attention, is considered a prerequisite skill for other skills including imitation, social engagement, and communication, a behavior cusp skill. Teaching this skill is often left out of ABA programs because it is challenging to teach, and requires very thoughtful and specific planning. Hear more from Kelly about this topic and learn how you can have further training on this topic from her. Social Skills Collaborative - Autism Skills & ABA Training. Or join my Patreon for monthly learning: Social Skills Learning Collaborative with Kelly (McKinnon) Bermingham | Creating ABA content for therapists and parents | Patreon Sponsored by Cite Pro

Kelly & Jen speak with Nicholas A. Maio-Aether, MSPSY, LBA, BCBA (he/him/his), Owner of Empowered: A Center for Sexuality LLC, a company that uses ABA strategies to teach and support many things related to Sex. 

Listen as BCBA Kelly Bermingham talks to others about her and their 25 year career journey in the field of ABA and Autism

We talk to the attorneys at Woodsmall Law Group about going back to school, compensatory services and the age when you should consider conservatorship. And we have fun doing it!

Kelly talks with her friend Michele about her daughter’s journey toward independence despite a challenging neurological disorder!

Kelly and Jen, mom to Dylan discuss information about and challenges for children and parents living with Autism on sleep. Here the functional decision tree and real life experiences.

Kelly discusses the history of the development of the BACB ethics code and her journey with ethics for the last 28 years with Maria Sasaski Solis, owner of the Sasaki Behavioral Group, APBA Board Member, and Co-Moderator of the Ethics Sig for CASP. Sponsored by CitePro Cite Pro You can find the Dear Don Casp Ethics Webinar here: Dear Don Ethics Panel (Nov 2023) - recorded - Council of Autism Service Providers (casproviders.org)

19 year old Ethan, brother to Dylan describes his life growing up with a brother on the autism spectrum. Hear him talk about his experience, including feelings of jealousy, being scared, and learning to cope with his brother's behaviors his own way, despite the experts telling him to do something different. His story is a must listen to new families and therapists.

Kelly & Jen talk with John Merager, Fire fighter and Fire Prevention/Patrol Forest service and dad to a child on the autism spectrum to continue work of the September 26th project. The project is call to families to set their calendar for an annual reminder using our fire safety checklists. September 26th Project.  As BCBA's we have so much time assessing and working with families this checklist should be used in our parent clinical interview to determine their safety needs and readiness, and to help families develop an exit plan, a meeting place, a designated family member to get the child with autism out and to the meeting place. Use visual strategies, behavioral rehearsal and reinforcement procedure to practice your child respond to "Emergency, go with me now" SD. Support your family to go to the fire station and meet their team. See if they need training and support. Include fire safety and exit plan in the IEP instead of avoiding the sound. 

Behavior therapists are the backbone of ABA services for children and adults. While certifications such as the RBT certification help as a starting point for quality care, what are the "soft skills" that make a really good behavior therapist. Kelly gets Jen's perspective, as a parent, on what a parent is looking for in therapists coming into their home. 

Kelly talks about all the influential people across her career and life

Hear Kelly and Jen walk through a safety assessment plan to ensure Dylan, son with autism is safe in the event of a natural disaster. A must listen

Kelly and Jen talk about each of their perspectives regarding fulfilling the recommended hours of authorization. Some ABA companies often refer a family there to another agency if they do not commit to being able to use all of the hours. What do you think?

