In this episode, Christina Torres and Nicole Stewart reflect on their year, discuss ABA data analysis, reinforcement strategies, and navigating professional growth with ADHD. They share insights on effective data graphing, the importance of self-pride, and strategies for business and personal development. In this episode, hosts discuss the challenges of saying no, boundaries, the evolution of the ABA field, niche specialization, and upcoming conferences and projects. They share personal insights and future plans to grow their practices and community engagement.

Key Topics:

• ABA data graphing and analysis
• Reinforcement and punishment strategies
• Self-pride and motivation in children and adults
• Professional growth and business development
• Impact of ADHD on behavior and teaching The importance of setting boundaries and saying no
• Growth through niche specialization in ABA
• Community building and mentorship opportunities
• Upcoming conferences and networking events
• Personal reflections on parenting and work-life balance
• Innovations and future directions in ABA
• Merchandising and branding strategies
• The role of research and publication in ABA
• Diversity of practice areas within ABA
• Field evolution and new voices in ABA

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• 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@reinforcing.conversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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• 🌐⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ABA Made Ez⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• 🌐www.nicolestewartbcba.com

Season 3 of Reinforcing Conversations is made possible with support from the New England Center for Children — for over 50 years, the worldwide leader in autism education and research. Through their schools, clinics, consulting services, and the ACE ABA Software System, they are shaping a more inclusive future for all. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠necc.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Keywords: ABA, data analysis, reinforcement, ADHD, professional growth, graphing data, behavior management, self-pride, business development, education ABA, boundaries, niche specialization, conferences, ABA field evolution, mentorship, community building, ADHD, merch, professional development

ABA training breaks down when it treats fieldwork like a checkbox instead of a skill-building system. Allyson Wharam, founder and CEO of Sidekick Learning, shares a smarter way to design supervision and competency development so learners actually build confidence and skill.

With Ally, Christina Torres and Nicole Stewart dig into why so many supervisees struggle through ABA fieldwork, what gets lost when training focuses on the exam, and h

Key Topics:

• Common barriers to effective BCBA fieldwork opportunities
• Why ABA training often fails to build real-world competence
• The gap between exam prep and clinical readiness
• How retrieval practice and frequent responding improve learning
• Why supervision time should focus on application, not lectures
• Breaking complex ABA skills into teachable parts
• Helping trainees connect data, graphs, and decision-making

About Allyson Wharam:Allyson Wharam, Ed.D., BCBA, is the Founder and CEO of Sidekick Learning, an integrated learning platform focused on improving training, supervision, and competency development in ABA organizations.She earned her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on instructional design and technology from the University of Virginia and has over a decade of experience in the field. Her work centers on helping organizations move beyond seat time to real skill development, drawing on both behavior analysis and learning science to support clinicians and supervisors in building more effective, practical, competency-based training systems.She also hosts In the Field: The ABA Podcast, where she explores supervision, training, and leadership in behavior analysis.

Find Allyson and Sidekick Learning:

• Linked In: Allyson Wharam
• Instagram: Sidekick Learning
• Website: Sidekick Learning

Like, subscribe, and share — it's the best way to support the work we're doing:

• 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@reinforcing.conversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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• 🌐 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠supervisionreimagined.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• 🌐⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ABA Made Ez⁠⁠⁠⁠

Season 3 of Reinforcing Conversations is made possible with support from the New England Center for Children — for over 50 years, the worldwide leader in autism education and research. Through their schools, clinics, consulting services, and the ACE ABA Software System, they are shaping a more inclusive future for all. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠necc.org⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Keywords: BCBA supervision, ABA fieldwork, instructional design, ABA training, competency development, supervisee support, RBT training, clinical supervision, learning science, retrieval practice, graph review, behavior analysis

Nicole and Christina welcome BCBA Ryan Baker-Barrett, who specializes in ADHD and executive functioning, for a conversation that hits close to home for all three hosts. Ryan shares the winding path to his own diagnosis at 37, the misconceptions that let him fly under the radar for years, and how building an ADHD household with his husband and two neurodivergent kids has shaped his approach to accommodations. The three dig into late diagnosis in adulthood (especially for women), the role of medication, time blindness, hyperfocus, and why so many of our systems, from school planners to token boards, are built for brains that don't work like this. Ryan also talks about the gamified trainings he's created to help other BCBAs actually understand ADHD instead of just working around it. It's a candid, funny, and honestly overdue conversation about what happens when the field designed for one population starts serving many more.

