Common Training Mistakes in ABA Organizations (and What to Do Instead)

Vision, Systems, and Sustainability: Inside the ABA Business Journey of April and Stephen Smith

In this episode of In the Field: The ABA Podcast, I sit down with April and Stephen Smith of 3PieSquared and the ABA Business Leaders Podcast. April is a BCaBA with nearly three decades of experience in the field, and Stephen brings a background in quality management and engineering that shaped the operational backbone of everything they built together. They ran their own ABA practice for 12 years before closing it and transitioning into full-time consulting, where they now support more than 1,600 ABA organizations across the country. This conversation covers a lot of ground: the origin story of their practice, the lessons they learned the hard way, what they wish they had when they were starting out, and why they named their new book "The ABA Business Leader's Guide: How to Start, Grow, and Sustain an Ethical ABA Practice Without Losing Your Soul." If you are a BCBA® thinking about starting a practice, already in the thick of running one, or trying to figure out how to scale without burning yourself and your team to the ground, this episode is for you. Key Topics: The Origin Story and Early Chaos: April and Stephen started with a frustration, a neighborhood walk, and a decision to figure it out as they went, including learning insurance billing the hard way while navigating a newborn and a dwindling savings account. Vision: The Thing Most Founders Skip: April and Stephen did not have a shared vision when they started and it was not until year four that they actually sat down and asked what they were building and how they wanted it to feel. Hiring BCBAs®: The Skills and Gaps You Need to Plan For: Hiring BCBAs® surfaced unexpected gaps in assessment repertoires, parent training, and soft skills, reflecting a field-wide assumption that certification equals readiness to lead and manage. Building Systems That Let You Step Back: April encourages owners to apply the same behavioral thinking they use clinically to their operations: write task analyses, define expectations in observable terms, and give consistent feedback. Delegating, Outsourcing, and Prioritizing Hires: Stephen's practical framework starts with an accountant and an attorney, then works backward from your dream job to identify what is standing between you and it. The Ethics of Profitability: The incentives in this field currently reward lower-trained staff and higher turnover. April and Stephen have built their consulting work around helping owners resist that trap. Closing a Business and the Identity Shift That Follows: April speaks openly about the identity crisis that came with closing their practice and how intertwined her sense of self had become with what they built. Boundaries, Parenthood, and the Myth of Work-Life Balance: April shares how she learned to set and model firm boundaries with staff and restructure her own workday to protect her effectiveness at work and her presence at home. Key Takeaways: * Vision is not optional. Know what you are building, how big you want it to be, and what it needs to look like when you are done, before you are two years in and wondering why you feel stuck. * Profitability is an ethical issue. You cannot pour back into your team, your training systems, or your clients if your margins do not support it. Financial sustainability is part of ethical practice. * Systems make delegation possible. You do not need a formal business background to build them. Use what you already know: task analysis, behavioral specificity, clear expectations, and consistent feedback. * BCBAs® are not automatically ready to lead or manage. Build mentorship and soft skills development into your supervision model from the beginning. * Closing or exiting a business is a real transition that deserves preparation, both operationally and personally. * Self-awareness is not a soft skill. Knowing when you are micromanaging, when you need support, and when your identity has become too entangled with your business is essential to sustainability. Keywords: Efficiency, Assent, Foundational Skills, Effective Treatment, Matching Law, Instructional Design, Ethics Code 2.0, Dimensions Grid, DRA, Blunt Extinction, Behavior Efficiency, Steve Ward, Whole Child Consulting, Inventory of Good Learner Repertoires, ABA Ethics, BCBA® Supervision  Resources: Connect with April and Stephen Smith - Free Consultation Booking Link [https://3piesquared.com/stephen-booking-page] Book: "The ABA Business Leader's Guide: How to Start, Grow, and Sustain an Ethical ABA Practice Without Losing Your Soul" by April and Stephen Smith [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G1MLVTW6?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_mwn_dp_GNWD5FWDM11AG8XH2RHM_1&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_mwn_dp_GNWD5FWDM11AG8XH2RHM_1&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cso_cp_mwn_dp_GNWD5FWDM11AG8XH2RHM_1&bestFormat=true] Website: 3PieSquared [https://3piesquared.com/ ] Podcast: ABA Business Leaders Podcast [https://3piesquared.com/podcast] Disclaimer: BCBA®, BACB® [or any other BACB® trademark used] is/are registered to the Behavior Analytic Certification Board® BACB®. This website and products are not in any way sponsored by the BACB®. All information and products are for educational purposes only.

