Cooperant Learning Presents: Behavior Business Roundtable | Episode 3: Dollars and Sense

Cooperant Learning Presents: Behavior Business Roundtable | Episode 3: Dollars and Sense

Taylor Barker (Ebb and Flow ABA), Kristen Byra (Upskill ABA), and Steve Sparks of Sparks Behavioral Services joined the Roundtable to tackle the economics of our field. Topics included reimbursement rates, workforce challenges, private equity in human services, industry growth, quality concerns, and the impact of bad actors. Financial realities shape clinical services, so what will it take to build a sustainable future without compromising ethical, high-quality care? Whether you're a clinician, supervisor, business owner, or simply curious about where ABA is headed, this conversation offers plenty of perspectives to consider.

Cooperant Learning | Observational Conditioning-By-Denial | Jessica Singer-Dudek, Hung Chang, & Jennifer Longano

Cooperant Learning Podcast | Observational Conditioning-By-Denial | Jessica Singer-Dudek, Hung Chang, & Jennifer Longano CEUs: Sparks Behavioral Services, LLC (ACE #OP-21-0004) is an ACE-approved provider of continuing education units for behavior analysts. You can earn continuing education units (CEUs) for listening to this episode by visiting cooperantlearning.com! Summary: This episode explores the research on observational learning and conditioned reinforcers in children, featuring experts Jessica Singer-Dudek, Jennifer Longano, and Hung Chang. We discuss their research on observational conditioning-by-denial and how peer versus adult models influence establishment of conditioned reinforcers. We also discuss how these findings can be applied in educational settings to enhance learning and behavior management. Research: Singer-Dudek, Jessica, HungChang, JenniferLongano, and R. D.Greer. 2026. “The Effects of Peers Versus Adults on Observational Conditioning-By-Denial,” Behavioral Interventions: e70100. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.70100. Guests Dr. Jessica Singer-Dudek is the President of the Foundation for the Advancement of a Strategic Science of Teaching and serves as the chair of the CABAS® Professional and Organizational Standards committee under FASST. She also serves as a Senior Behavior Analyst Consultant to schools implementing the Comprehensive Application of Behavior Analysis to Schooling (CABAS®) model, and . Dr. Dudek’s research interests include component analyses of successful behavior analytic models of education, teacher and supervisor training, verbally governed and verbally governing behaviors, establishment of early observing responses, verbal behavior development, conditioned reinforcement, and observational learning. Dr. Hung Chang received his MA, M.Phil, and Ph.D. in applied behavior analysis from Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Chang is a program supervisor at the Fred S. Keller School located in the suburbs of New York City. He has worked for the Fred S. Keller School, a CABAS® model school, since 2016. He is supervising preschool classrooms for children with and without disabilities. His research has focused on establishing verbal developmental cusps and capabilities, conditioned reinforcement, and observational learning.  Dr. Jennifer Longano received her BS in education from the State University of New York at Geneseo. She then earned her MA, M. Phil, and Ph.D. in applied behavior analysis from Teachers College, Columbia University. Jennifer has worked at the Fred S. Keller school since 2008 serving as a classroom supervisor for both preschool and early intervention classrooms. In 2024, she became the director of the Fred S. Keller School White Plains campus.  Her research interests have focused on Verbal Behavior Development ranging from foundational behavior cusps related to observing responses to incidental language acquisition and observational learning. Listen now: 🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/7jEtOKZjbww4TCL9YfOMZF?si=490b8beed95c406b 🍎 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cooperant-learning-podcast/id1817490272 ▶️ YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@cooperantlearning  🌐 Website → https://www.cooperantlearning.com Connect with us: 📸 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/cooperantbx/ 🎵 TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@cooperantlearning 📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/people/Cooperant-Learning/61564380433792/?_rdr [https://www.facebook.com/people/Cooperant-Learning/61564380433792/?_rdr]   Music licensed through Soundstripe L9LS3EEZET6V5XUM

Cooperant Learning Presents: Behavior Business Roundtable | Episode 2: Training, Reality, and the Ethics Gap

Behavior Business Roundtable Episode 2! Kristen @upskillaba and Taylor @ebbandflowaba join Steve Sparks to discuss BCBA education, the impact of workplace policies, and how to better prepare behavior analysts for real challenges in the field when the line between ethics and policy blurs. Our panel discusses mentorship, ethical dilemmas, and systemic issues affecting the field.

Cooperant Learning | Brain Injury and Behavior Analysis | Christina Peters and Chris Schaub

