Brandon Franklin returns to the podcast after a very long hiatus. You'll have to go back to Session 36 to hear his first appearance as a matter of fact.

It turns out that he's been doing a lot of innovative clinical work in that time. Currently, he is the Chief Behavior Analyst for the Lee Specialty Clinic and a Behavioral Consultant at Kramer Behavioral Health. In these roles, Brandon has implemented various interventions to help individuals with intellectual disabilities access routine medical and dental care.

If you're not familiar with this topic, it might sound pretty mundane, but as you'll hear, these populations really struggle to attend and participate in routine medical appointments, which, not surprisingly, has downstream negative health consequences. As such, interventions that improve on the current statistics can truly be considered life-saving.

In this podcast, we get into the following:

• Common phobias associated with medical treatments.
• Brandon's personal experience with aerophobia (the fear of flying), and what he did to improve it.
• The basics of desensitization strategies.
• How he and his team members use these strategies to improve the rate of successful medical appointment visits.
• And finally, the research on this topic that he is doing for his dissertation.

Brandon has generously compiled a list of references, which you can find here. He's passionate about this topic and is willing to talk with anyone about it, so feel free to hit him up on LinkedIn.

• Here's all of Brandon's contact info.
• Here's all the desensitization resources you could ask for.

This podcast is brought to you by:

• Frontera. Consider taking a demo of Frontera's Assessment Builder and see how the ethical application of AI technologies can help you serve clients and save you time! Your first assessment report is free. And if you use code BOP25 you’ll get an additional five assessments for just $100. So head to fronterahealth.com to check it out!
• The Profound Autism Summit. The Profound Autism Summit is a two-day conference taking place on April 10th and 11th in Boston, MA. Following on the massive success of the 2024 Summit, the 2025 event brings together leaders from the areas of research, medicine, treatment, advocacy, and education to discuss the needs and support of those with Profound Autism across disciplines and throughout the lifespan.
• HRIC Recruting. Cut out the middleman and speak directly with Barbara Voss, who's been placing BCBAs in great jobs all across the US for 15 years.
• CEUs from Behavioral Observations. Learn from your favorite podcast guests while you're commuting, walking the dog, or whatever else you do while listening to podcasts. New events are being added all the time, so check them out here.
• The Behavioral Toolbox. Check out our courses for school-based and other behavioral professionals, including our newest one, Motivational Interviewing: Getting Educator Buy-In.

This is not a show about teaching eye contact. We'll get to that in a bit.

First though, I should note that the 22nd installment of the Inside JABA Series is coming out comically late. I apologize for getting us off schedule. The good news is that we already have a great paper to discuss for the 23rd Inside JABA episode that I think you're going to love, so I hope to have that one out later on in the spring.

Back to this episode. Drs. Danny Conine and Jenn Fritz join me to discuss a paper Danny wrote with his colleagues called, "Evaluating a screening-to-intervention model with caregiver training for response to name among children with autism."

There are so many great things about this paper, and listeners will be able to tell this from my enthusiasm in discussing it with Danny and Jenn.

As I noted above, this is not about teaching eye contact, but rather, a more generalized repertoire of responding to one's name (RTN). We get into why these two things are different, and, as Danny tells it, RTN repertoires have many benefits that directly impact learning and safety.

In this paper, he describes an elegant assessment and intervention that his research team implemented to develop RTN in the study's participants. In carrying out this study, they also employed a simple and effective assent withdrawal component, which we get into.

Then, they took what the skills they developed in a clinic setting, and taught the participant's caregivers to implement RTN procedures at home. As such, this paper provides a great example of how to generalize skills across settings. Very cool!

Along the way, Danny provides practical tips clinicians can consider for their own practice. All of this to say, I'm hoping you'll agree that the wait for this episode will be worth it!

Resources discussed in this podcast:

• Conine, et al. (2025). Evaluating a screening-to-intervention model with caregiver training for response to name among children with autism.

• Conine, et al. (2020). Assessment and treatment of response to name for children with autism spectrum disorder: Toward an efficient intervention model.

• Conine, Vollmer, and Bolívar (2019). Response to name in children with autism: Treatment, generalization, and maintenance.

• BOP Session 212 with Tim Hackenberg.

• Luczynski and Hanley (2013). Prevention of problem behavior by teaching functional communication and self-control skills to preschoolers.

• The Verbal Behavior Approach, by Dr. Mary Barbera.

• Links to Danny's faculty page, Research Gate profile, LinkedIn, and his lab's Instagram.

• Jenn's faculty page, Research Gate profile, LinkedIn, and the UHCL ABA Program page.