More Than a Supervisor: How Mentorship Shapes Clinical Decision Making and Career Growth in ABA with Dr. Becky Eldridge

In this episode of In the Field: The ABA Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Becky Eldridge, Ph.D. BCBA-D, researcher, and mentor with 17 years of experience in behavior analysis. Becky brings both personal passion and scholarly depth to the topic of mentorship, having completed her dissertation on clinical decision making for BCBAs and having witnessed firsthand what happens when new behavior analysts enter the field without adequate support. We dig into what mentorship actually is, how it differs from supervision, and why that distinction matters so much for new BCBAs who are trying to find their footing.  Key Topics: Supervision vs. Mentorship: Not all support looks the same. Supervision is often tied to performance outcomes that may serve an organization. Mentorship centers on you. Your goals, your values, and what is meaningful to you. Knowing the difference can change who you turn to and when. Finding the Right Fit in a Mentor: Trust matters, but so does experience. Becky recommends Brené Brown's BRAVING Inventory as a starting point for evaluating fit, and emphasizes finding someone who has actually navigated the situations you are facing. Internal vs. External Mentorship: Becky makes a strong case for seeking mentorship outside your organization, especially early in your career. When competing contingencies exist between what is good for you and what is good for the organization, true objectivity is hard to find internally. What Mentorship Actually Looks Like: At its core, mentorship is about building self-management. Formal vs. Informal Mentorship: Formal mentorship means dedicated time and a mutual commitment to showing up consistently. Informal mentorship happens more organically, through relationships that develop over time without a structured agreement.  Mentorship and the Evolution of the Field: The field has grown fast, and mentorship has not always kept up. Becky's advice is simple: stop waiting for it to find you. Get involved in your state chapter, go to your state conference, and meet people.  Key Takeaways: * Supervision is about specific performance outcomes. Mentorship is about supporting your goals and your growth. * A sponsor is someone who creates or advocates for opportunities you would not have had otherwise, and that role can be distinct from both supervisor and mentor. * Trust is essential in a mentoring relationship, but experience matters just as much. Find someone who has done what you are trying to do. * Seek external mentorship, especially early in your career, when you need perspective. * Mentorship can be formal (dedicated time, clear expectations) or informal (opportunistic, reciprocal, peer-based). Both are valuable. * If you are waiting for the perfect moment or the perfect person, stop waiting. People are people. Ask. Resources Mentioned: * Building and Sustaining Meaningful and Effective Relationships as a Supervisor and Mentor, by Dr. Linda LeBlanc, Dr. Tyra Sellers, and Dr. Shahla Ala'i-Rosales * Dare to Lead by Brené Brown, including the BRAVING Inventory (available free on her website) Connect with Dr. Becky Eldridge: * LinkedIn: Becky Eldridge [https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-eldridge/] * Website: https://beckyeldridge.com/ [https://beckyeldridge.com/] Keywords: BCBA mentorship, ABA mentorship, supervision vs mentorship, clinical decision making ABA, new BCBA support, BCBA career growth, self-management behavior analysis, ABA leadership, fieldwork supervision, behavior analyst professional development, Becky Eldridge, In the Field ABA Podcast, Sidekick Learning Disclaimer: BCBA®, BACB® [or any other BACB® trademark used] is/are registered to the Behavior Analytic Certification Board® BACB®. This website and products are not in any way sponsored by the BACB®. All information and products are for educational purposes only.

Expanding Your ABA Career: Behavior Analysis in Residential and Foster Care Settings with Arthur Hairston

