How to get your CEU: To earn 1.0 BACB CEU for this episode, go to aba-ceu.com, select “Episode 5: Implementing the ‘My Way’ Strategy,” and complete the short quiz. You’ll need the three keywords—Communication, Tolerance, and Assent. Submit to receive your certificate instantly.

This episode of ABA Beyond the Data takes you from research to real-world practice with the “My Way” approach—an assent-based, skill-building model for safely replacing severe problem behavior. We start with why Hanley and colleagues’ 2014 study was a turning point: rather than isolating a single function or relying on extinction-heavy procedures, they synthesized the contingencies that co-occur in family life—attention, tangibles, escape—and taught a better route to the same outcomes. In plain terms: teach a powerful request, teach a calm “Okay” to brief denials, then fill the wait with tiny, doable actions that build independence.

From there, we map implementation step by step in the show’s practical, conversational style. You’ll hear how to run the open-ended interview and confirm the “knot” of contingencies with a brief synthesized analysis. We teach the omnibus FCR (“My way, please”), shape the polite chain (“Excuse me.” → “May I have my way, please?”), and move into tolerance training where “not now” becomes a cue for regulation, not escalation. You’ll learn to extend short delays without losing assent, and to embed response chains—simple, appropriate actions during the wait—so cooperation becomes the fastest route back to what matters.

We also cover the messy middle. You’ll learn how to coach RBTs with behavior skills training (model → role-play → feedback), how to keep sessions safe and humane, and what to do when old patterns flicker—shrinking delays, simplifying tasks, and sweetening the contrast for calm, independent responding. We talk through parent concerns with empathy—showing that “My Way” doesn’t trade effectiveness for kindness; it delivers both. And we outline adaptations for non-vocal learners using AAC, signs, or switches, while keeping the core sequence intact: get attention, make the omnibus request, accept “not now,” complete a tiny task, access preferred outcomes.

By the end, you’ll have a clinic-to-kitchen roadmap—and a clean data package to prove it’s working: independent FCRs up, independent tolerance up, problem behavior near zero, reinforcement time shifting as flexibility grows, and brief tasks completed without physical guidance. Most of all, you’ll hear what this sounds like at home: quieter rooms, calmer voices, and kids who feel safe enough to try again tomorrow. Because “My Way” isn’t a one-off protocol; it’s a process—Communication → Tolerance → Adaptation—held together by fidelity and compassion. When kids feel heard, we don’t need to take their control away to teach them. We show them how to use it.

SEO: BCBA, ABA therapy, CEUs, ACE Provider, Applied Behavior Analysis, autism, continuing education, podcast, Functional Communication Training, IISCA, PFA, Skill-Based Treatment, compassionate ABA, assent-based ABA.

Sources

• Hanley, G. P., Jin, C. S., Vanselow, N. R., & Hanratty, L. A. (2014). Producing meaningful improvements in problem behavior of children with autism through synthesized reinforcement and skill-based treatment. JABA, 47(1), 16–36.

• Jessel, J., Hanley, G. P., & Ghaemmaghami, M. (2016). Interview-informed synthesized contingency analyses. JABA, 49(2), 359–376.

• Ghaemmaghami, M., Hanley, G. P., & Jessel, J. (2021). A review and practical summary of skill-based treatment research. JABA, 54(3), 1045–1072.

• Rohrer, M. W., Jessel, J., & Hanley, G. P. (2021). Assent-based practice. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 14(3), 566–582.

• Council of Autism Service Providers (2024). ABA Practice Guidelines (Section 4).