In this podcast, Kelly & Jen tackle the topic of the current high turnover rates in the ABA therapy world and what that impact had on the clients and the families.  Hear the best ways you can do this from a parent perspective, and hear how badly it can go when not done properly, including leading children to become aggressive toward themselves and others. Includes new Ethic Code points 3.16 Appropriately Transitioning Services (see 1.03, 2.02, 2.05. 2.10). 4.12 Appropriately Terminating Supervision (see 1.03, 2.02, 3.15)

Kelly & Jen speak with Melissa Saunders, Ed. D, BCBA-D about her, and others recently published paper, A Call for a Discussion on Stereotypic Behavior. This topic has become a very decisive topic and the three break down the topic in a way BCBAs and caregivers can relate to.  Find the paper here: Full article: A call for discussion on stereotypic behavior (tandfonline.com).  We are proudly sponsored by Cite Pro

Kelly & Jen talk about the role of ABA, strength-based assessments, and the ethical considerations when assessing and treating people with autism across the varying levels of severity of autism, with considerations of consent and assent. 

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Kelly and Jen are joined by Meghan Herron, Director of Research and Development from Easterseals, Southern California to discuss her research looking at measuring Quality of Life as an outcome for ABA services and discuss how this can be considered by any ABA practitioner, working alongside families.

Questionnaires - kidscreen.org

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Kelly and Jen talk with long-time RBT's Stephanie and Salvador about how they have managed to stay in the field for so long, and the real ways BCBA's and families can help support and prevent burnout. It's pretty real concrete and not rocket science.

Kelly talks about her new book, including programming social skills intentionally to include group learning for children, and the difference between curriculum-based and activity and individualized learning.

Buy her book here: The Group Experience – Different Roads (difflearn.com) Sponsored by Cite Pro

www.zuggyetc.com. These 4 young men and their long-term friend and caretaker started a business! We know that more than half of young adults with autism remain unemployed and unenrolled in higher education in the two years after high school. This is a lower rate than that of young adults in other disability categories, including learning disabilities, intellectual disability or speech-language impairment. Of the nearly 18,000 people with autism who used state-funded vocational rehabilitation programs in 2014, only 60 percent left the program with a job. Of these, 80 percent worked part-time at a median weekly rate of $160, putting them well below the poverty level. Not these guys!

There is research that suggests that individuals on the autism spectrum experience a much lower quality of life than nonautistic individuals across the lifespan. Quality of Life can be measured by happiness, which is considered a private event by behavior analysts. Indices of happiness are those observable behaviors that likely signal happiness, including smiling, laughing, and the absence of challenging behaviors. Both leisure skills and recreational skills are all ways to be happy yet are not often taught or included in programming or households living with autism.

Kely & Jen dive into the research and talk about the ways that Kelly has programmed for leisure and recreational skills and Jen has taught her own severely impacted son to have a very happy life.

Sponsored by: Cite Pro DEFINING, VALIDATING, AND INCREASING INDICES OF HAPPINESS AMONG PEOPLE WITH PROFOUND MULTIPLE DISABILITIES - Green - 1996 - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis - Wiley Online Library Defining and Measuring Indices of Happiness and Unhappiness in Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder | Behavior Analysis in Practice (springer.com)

Most BCBA training programs don't discuss caregiver perspectives, yet caregivers are the ones raising their children with autism. Caregivers often meet up to 10 different BCBA's in their journey. Listen to Kelly & Jen talk about the good and the not-so-good things a BCBA can do when meeting and working with families with children with autism. Kelly references her favorite article on this compassionate care model, written by Dr. Taylor, Dr. LeBlanc, and Dr. Nosic.  

Compassionate Care in Behavior Analytic Treatment: Can Outcomes be Enhanced by Attending to Relationships with Caregivers? - PubMed (nih.gov)

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Join us to listen to Avivah Paskowitz- daughter to Navah Paskowitz & Matt Asner, and sister to 3 brothers on the autism spectrum. She shares with us what it is like with her blended family, and how their passion to support the special needs community brought her back home to become the Art Director of the Ed Asner Family Center.

We started this podcast talking about quality of life- health, happiness, safety, independence and having a tribe. Well Beth and her son Thomas have done that. 

Kelly and Jen do I deep dive into the video, Assume That I Can, released on World Down's Syndrome Day, and talk about how our ethics code, 2.09, Involving Clients and Stakeholders and this video intersect into preference assessments for the purpose of assent and goal development.