In this episode of In the Field: The ABA Podcast, I sit down with Arthur Hairston, BCBA and entrepreneur, to talk about a corner of our field that most BCBAs never get exposure to: residential services and group homes for children in foster care. Arthur has built and exited an ABA organization and is now focused on developing group homes for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities. His work sits at the intersection of clinical quality, trauma-informed care, and systems leadership in an environment where care happens around the clock. Key Topics: Why BCBAs Belong in Foster Care Group Homes: BCBAs are not always part of the picture in foster care group homes, but Arthur makes the case for why they should be and what it means for kids who have spent years on waitlists. The 24/7 Business Model: Running a residential program is a fundamentally different business than a traditional ABA company. Arthur walks through what caught him off guard, from overtime costs and staffing ratios to the capital reserves required for licensure.  Funding and Revenue Consistency: The group home model runs on a state and federal funding mix, creating more revenue consistency than traditional billing but a real cap on growth. Compassionate, Trauma-Informed Care: Arthur talks outings, community inclusion, and skills practice as the context in which clinical goals become achievable. Behavior is communication, and the first weeks with a new resident are about building trust. Delegation as a Business and Clinical Skill: Arthur opens up about letting go, partnering with his wife on operations, and why holding everything yourself puts your program's quality at risk. Training Staff in Residential Settings: Training in a residential setting goes well beyond behavior plans and data sheets. Arthur shares how his team prepares new staff for the emotional and relational complexity of this work, and why shadowing is a non-negotiable part of that process.  Key Takeaways: * BCBAs bring clinical infrastructure and systems thinking that directly benefit residents, even when it is not required.  * The residential model demands different business skills, including capital reserves, overtime management, and licensing timelines of six to nine months.  * Delegation is not optional. If you are the bottleneck, your program's sustainability is at risk.  * Training staff here means preparing them for the emotional and relational complexity of this work, not just the clinical tasks. Keywords: Group Home ABA, Residential Services ABA, BCBA, Foster Care Group Home, Trauma-Informed ABA, ABA Business Models, Group Home Licensing, ABA Entrepreneurship, Arthur Hairston, Med Waiver, Residential Program Leadership Connect with Arthur Hairston:  LinkedIn: Arthur Hairston [https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthurhairston] Website and Free Group Home Checklist: go.ghleadership.com [https://go.ghleadership.com/] ABA C.A.R.E.S. Summit: https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/abacares2026/home [https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/abacares2026/home] Disclaimer: BCBA®, BACB® [or any other BACB® trademark used] is/are registered to the Behavior Analytic Certification Board® BACB®. This website and products are not in any way sponsored by the BACB®. All information and products are for educational purposes only.

Building a Referral Network That Actually Works: ABA Marketing and Care Collaboration with Matt Harrington

In this episode of In the Field: The ABA Podcast, I sit down with Matt Harrington, BCBA® and founder of Provider Spark, the Behaviorist Book Club, and ABA Digital Marketing to talk about marketing through a behavioral lens. Matt brings a rare combination of clinical depth and marketing expertise, and this conversation is packed with practical strategy for ABA providers at every stage of growth. We cover what it really means to market ethically as an ABA provider, why quality and trust are the foundation of sustainable growth, and how the same behavioral principles that guide effective treatment can be applied to building referral networks and lasting care collaboration.  Key Topics: Marketing Starts with Quality: Why word of mouth is the foundation of any sustainable ABA business and how delivering consistent wins for caregivers drives both retention and referrals. Speed to Lead and Say-Do Correspondence: Response time to new inquiries is a behavioral concept and what it signals to families about your trustworthiness as a provider matters more than most providers realize. Building a Referral Network: How to identify the right referral partners, get in front of them with enough volume to generate replies, and nurture those relationships into consistent referral sources. Care Collaboration as the Long Game: Why investing in care collaboration across your caseload compounds into referral relationships that no ad spend can replicate. Niche Clarity and Differentiation: Being the best provider for a specific client profile is more compelling and more ethical than saying yes to everyone. Profit as a Tool for Impact: A reframe for clinicians who feel uncomfortable with the business side. Profitability is what allows you to scale your mission. Key Takeaways: * Quality is the foundation of all marketing. No strategy compensates for a service that does not deliver. * Say-do correspondence applies to your intake process. Doing what you say you will do builds the trust that converts inquiries into long-term clients. * Care collaboration is marketing in its most authentic form. When you collaborate well clinically, referrals follow naturally. * Niche clarity makes your pitch more compelling and your services more effective. * Profit enables impact. A sustainable business model allows you to reach more families and pay staff above market value. Keywords: ABA Marketing, ABA Business, Provider Relationships, Referral Network, Care Collaboration, BCBA® Business Development, ABA Intake Process, Say-Do Correspondence, Word of Mouth Marketing, Provider Spark, Behaviorist Book Club, Matt Harrington, ABA Differentiation, ABA Growth Strategy, ABA Digital Marketing Connect with Matt Harrington: LinkedIn: Matthew Harrington, BCBA® [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-harrington-bcba-8157b11b9/] Provider Spark: providerspark.com/grow [https://www.providerspark.com/grow] Behaviorist Book Club: behavioristbookclub.com [https://behavioristbookclub.com/] ABA Digital Marketing: abadigitalmarketing.com [https://abadigitalmarketing.com/] Disclaimer: BCBA®, BACB® [or any other BACB® trademark used] is/are registered to the Behavior Analytic Certification Board® BACB®. This website and products are not in any way sponsored by the BACB®. All information and products are for educational purposes only.

