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 abainsidetrack@gmail.com 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!!

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 abainsidetrack@gmail.com 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 abainsidetrack@gmail.com for further assistance.

UNLOCKED from our Patreon page, it’s the “Activity Schedules for Children with Autism” Book Club! Interested in more Book Clubs? Want to vote on what we read next? Feeling FOMO at getting this a full year late? Wish your 2 CEs for listening to the episode were FREE??? Join us on Patreon to get all of our episodes a week early, access to these bonus episodes, plus other goodies.

For our Spring 2024 Book Club we decided to read something a little lighter that could lead right into some new practice options. And, boy did we hit gold with McClannahan and Krantz’s “Activity Schedules for Children with Autism”! We gush profusely about the majority of the book’s content for a while then dive in with a review of the basics of teaching a child to independently use an activity schedule…with some modern quality-of-life suggestions where things get a little dated. Listen and learn nearly everything you need to know about creating and teaching activitiy schedules. Coming soon: Our Language Master-compatible recording on 144,000 flash cards!

This episode is available for 2.0 LEARNING CEUs.

Content discussed in this episode:

McClannahan, L.E. & Krantz, P.J. (1999). Activity schedules for children with autism: Teaching independent behavior. Woodbine House.

McClannahan, L.E. & Krantz, P.J. (2010). Activity schedules for children with autism: Teaching independent behavior. (2nd ed.). Woodbine House.

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 abainsidetrack@gmail.com for further assistance. Want these CEs for FREE? Just subscribe to our Patreon at the $10+ levels and go to the original post for a discount code.

While Jackie’s away (and stuck in an elevator) Rob and Diana will play…podcast hosting duties for the month. This month last spring’s Book Club choice, “Activity Schedules for Children with Autism” gets released to the free feed (with free CEs for Patreon subscribers!) with new episodes on preference assessments and practicing within a school context. And speaking of pairs of awesome behavior analysts, special guest, John Staubitz, gives us the rundown on special education laws and what BCBAs really need to know about the scope of schoolwork. Now’s the time on podcast when we dance!

Articles for May 2025

(UNLOCKED) Activity Schedules for Children with Autism Book Club

McClannahan, L.E. & Krantz, P.J. (1999). Activity schedules for children with autism: Teaching independent behavior. Woodbine House.

McClannahan, L.E. & Krantz, P.J. (2010). Activity schedules for children with autism: Teaching independent behavior. (2nd ed.). Woodbine House.

Rehfeldt, R.A. (2002). A review of McClannahan and Krantz's "Activity schedules for children with autism: Teaching independent behavior": Toward the inclusion and integration of children with disabilities. The Behavior Analyst, 25, 103-108. doi: 10.1007/BF03392048

PIctorial and Video-Based Preference Assessments

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

Practicing Within a School Context w/ John Staubitz

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

Though the steps involved in developing a good, evidence-based treatment plan are well documented on our podcast, what good is any of that hard work if the families you purport to use it with kinda, sorta hate your plan. Well, this week, rather than complaining about how unappreciated your procedures are, why not take a step back and ask yourself, “How can I better learn from families I work with what will meet their needs?” We take a run down to explore the ever-confusing and complex world of family services, take a qualitative look at social validity in treatment planning, and review some key contexts that spell the difference between a good plan and a plan that works.

This episode is available for 1.0 CULTURAL (ETHICS) CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Russa, M.B., Matthews, A.L., & Owen-DeSchryver, J.S. (2015). Expanding supports to improve the lives of families of children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 17, 95-104. doi: 10.1177/1098300714532134

Moes, D.R. & Frea, W.D. Using family context to inform intervention planning for the treatment of a child with autism. (2000). Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 2, 40-46. doi: 10.1177/109830070000200

Guinness, K.E., Atkinson, R.S., & Feil, E.G. (2024). Evaluating social validity to inform intervention development: Qualitative analysis of caregiver interviews. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 870-879. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00899-6

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 abainsidetrack@gmail.com for further assistance.