Key Topics:

• Getting an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood
• Common misconceptions about ADHD (hyperactive vs. inattentive)
• Time blindness, hyperfocus, and executive functioning
• ADHD medication and behavioral support working together
• Building ADHD-friendly homes, schools, and BCBA training
• Expanding ABA's scope of practice beyond autism

About Ryan Baker-Barrett:

Ryan Baker-Barrett, MS, BCBA is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst who brings an uncommon combination of perspectives to ADHD intervention: 10+ years as a BCBA, parent of two children with ADHD, and someone diagnosed with ADHD himself at age 37.

That diagnosis changed everything. Ryan realized the field's training hadn't prepared him to recognize ADHD in himself or to truly help his clients. He saw how behavior analysis had become synonymous with autism intervention, leaving the ADHD population underserved and approached with compliance-focused methods that missed the underlying executive function deficits.

Now, Ryan specializes in ADHD support through his San Diego-based company Applied Behavioral Health Practice. He trains behavior analysts through Breakthrough ADHD Training for Behavior Analysts. His approach asks a simple but transformative question: "How would I want someone to approach me in this situation?" The results are interventions that build capability instead of compliance, honor neurodiversity, and address what's actually happening in ADHD brains.

Find Ryan and his work:

• Client-facing: ⁠getadhd.care⁠

• BCBA training: ⁠appliedbehavioral.health⁠

• Instagram: ⁠@adhd_by_abhp⁠

• LinkedIn: ⁠linkedin.com/in/ryan-baker-barrett⁠

• YouTube: ⁠@appliedbhp⁠

Like, subscribe, and share — it's the best way to support the work we're doing:

• 📸 ⁠⁠⁠⁠@reinforcing.conversations⁠⁠⁠⁠
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• 🎥 ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠
• 📧 ⁠⁠⁠⁠rf.conversations@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠
• 🌐 ⁠⁠⁠⁠supervisionreimagined.com⁠⁠⁠⁠
• 🌐⁠⁠⁠⁠ABA Made Ez⁠⁠⁠

Season 3 of Reinforcing Conversations is made possible with support from the New England Center for Children — for over 50 years, the worldwide leader in autism education and research. Through their schools, clinics, consulting services, and the ACE ABA Software System, they are shaping a more inclusive future for all. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠necc.org⁠⁠⁠.

Keywords: ADHD, executive functioning, BCBA, ABA therapy, applied behavior analysis, autism, neurodivergent, late diagnosis ADHD, adult ADHD, ADHD in women, time blindness, hyperfocus, ADHD medication, ADHD accommodations, ADHD parenting, behavior analyst training, rejection sensitive dysphoria, scope of practice, New England Center for Children

In this episode, Jamie Pagliaro shares his inspiring journey from art history to leading innovative autism diagnosis technology at EarliPoint. Discover how cutting-edge eye tracking technology is transforming early autism detection, the importance of early intervention, and the future of tech in autism care. In this insightful interview, Jamie Pagliaro shares his journey in healthcare technology, focusing on early diagnosis of autism, the importance of objective testing, and innovative approaches like music therapy. Discover how technology is transforming access to care, reducing wait times, and empowering families and practitioners.