Developing Better Interventions through Efficiency, Assent, and Foundational Skills with Steve Ward

In this episode of In the Field: The ABA Podcast, I sit down with Steve Ward, BCBA® and co-founder of Whole Child Consulting, to explore how efficiency, assent, and foundational learning repertoires can guide more ethical and effective interventions. Known for developing the Inventory of Good Learner Repertoires (I.G.L.R.) and co-authoring 2,100+ Inexpensive Ideas for Intrinsic Motivation in Play, Steve brings decades of experience in making behavior analytic teaching both technically sound and human-centered. We discuss what it really means to provide effective treatment under the BACB® Ethics Code, why efficiency is both a technical and ethical imperative, and how shaping, assent, and motivation intersect to support meaningful learning outcomes. Key Topics: Efficiency as an Ethical Imperative: Why efficiency matters for both ethics and outcomes, and how to balance effectiveness with learner experience. Assent and Engagement: How to identify genuine assent and use the STEAM framework to measure motivation and participation. Foundational Skills and the I.G.L.R.: Using the inventory to assess “learning-to-learn” repertoires that set the stage for engagement and independence. The Dimensions Grid: A tool for systematically shaping conditions to build durable, generalized skills through real-world variability. Beyond Blunt Extinction: Why altering the relative efficiencies of behaviors often produces more sustainable and humane results. Training RBTs® and Trainees: Helping new practitioners think conceptually, recognize assent, and avoid rigid “rule-governed” application of strategies. Key Takeaways: * Efficiency is an ethical standard that ensures interventions are effective and humane. * Foundational repertoires enable assent, flexibility, and learner autonomy. * True assent reflects motivation and engagement across time, not mere compliance. * Fun and flexibility in teaching promote lasting learning and rapport. * Supervisors should model empiricism, guiding RBTs® and trainees to think critically, not mechanically. Keywords: Efficiency, Assent, Foundational Skills, Effective Treatment, Matching Law, Instructional Design, Ethics Code 2.0, Dimensions Grid, DRA, Blunt Extinction, Behavior Efficiency, Steve Ward, Whole Child Consulting, Inventory of Good Learner Repertoires, ABA Ethics, BCBA® Supervision Connect with Steve Ward and Whole Child Consulting: Website: Whole Child Consulting [https://wholechildconsulting.com] Inventory of Good Learner Repertoires: Download Resources [https://wholechildconsulting.com/downloads/] Book: 2,100+ Inexpensive Ideas for Intrinsic Motivation in Play [https://www.lulu.com/shop/madelyn-vickery-and-april-dyal-and-steven-ward/2100-inexpensive-ideas-for-play-and-intrinsic-motivation/paperback/product-rmmnv67.html?q=2%2C100%2B+Inexpensive+Ideas+for+Play+and+Intrinsic+Motivation&page=1&pageSize=4&fbclid=IwAR] Article: 50 Practical Ways to Alter the Relative Efficiencies of Behaviors [https://www.davidpublisher.com/Public/uploads/Contribute/67ca89e8e5f04.pdf] Webinar: What Comes Before Series GOOD LEARNER REPERTOIRES: Linktree [https://linktr.ee/goodlearnerrepertoires?fbclid=IwY2xjawNl24NleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHtWDNdPqrmEai1FEnTGGlUpam3R8IBJdQyVYdA1MxDRmO-SWXxPNqDT8B0j2_aem_J_2lUCk5WU4ZYRCUir1e1w] Disclaimer: BCBA®, BACB® [or any other BACB® trademark used] is/are registered to the Behavior Analytic Certification Board® BACB®. This website and products are not in any way sponsored by the BACB®. All information and products are for educational purposes only.