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

I’m joined by Elaine Keuning and Dr. Sarah Heller to explore what meaningful collaboration between speech therapy and ABA can look like, especially when supporting AAC users with complex communication needs. We talk about those sometimes “prickly” beginnings between professionals and how curiosity, respect, and a shared goal can help teams find common ground.
We also dig into AAC beyond programming. A communication device needs to travel with the learner, become part of everyday routines, and support communication that matters now and years from now. I loved our discussion about thinking beyond percentages and trials and recognizing meaningful progress in the small shifts, like bringing the device on a walk, modeling away from the work table, or seeing a learner begin to seek out their communication system.
#autism #speechtherapy
What’s Inside:
Building stronger SLP and BCBA collaboration through shared roles and respect
Supporting AAC across environments, routines, and everyday life
Helping families and teams think about communication with the long term in mind
Recognizing the small but meaningful signs of AAC progress
Mentioned In This Episode:
Meaningful Metrics Online Academy
Dr. Sarah Heller
Williams Speech and Language Pathology PLLC
Say It With Me by Rose Griffin
AAC Mastery for SLPs and BCBAs
Earn CEUs with a community of peers. Join the ABA Speech Connection
ABA Speech: Home

Teaching someone to say “no” is just as important as teaching them to say “yes.”
I’m joined by Cristina Theis, Director of Training & Educational Development at Firefly Autism, to explore what assent-based care actually looks like in practice, especially when supporting autistic learners with complex communication and behavioral needs.
We talk about moving beyond simply using terms like assent-based or trauma-informed and making sure those values show up in our everyday clinical decisions. Cristina shares why self-advocacy and communication come first, including teaching learners meaningful, understandable ways to tell us when they are, or are not, comfortable participating.
We also dig into interdisciplinary collaboration and why shared values can help BCBAs, SLPs, OTs, educators, and other professionals work through differences in clinical recommendations. I especially love Cristina’s reminder that collaboration does not mean abandoning the science. We can try something, collect data, look at the results, and come back together as a team.
#autism #speechtherapy
What’s Inside:
What assent and assent withdrawal can look like in practice
Why teaching “no” supports autonomy and self-advocacy
Using shared values to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration
Balancing compassionate care, clinical judgment, and data
Mentioned In This Episode:
Firefly Autism
Firefly Autism on Instagram
Say It With Me by Rose Griffin
AAC Mastery for SLPs and BCBAs
Earn CEUs with a community of peers. Join the ABA Speech Connection
ABA Speech: Home

Three hundred episodes, six years of learning together, and so many meaningful connections along the way. What better way to celebrate than with a little reflection, practical insight, and fun?
For this milestone, I’m welcoming back my friend and colleague Dr. Ron DeMuesy. We talk about how much the field has changed, Ron’s journey to earning his PhD, and his work supporting compassionate approaches to severe problem behavior in public schools. Ron also shares practical thoughts on PFA, SBT, collaboration, and why understanding the environment matters when we’re supporting students and school teams.
We also dig into what school-based BCBAs need to know, including the importance of listening before giving advice, recognizing staff strengths, and building behavior plans collaboratively. And because this is episode 300, we finish with a lightning round and reflect on where the podcast has been and where I hope it goes next.
#autism #speechtherapy
What’s Inside:
Using PFA and SBT to support students with severe problem behavior
Creating safer, more collaborative school environments
What new and school-based BCBAs need to know about listening, relationships, and FBAs
Reflections and rapid-fire questions celebrating 300 episodes
Mentioned In This Episode:
Don’t Shoot the Dog! by Karen Pryor
FTF Behavioral Consulting
Ohio Association for Behavior Analysis
John Carroll University ABA Program
Say It With Me by Rose Griffin
AAC Mastery for SLPs and BCBAs
Earn CEUs with a community of peers. Join the ABA Speech Connection
ABA Speech: Home

What are clinicians really asking when they want to feel more confident supporting autistic learners? I’m answering the five questions that show up most often in my inbox, DMs, course evaluations, and conversations with members of the ABA Speech Connection.
AAC is at the top of the list. I’m sharing why becoming comfortable with a learner’s device matters, what to consider during the AAC assessment process, and why vocabulary should be meaningful across the learner’s day. Our students deserve access to communication now, not after we feel perfectly prepared.
I’m also digging into SLP-BCBA collaboration and gestalt language processing. Curiosity, communication, and strong soft skills can make a huge difference when professionals approach treatment differently. We can stay grounded in evidence-based practice while listening to one another and keeping the learner at the center.
We’ll also look at joint attention, naturalistic intervention, and parent training. Whether we’re using books, music, and play or helping families understand communication goals, we need to know why we’re teaching a skill and how it will make a meaningful difference in everyday life.
#autism #speechtherapy
What’s Inside:
Getting started with AAC assessment, vocabulary, and implementation
Strengthening SLP-BCBA collaboration, especially around AAC and gestalt language processing
Building joint attention through naturalistic, functional intervention
Making parent training more meaningful by understanding communication goals and developmental milestones
Mentioned In This Episode:
Gestalt Super Pack
ASHA
Episode #121: Core Vocabulary and Typical Language Development with Allison Bean and Bethany Frick Semmler
Say It With Me by Rose Griffin
AAC Mastery for SLPs and BCBAs
Earn CEUs with a community of peers. Join the ABA Speech Connection
ABA Speech: Home

Selective mutism isn’t a choice, defiance, or simply being shy. It’s about being unable to speak when speaking is socially expected because anxiety can make communication feel incredibly difficult.
Chelsea Gamache brings such an important perspective to this topic, both as a BCBA and as someone diagnosed with selective mutism at age five. We talk about what selective mutism can actually look like, including whispering, using an altered voice, or communicating freely at home while being unable to speak at school or in the community.
One of my biggest takeaways is the importance of meeting learners where they are. We can use behavioral principles like positive reinforcement, gradual exposure, shaping, stimulus fading, and visual supports, but we also have to understand the anxiety component. Communication should never become something we pressure out of a learner.
#autism #speechtherapy
What’s Inside:
Why selective mutism is different from shyness, defiance, or choosing not to speak
How pressure to communicate can make people and environments feel unsafe
Using gradual exposure, reinforcement, shaping, and stimulus fading compassionately
Why collaboration, family involvement, and learner autonomy matter
Mentioned In This Episode:
Chelsea on TikTok
Outloud the Selective Mutism Podcast
SMART Center
I Am Brave
Child Mind Institute
Boston Child Study Center
Selective Mutism Association
Say It With Me by Rose Griffin
AAC Mastery for SLPs and BCBAs
Earn CEUs with a community of peers. Join the ABA Speech Connection