Key Topics

• Jamie Pagliaro's career path from art history to autism tech
• Development and impact of EarliPoint eye tracking technology
• The importance of early detection and intervention in autism
• FDA clearance process and clinical validation of autism diagnostic tools Objective medical testing for autism
• Impact of technology on early diagnosis
• Music therapy and autism support

About Jamie Pagliaro: Jamie is the President and CEO of EarliPoint Health, where he focuses on expanding access to earlier and more objective approaches to autism diagnosis and assessment using FDA-cleared eye-tracking technology. He has spent his career building and leading healthcare and education technology organizations, with experience spanning strategy, growth, and operations. Jamie is particularly passionate about reducing barriers for families and providers, and about translating innovative science into practical tools that can make a meaningful real-world impact.

• Website: https://earlipointhealth.com/

• LinkedIn: Jamie Pagliaro
• LinkedIn: EarliPoint Health

Like, subscribe, and share — it's the best way to support the work we're doing:

• 📸 ⁠⁠⁠@reinforcing.conversations⁠⁠⁠
• 📘 ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠
• 🎥 ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠
• 📧 ⁠⁠⁠rf.conversations@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠
• 🌐 ⁠⁠⁠supervisionreimagined.com⁠⁠⁠
• 🌐⁠⁠⁠ABA Made Ez⁠⁠

Season 3 of Reinforcing Conversations is made possible with support from the New England Center for Children — for over 50 years, the worldwide leader in autism education and research. Through their schools, clinics, consulting services, and the ACE ABA Software System, they are shaping a more inclusive future for all. Learn more at ⁠⁠necc.org⁠⁠.

Keywords:

autism diagnosis, early intervention, eye tracking technology, autism research, healthcare innovation, EarlyPoint, ABA, neuroplasticity, FDA clearance, autism support autism diagnosis, healthcare technology, early intervention, objective testing, music therapy, access to care, FDA standards, behavioral health, innovation in healthcare

What do you do when your daughter needs therapy, the system has a six-month waitlist, and you happen to have 20 years of experience in tech and HR? If you are Tiffney Vivo, you build the thing that should have already existed.

In this episode, Nicole and Christina sit down with Tiffney Vivo, Co-Founder and CEO of Therapprove, a platform that connects families of children with special needs to pediatric therapists — quickly, transparently, and without the chaos of navigating the current system alone. Tiffney's daughter Avanelle was born with Down syndrome in 2020, and the experience of fighting through waitlists, mismatched providers, and a fragmented referral system lit a fire that became Therapprove.

This episode is equal parts entrepreneurship story, parent testimony, and honest look at a broken system. Whether you are a clinician working inside it, a parent navigating it, or someone who has ever wondered why getting a child into therapy takes so long, this conversation is for you.

Tiffney Vivo is an accomplished entrepreneur with over 20 years of leadership experience in HR staffing, sales management, and technology. As Co-Founder and CEO of Therapprove, she leads a platform dedicated to connecting caregivers with pediatric therapists, providing timely and trustworthy therapy solutions. Inspired by her own journey as a mother to her daughter Avanelle, who was born with Down syndrome in March 2020, Tiffney created Therapprove to help families access the care their children need without unnecessary delays.

Before founding Therapprove, Tiffney launched Connect4.io, a platform that connected software engineers with companies, and held leadership roles in tech consulting, education, and staffing. Therapprove won the Spring 2024 Crossroads Pitch Competition and received a $10,000 investment from Flywheel Fund. The platform operates similarly to OpenTable — families upload their information, and clinics with openings that match their child's needs reach out directly, placing children on a single shared waitlist across multiple clinics.

• Website: therapprove.com
• LinkedIn: Tiffney Vivo
• Instagram / social: @therapprove

Like, subscribe, and share — it's the best way to support the work we're doing:

• 📸 ⁠⁠@reinforcing.conversations⁠⁠
• 📘 ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠
• 🎥 ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠
• 📧 ⁠⁠rf.conversations@gmail.com⁠⁠
• 🌐 ⁠⁠supervisionreimagined.com⁠⁠
• 🌐⁠⁠ABA Made Ez⁠

Season 3 of Reinforcing Conversations is made possible with support from the New England Center for Children — for over 50 years, the worldwide leader in autism education and research. Through their schools, clinics, consulting services, and the ACE ABA Software System, they are shaping a more inclusive future for all. Learn more at ⁠necc.org⁠.