Theautismdad.com joins us to talk about raising his 3 kids on the autism spectrum alone. We debate if there are higher rates of divorce in families with children with autism, and talk about the raw feelings it evokes. 

Kelly and Jen speak with frequent guest Susan Senator about her recent article, "The Secret to Connecting with My Autistic Son." Is it something learned, or do you have to be taught? Why will some people work with the more severely impacted children and adults on the autism spectrum and why won't others? What's the secret to connecting with this group of people? 

Susan Senator is the author of numerous autism books; her writing has appeared in the New York Times, and The Washington Post, among others. She is a contributing author to Psychology Today. The Secret to Connecting With My Autistic Son | Psychology Today

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April started as Autism Awareness Month. It has now become a decisive month with groups split and arguing about what the month and message should mean. We believe in awareness, acceptance and action. Kelly & Jen talk with the Vice President of National Council on Severe Autism and published author Amy Lutz, and her amazing daughter Erika Lutz who bring a refreshing take on the arguing. Erika, brother to Jonah living with profound autism comments, "There is room for #actuallyautistic people, family members and caregivers in the movement." Find out more about NCSA here: National Council on Severe Autism (ncsautism.org) and find Amy's book here: We Walk: Life with Severe Autism (The Culture and Politics of Health Care Work): Lutz, Amy S. F.: 9781501751394: Amazon.com: Books

Jen & Kelly talk about the benefits of exercise. Did you know that exercise has been proven to increase flow to the brain, help with concentration, and improve sleep? With devices taking over, children and adults are exercising less. Kelly & Jen talk about all of the benefits and programs Special Olympics has to offer including both team and individualized programs that may be more fun and effective. Kelly & Jen also talk about ways to use simple ABA strategies to get kids moving in an effective and fun way. Check out Special Olympics here to find one in your state. Special Olympics Use their Young Athletes program for kids ages 2-7. Young Athletes (specialolympics.org) Sponsored by Cite Pro

Extinction can best be defined as the discontinuing of reinforcement of a previously reinforced behavior (i.e., response no longer produces reinforcement). The goal of extinction is for the behavior to cease without having used a punishment procedure. Over the years the concept of extinction has become controversial. Kelly & Jen break down the different functions of behavior and discuss why extinction may or may not be warranted, from a BCBA and a caregiver perspective.

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Season 3 of our podcast is starting! In this episode, Kelly, BCBA, and Jen, mom to Dylan & Ethan discuss a previous from season 2 titled, "Transition into Adulthood or Falling Off a Cliff. Dylan graduated from his transition program in December 2022, during the pandemic. Covid and staffing shortages have been a crisis for those seeking services for their children and adults on the autism spectrum. Day programs have not admitted new clients, and some programs are closing due to a lack of adequate staffing. Kelly and Jen discuss the current options and how Dylan is doing now.  

Day Program Closures Forcing Some Parents To Quit Jobs - Disability Scoop

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Kelly & Jen are back with Heather O'Shea, BCBA-D and Bianca Ancona, mom and manager of team Jack to talk about collaboration: the process of two or more people working together to complete a task or goal. It neutralizes the power differential in the relationship. It's about the BCBA saying, "What can we do to help improve the quality of life for you and your family" and the two coming together to form a team do just that.

Although the data is varied, some data suggests that parents of a child diagnosed with autism have a higher chance of divorce than their counterparts, especially if they are younger when married and have a child early on in their marriage. Parents raising children with autism experience greater marriage strain in part due to stress related to resources, severity of Autism symptoms, and concerns over long-term care. Kelly and Jen have both experienced this firsthand and share their experiences. Sponsored by Cite Pro

Kelly & Jen talk to mom, Tracy about her journey with her (almost) 18 year old daughter with a diagnosis of IDD who very much wants to have sex, get married and maybe have children. Tracy has conservatorship over her daughter but is walking her along every step of the day toward this dream!