If you enjoy this episode, please consider sharing with friends and colleagues!

Drs. Ilene Schwartz and Beth Kelly joined me to discuss the never ending conundrum of navigating ethical dilemmas. As Ilene points out in the podcast, most people know right from wrong, but the types of dilemmas BCBAs encounter are what she calls 'right vs. right' dilemmas...

Therefore, ethical practice requires a continuous decision making process. And in my guests' view, this is not a matter of decontextualized rule-following. In this podcast, we get into these nuances, using Ilene and Beth's newly published book, Ethical Decision Making in Applied Behavior Analysis.

We also discussed a framework for articulating one's values and principles that you might find helpful in your work setting.

Resources for this podcast:

• Ethical Decision Making in Applied Behavior Analysis.
• Rosenberg and Scwhartz (2018). Guidance or Compliance: What Makes an Ethical Behavior Analyst?
• Kelly, Greeny, Rosenberg and Schwartz (2020). When Rules Are Not Enough: Developing Principles to Guide Ethical Conduct.
• Dr. Schwartz's faculty page.
• Dr. Kelly's faculty page.
• BOP's CEUs, with many Ethics events.

This podcast is brought to you with the support of:

• The Profound Autism Summit. The Profound Autism Summit is a two-day conference taking place on April 10th and 11th in Boston, MA. Following on the massive success of the 2024 Summit, the 2025 event brings together leaders from the areas of research, medicine, treatment, advocacy, and education to discuss the needs and support of those with Profound Autism across disciplines and throughout the lifespan.
• CEUs from Behavioral Observations. Learn from your favorite podcast guests while you're commuting, walking the dog, or whatever else you do while listening to podcasts. New events are being added all the time, so check them out here.
• The Behavioral Toolbox. Check out our courses for school-based and other behavioral professionals, including our newest one, Motivational Interviewing: Getting Educator Buy-In.
• The Verbal Behavior Conference. Whether you attend in-person in Austin, TX, or online via BehaviorLive, you're going to love this year's Verbal Behavior Conference! Click here to get all the details!
• Behavior University. Their mission is to provide university quality professional development for the busy Behavior Analyst. Learn about their CEU offerings, including their 8-hour Supervision Course, as well as their RBT offerings over at behavioruniversity.com/observations. Don't forget to use the coupon code, PODCAST to save at checkout!

En este episodio, regresamos al importante tema de la Evaluación Práctica Funcional (PFA por sus siglas en inglés) y el Tratamiento Basado en Habilidades (SBT por sus siglas en inglés), esta vez explorándolo a través de un estudio de caso. Ana María Méndez-Vides nos guía con claridad y detalle por cada etapa del proceso, desde la evaluación hasta la implementación del tratamiento y sus extensiones.

A lo largo de la conversación, Ana comparte su experiencia clínica y su profundo conocimiento, abordando las preguntas más comunes que surgen al conocer este proceso en mayor profundidad. Además, nos brinda una perspectiva enriquecida por su juicio clínico, su experticia, su cercanía con la fuente de esta tecnología y, sobre todo, su sensibilidad cultural.

Este episodio no solo ofrece un repaso esencial, sino también una inmersión en la aplicación práctica de este enfoque, destacando la presencia de más líderes en Latinoamérica que están transformando la manera en que apoyamos a personas con desafíos en el desarrollo y problemas severos de conducta.

¡No te lo pierdas! 🎧✨

Recursos:

• ABA Center Guatemala.

• Contacto Ana.

• PFA/SBT recursos en Español.

• Estudio de caso con Ana (video con Ana).

🎙️ Practical Functional Assessment & Skill-Based Treatment: A Case Study with Ana María Mendes-Vides 📢

In this episode, we revisit the important topic of Practical Functional Assessment (PFA) and Skill-Based Treatment (SBT)—this time through the lens of a case study. Ana María Méndez-Vides takes us through the entire process with clarity and detail, from assessment to treatment implementation and its extensions.

Throughout our conversation, Ana shares her clinical expertise and deep knowledge, addressing common questions that arise as one becomes more familiar with this process. She enriches the discussion with her clinical judgment, extensive experience, direct mentorship from the source, and, most importantly, her cultural sensitivity.

This episode is not only a great refresher but also an opportunity for a deep dive into the practical application of this technology, highlighting the growing presence of leaders in Latin America who are transforming the way we support individuals with significant behavioral challenges.

Don’t miss it! 🎧✨

Resources:

• ABA Center Guatemala.

• Contacto Ana.

• PFA/SBT recursos en Español.

• Estudio de caso con Ana (video con Ana).

