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

Every student deserves a way to communicate with the world, and that belief has guided my work from the very beginning. Today, I’m sharing something incredibly special, the story behind my new book, Say It With Me: Naturalistic Tools to Spark Speech and Social Engagement. This is the resource I wish I had when I first started working with autistic learners who were not yet speaking, struggled to engage in therapy, or faced behavioral barriers that made learning more challenging. I take you be...

Child-led therapy doesn’t mean lowering expectations. It means meeting children where they are and building meaningful learning opportunities from what matters most to them. I’m joined by Dr. Katherine Pickard, Dr. Rachel Yosick, and Dr. Tracy Argueta from the Marcus Autism Center to explore how child-led Applied Behavior Analysis is shaping the future of autism intervention. We unpack Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs), what they are, how they differ from more tradit...

Starting your own practice does not have to mean doing it all alone. In today’s episode, I sat down with Bukhtar Khan, co-founder and CEO of Finni Health, to talk honestly about what it really looks like to start and grow an independent ABA practice. We talked about the fears BCBAs often have around finances, insurance, staffing, and burnout, and how Finni Health is built to support clinicians who want autonomy without sacrificing stability or ethics. Bukhtar shares the heart behind Finni H...

Prompting AAC is abuse? Let’s talk about that and a few other AAC conversations that keep coming up again and again. In today’s solo episode, I’m diving into five hot topics in AAC that have been surfacing repeatedly in my recent calls, trainings, and collaboration meetings. After more than 20 years as a speech therapist and being dually certified as a BCBA, I’ve seen how confusing, overwhelming, and sometimes divisive AAC conversations can become. I also remember very clearly when AAC felt i...

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