Cooperant Learning Podcast | Brain Injury and Behavior Analysis | Christina Peters and Chris Schaub CEUs: Sparks Behavioral Services, LLC (ACE #OP-21-0004) is an ACE-approved provider of continuing education units for behavior analysts. You can earn continuing education units (CEUs) for listening to this episode by visiting cooperantlearning.com! Summary: This episode we explored the complex world of traumatic brain injury (TBI), featuring insights from experts and behavior analysts Christina Peters and Christopher Schaub. We discussed symptoms, behavioral challenges, and treatment strategies for TBI from a behavioral lens, emphasizing the importance of understanding the inside story of each individual’s injury and recovery process. This episode explores the integration of behavior analysis in brain injury rehabilitation, emphasizing the importance of medical, behavioral, and activity stability. Christina Peters and Chris Schaub share insights on interdisciplinary teamwork, community reintegration, and the future of research in this vital field. Guests Dr. Christina Peters has dedicated her career to the dissemination of behavior science across the laboratory, clinic, and classroom. She holds a Master’s in Special Education from Temple University and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno. While at the University of Nevada, Reno Christina worked with a team that used mice as subjects to explore the relationship between behavior and various physiological conditions through interdisciplinary collaborations with experts in biomedicine, pharmacology and reproductive endocrinology. This work has been published in a wide variety of journals including: The Psychological Record, Behavioral Processes, Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis and Human Reproduction.  In the clinical domain Christina has experience working with individuals in post-acute neurorehabilitation settings treating those who have sustained traumatic brain injuries. Christina has co-authored publications on the application of behavior analysis towards the treatment of brain injuries including a chapter for the Essential Brain Injury Guide 4th and 5th eds. Which is the textbook used to train Certified Brain Injury Specialists through the Brain Injury Association of America. Christina currently serves as the chair for ABAIs Brain Injury Special Interest Group Research Sub-Committee. In the classroom, Christina is dedicated to advancing high-quality, online graduate training to reach students who are limited by geography or finances. Currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah, she serves as the Director of a newly launched online Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis—a program that is specifically designed to meet the needs of working professionals. Chris Schaub has worked in post-acute brain injury rehabilitation since 1995, focused on neurobehavioral programming for individuals with all levels of impairment. After earning his Master’s degree from Temple University- under the mentorship of Phil Hineline and Saul Axelrod- he spent 20 years as the BCBA within an interdisciplinary team, working in an intensive, neurobehavioral setting for adults with acquired brain injuries. Following his organization’s expansion, Chris transitioned into the role of national behavior analyst for Collage Rehabilitation Partners. In this capacity, he provides consultation to their BCBAs and interdisciplinary teams within their neurorehabilitation programs nationwide. A dedicated contributor to the field, Chris regularly presents at professional conferences in both Brain Injury and Behavior Analysis, and publishes on the application of behavior analysis in brain injury rehabilitation; notably, he co-authored the Neurobehavioral Complications chapter in the most recent editions of the Essential Brain Injury Guide. As part of a broader commitment to the ABA and ABI communities, Chris has supervised ABA students and BCBAs in brain injury rehabilitation for over two decades, served as a brain injury subject matter expert for the BACB, and is currently the president of the Brain Injury Special Interest Group within ABAI. Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at York College of Pennsylvania, teaching graduate courses on the experimental analysis of behavior and acquired brain injury. Listen now: 🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/7jEtOKZjbww4TCL9YfOMZF?si=490b8beed95c406b 🍎 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cooperant-learning-podcast/id1817490272 ▶️ YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@cooperantlearning  🌐 Website → https://www.cooperantlearning.com Connect with us: 📸 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/cooperantbx/ 🎵 TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@cooperantlearning 📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/people/Cooperant-Learning/61564380433792/?_rdr

Cooperant Learning | Assessing Social Validity in Functional Analysis | Michael Kranak & Isaac Melanson

Cooperant Learning Podcast | Assessing Social Validity in Functional Analysis | Michael Kranak & Isaac Melanson CEUs: Sparks Behavioral Services, LLC (ACE #OP-21-0004) is an ACE-approved provider of continuing education units for behavior analysts. You can earn continuing education units (CEUs) for listening to this episode by visiting cooperantlearning.com! Summary In this episode our guests navigate the research on social validity and functional analysis in behavior analytic research while discussing their paper "A concise review of social validity assessments during functional analyses of challenging behavior."  Research: Stephens MJ, Wessel MA, Melanson IJ, Kranak MP. A concise review of social validity assessments during functional analyses of challenging behavior. J Appl Behav Anal. 2025 Oct Autumn (Fall);58(4):896-905. doi: 10.1002/jaba.70031. Epub 2025 Oct 1. PMID: 41032242; PMCID: PMC12654957. Guests Michael Kranak, PhD, BCBA-D is an Associate Professor and the Director of Research for the Center for Autism at Oakland University. His research interests primarily include relapse of problem behavior, supervision best practices, and protection of the profession of behavior analysis. Dr. Kranak has accrued nearly $2 million in extramural funding to support his research and clinical endeavors, including from the NIH. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and son, working out, cooking, golfing; and is an avid Pittsburgh sports fan.  Dr. Isaac Melanson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Behavioral Science at the University of Kansas and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst at the doctoral level (BCBA-D). His research and clinical work focus on the assessment, treatment, and prevention of challenging behavior, the evaluation of safe and valid functional assessment methods, and the study of preference and choice patterns among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Listen now: 🎧 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/7jEtOKZjbww4TCL9YfOMZF?si=490b8beed95c406b 🍎 Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cooperant-learning-podcast/id1817490272 ▶️ YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@cooperantlearning  🌐 Website → https://www.cooperantlearning.com Connect with us: 📸 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/cooperantbx/ 🎵 TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@cooperantlearning 📘 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/people/Cooperant-Learning/61564380433792/?_rdr #bcba #bcaba #registeredbehaviortechnician #rbt #appliedbehavioranalysis #behaviorscience #aba #behavioranalysis #schedulesofreinforcement #bcbasofinstagram #bcbasoftiktok