I'm thrilled to announce a new special series for Behavioral Observations! I've partnered with Frontera to bring you a series of podcasts on using AI to support and enhance ABA therapy.

To be candid, I've been a bit behind the curve on learning about AI. Sure, I've played around with ChatGPT, but unless you've been living under a rock, you've likely seen many AI solutions that have been brought to bear to Behavior Analytic services.

And while I've been wanting to produce content in this area for a while, I've struggled to find an outlet to do so. Until now.

In this inaugural series, I interview Amol Deshpande. Amol is an engineer, an entrepreneur, and an autism dad. He also is the founder and CEO of Frontera.

What does Frontera do? They develop AI technologies that help BCBAs work efficiently, creating more access for their patients. In doing so, Frontera helps clinics see more patients through improved operations and better productivity, all while reducing turnover and burnout.

As you'll hear in this interview, Frontera's technologies accelerate the time to treatment for children and families. And they believe AI, applied correctly at the right time, can create more precise and personal treatment plans that improve children’s outcomes.

Along the way, you'll learn about Amol's personal commitment to the field, as well as the values of transparency and open-access that Frontera delivers.

If you've been skeptical of AI in the ABA space, this podcast is for you.

Speaking of transparency, I want to disclose that Frontera will be sponsoring several upcoming BOP episodes. I hope that long time listeners know that I do not undertake these relationships lightly.

I've not only spoken with Amol, but also with many other of Frontera's clinicians and staff. To a person, they are committed to making ABA treatment more efficient, effective, and person-centered.

If you're interested in learning more about Frontera's technologies, you can explore their easy-to-use Assessment Builder and Diagnosis Builder features at fronterahealth.com.

What do these tools do? For starters, they'll help you cut down the time it takes to complete initial client assessments from 8-10 hours to 3-4 hours. This saves time and lets you begin treatment and help your clients sooner rather than later.

Your first assessment report is free. And if you use code BOP25 you’ll get an additional five assessments for just $100. So head to fronterahealth.com to check it out!

Here are some links if you're interested in learning more about Frontera:

• Business Wire press release announcement of Frontera's funding (see here also).

• Frontera on Instagram.

• Frontera on LinkedIn.

• Frontera on Facebook.

• Reach out to Amol on LinkedIn.

• Demos available here (don't forget to use promo code BOP25).

Welcome to Session 290 of The Behavioral Observations Podcast. In this episode, I'm joined by Armando Bernal and Andy Bondy. Andy is a known entity both in the field, and to the audience as well, and therefore needs little in the way of introduction.

Armando is the founder of Autism International Consulting, which is the only Autistic-owned ABA provider in the Houston, TX area. He shares a truly inspiring story of how he went from not speaking at all, up through the present day, where he and his team provide ABA services.

In this show, we discuss:

• Armando's family's response to his diagnosis.
• How his mother single-handedly directed his early treatment.
• His work as a special education teacher.
• A surprising story - to me at least - of how he first learned about ABA.
• His work at Autism International Consulting.
• How he and Andy began collaborating.
• How Armando's unique perspective informs his practice.
• Current topics in ABA, including assent and compassionate care.
• How Armando learned to accept his diagnosis.
• Navigating controversies in the field and the related role of social media.

Links to resources discussed:

• Armando's company, Autism International Consulting.
• Reach out to Armando on LinkedIn.
• Autism International Consulting's IG account.
• Lestremau Allen, Mellon, Syed, Johnson & Bernal (2024). Neurodiversity-Affirming Applied Behavior Analysis.
• Armando's appearance on Dr. Mary Barbera's podcast.

This podcast is brought to you with the support of:

• The Profound Autism Summit. The Profound Autism Summit is a two-day conference taking place on April 10th and 11th in Boston, MA. Following on the massive success of the 2024 Summit, the 2025 event brings together leaders from the areas of research, medicine, treatment, advocacy, and education to discuss the needs and support of those with Profound Autism across disciplines and throughout the lifespan.
• HRIC Recruting. Cut out the middleman and speak directly with Barbara Voss, who's been placing BCBAs in great jobs all across the US for 15 years.
• CEUs from Behavioral Observations. Learn from your favorite podcast guests while you're commuting, walking the dog, or whatever else you do while listening to podcasts. New events are being added all the time, so check them out here.
• The Behavioral Toolbox. Check out our courses for school-based and other behavioral professionals, including our newest one, Motivational Interviewing: Getting Educator Buy-In.
• The Verbal Behavior Conference. Whether you attend in-person in Austin, TX, or online via BehaviorLive, you're going to love this year's Verbal Behavior Conference! Click here to get all the details!