"You are not Superman, and you are not Superwoman. Take off the cape."

Tameika Meadows 

Today's QOTD is from an amazing podcast I had the privilege to join: "Shifting Perspectives", hosted by Yolande Robinson.

During the insanity that has been 2020, parents of Autistic children, teens, and adults, have had to repeatedly pivot and navigate new situations when it comes to lack of supports, no access to community providers, increased unemployment, schools or colleges shut down, homeschooling nightmares, increased anxiety, increased depression, and on and on. 

We have all been impacted by this pandemic and global turmoil, but for families raising special needs children there are unique issues and factors that come with the territory. 

What is needed now is encouragement, support, practical strategies, and a reminder that no one should be trying to "do it all" right now. That just isn't possible. Focus on what can be changed and improved, and learn to adapt to what cannot.

Podcast episode link:  Episode 19  "Take off the Cape"

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Tameika Meadows, BCBA, Blog Author

Here we all are, in the midst of an unprecedented life event and trying our best to continue providing ABA services to the clients who need our help now more than ever.

So yeah, no pressure or anything. :-)


Prior to this pandemic, maybe you had some clinical telehealth experience, maybe you didn't, but either way I hope to provide either a review of information you already know, or a crash course in Telehealth 101. 

I suspect that for many of us even after the current crisis ends, telehealth could become the New Normal as far as the way we do our jobs. Don't you think? 
If so, then it's pretty important to get your skill set up to speed with using technology to serve consumers.


So take a breath, relax, and let's dive in to some strategies for implementing your ABA magic remotely!

You can listen to the audio presentation here.




* HUGE* resource file for this presentation: Click Here to Download
Sharing is caring, pass this resource along to your ABA colleagues! We're in this thing together.

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Tameika Meadows, BCBA, Blog Author

It's been way-y-y-y too long since my last audio post, so now seems like a good time for one focused on ABA Consultation, and being a Consultation C-H-A-M-P ;-)

ABA Consultation is an interesting animal that can be very different from the typical BCBA supervision or case management role, in terms of pay, workload, clients served, time demands/responsibilities, and on and on. I use the word "Consultant" specifically to mean an ABA professional who works independently (self-employed) to serve clients. 

There are many snares and barriers that can pop up and impede effective service delivery when consulting, and I am often contacted by ABA peeps confused if they are ready to wade into the consulting waters. There are many things to consider beyond the obvious question of possessing the clinical skillset to practice independently. To name a few: 

How to find clients, Where to advertise, How to bill for services, What materials to use, Ethical issues when joining multi-disciplinary teams, How to address contract violations, etc.


Two quick tips before you start listening to the audio post:

- Legally, a CPA and/or an attorney who knows the laws of your state would be the best person to answer specific tax, income/1099 filing, billing, etc. sort of questions when it comes to consultation.
- If you are located outside of the US, "consultation" may mean something completely different for you as an ABA professional. For my international readers, you may need to speak to professionals in your local area to determine how much of this information will be applicable for you. On that same topic, if you live in the US but consult with individuals outside of the US, you need to get familiar with differences in how ABA services can be provided in that location. 



You can download the presentation HERE, then just start the slideshow and the audio narration should run automatically.




* Resources for further learning:

"Soft Skills" related to successful ABA Consultation 

Consultation in Applied Behavior Analysis 

Functional Behavioral Assessments in Schools

School Consultation in Rural Areas

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Tameika Meadows, BCBA, Blog Author

 

Photo source: www.ezsolutionit.com, www.willmayo.com 

Previous audio posts: Stages of Intervention, Programming Sequence Overview

If you're new around here, audio posts allow me the opportunity to blab on about something but still keep things brief. You came here for a blog post, not to read a novel :-)

This post is all about ways to make in-home ABA therapists better at their job. Whether you work as an ABA Therapist or as an ABA Supervisor, these tips should be helpful. 

This is information that for me personally, has either helped my direct staff (if they took the feedback) or led to them being incompetent in their role (if they refused to take the feedback).

Enjoy!

 Download the presentation HERE, then just start the slideshow and click on the speaker icon on each slide to hear the audio narration.

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Tameika Meadows, BCBA, Blog Author

Photo Source: www.uchicagokidshospital.org

*Recommended Post: Programming Sequence

I decided to do another audio post, about an important topic: ABA intervention goals and how they vary as the client ages. It doesn't matter whether you are an ABA professional, a parent, or an educator/paraprofessional, if you are responsible for selecting treatment plan goals this post should help you.
This post will answer questions such as:

1. What exactly does "learning how to learn" mean?
2. For young children/adolescents/adults, what are some common areas of concern that intervention needs to address?
3. How can these areas of concern be addressed, specifically?
4. Why is it so important to target these specific areas at different client ages or stages? How do these specific intervention strategies help teach critical life skills?
5.  If my client is approaching a new age or stage, how can I prepare them for the upcoming stage of intervention?  

You can download the presentation here, then just start the slideshow and click on the little speaker icons to hear the audio narration.
 I hope its helpful!

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Tameika Meadows, BCBA, Blog Author

Photo source: www.blendspace.com, www.wikihow.com

This post is pretty unique. Instead of writing the information out, I decided to put it into a brief Power Point presentation. Why you ask? Well, why not? :-)

This post is a general outline of the sequence of teaching a target in skill acquisition and moving the skill from unknown to the learner, to known/absorbed by the learner.
There are many important steps to take along the way, particularly when teaching individuals on the Spectrum: maintaining a learned skill can be difficult, as can demonstrating the skill if the learning environment changes (if a teacher asks at school vs if Dad asks at home). All of this must be taken into consideration when teaching.

However, this information is not specific to Autism. At its core, ABA is just good teaching. So feel free to apply this information to teaching strategies for a variety of learners.



The way you have been taught to implement skill acquisition programs at your place of employment may be different from this outline, which is fine. This is a general snapshot of how to break down skill acquisition, to ensure important steps are not skipped over or neglected. Remember, nothing about ABA is one-size-fits-all, or paint by numbers.

This information should be helpful for anyone with the responsibility of creating skill acquisition programming, overseeing the implementation of the programs, and teaching direct staff or caregivers how to properly assess if a skill is "known".



To watch the presentation: download the PP, and play the slideshow. The audio should play by itself, and the slides should change automatically. Enjoy!

Presentation: Programming Sequence Overview

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Tameika Meadows, BCBA, Blog Author