Not everyone who ends up in ABA planned to be here: and Demi Fragale is proof that the most unexpected paths can lead to the most meaningful careers. In this episode, Christina & Nicole sits down with Nicole’s friend and colleague Demi, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and NY State Licensed Behavior Analyst who came to the field by way of a Bachelor's degree in Musical Theatre and a life chapter that took some beautiful, unplanned turns.

Demi's journey raises questions every BCBA and aspiring practitioner will recognize: What do you do when your personal and professional worlds overlap? How do you navigate the ethics of relationships that exist before a clinical role begins? And what does it mean to bring your whole self, your art, your history, your humanity, into a field that is sometimes more comfortable with data than with depth?

This is a conversation about career pivoting, the ethics of multiple and dual relationships, and what happens when the person who inspired your career becomes part of it.

Like, subscribe, and share — it's the best way to support the work we're doing:

• 📸 ⁠⁠@reinforcing.conversations⁠⁠
• 📘 ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠
• 🎥 ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠
• 📧 ⁠⁠rf.conversations@gmail.com⁠⁠
• 🌐 ⁠⁠supervisionreimagined.com⁠⁠
• 🌐⁠⁠ABA Made Ez⁠

Season 3 of Reinforcing Conversations is made possible with support from the New England Center for Children — for over 50 years, the worldwide leader in autism education and research. Through their schools, clinics, consulting services, and the ACE ABA Software System, they are shaping a more inclusive future for all. Learn more at ⁠necc.org⁠.

What happens when two ABA podcasts walk into the same recording space and just start talking? In this special crossover episode, Nicole and Christina sit down with Mike Rubio and Dan Lowery, the longtime co-hosts and co-owners behind ABA on Tap, for a conversation so packed with good stuff that you'll have to catch Part 2 on their feed.

Mike and Dan have been in the ABA world together for nearly 20 years, starting from the kind of first-day-on-the-job story that nobody forgets. They built their company, Ascend Behavior Partners, two years ago after watching corporate buyouts quietly chip away at their clinical values, and they have been putting their money where their mouths are ever since. Seven seasons and counting, and they show up every Sunday like clockwork. The four of them have more in common than you might expect, and this episode is proof that the best conversations happen when you stop talking at people and just start talking with them.

Why You Can't Miss This Episode:

• 🎙️ Get a behind-the-scenes look at what it actually takes to build and sustain an ABA podcast across multiple seasons, and why Mike and Dan keep showing up.

• 💼 Explore what it means to go out on your own in this field, including the real costs, the growing pains, and the surprising rewards of betting on yourself.

• 🏫 Dig into one of the field's most honest debates: center-based services versus inclusive settings, and how clinical recommendations can get tangled up with billing incentives.

• 🌎 Learn how BCBAs are expanding outside the medical model through dissemination, digital products, independent evaluations, community consulting, and even specialized transportation.

• ⚖️ Hear about Christina's push to get BCBAs recognized as Guardian ad Litems in Connecticut family court, and why BCBA licensure is way overdue.

Connect with ABA on Tap:

• ⁠ABA on Tap on Instagram⁠

• ⁠ABA on Tap on Spotify⁠

• ⁠ABA on Tap on Apple Podcasts⁠

Listen Now: Part 1 is right here. Part 2 drops May 10th on the ABA on Tap feed, so make sure you follow them wherever you get your podcasts. This one is too good to leave half-finished.

Like, subscribe, and share. It's the best way to support the work we're doing:

• 📸⁠ @reinforcing.conversations⁠

• 📘⁠ Facebook⁠

• 🎥⁠ YouTube⁠

• 📧 rf.conversations@gmail.com

Season 3 is made possible with support from the New England Center for Children, the worldwide leader in autism education and research for over 50 years.