ABA on Tap

Mike Rubio, BCBA & Dan Lowery, BCBA (co-Hosts) & Suzanne Juzwik, BCBA (Producer)
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Social Sciences
  • Every two weeks

The ABA podcast, crafted for BCBAs, RBTs, OBMers, and ABA therapy business owners, that serves up Applied Behavior Analysis with a twist! A podcast for BCBAs, RBTs, fieldwork trainees, related service professionals, parents, and ABA therapy business owners Taking Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) beyond the laboratory and straight into real-world applications, ABA on Tap is the BCBA podcast that breaks down behavior science into engaging, easy-to-digest discussions.  Hosted by Mike Rubio (BCBA), Dan Lowery (BCBA), and Suzanne Juzwik (BCBA, OBM expert), this ABA podcast explores everything from Behavior Analysis, BT and RBT training, BCBA supervision, the BACB, fieldwork supervision, Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA), OBM, ABA strategies, the future of ABA therapy, behavior science, ABA-related technology, including machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual learning or virtual reality, instructional design, learning & development, and cutting-edge ABA interventions—all with a laid-back, pub-style atmosphere. Whether you're a BCBA, BCBA-D, BCaBA, RBT, Behavior Technician, Behavior Analyst, teacher, parent, related service professional, ABA therapy business owner, or OBM professional, this podcast delivers science-backed insights on human behavior with humor, practicality, and a fresh perspective.  We serve up ABA therapy, Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), compassionate care, and real-world case studies—no boring jargon, just straight talk about what really works. So, pour yourself a tall glass of knowledge, kick back, and always analyze responsibly. Cheers to better behavior analysis, behavior change, and behavior science!

  1. 2 days ago

    Stop Taking The Train Away; Back to Basics in ABA with Michelle Burr (Part II)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA is proud to present Michelle Burr (Part 2 of 2): A diagnosis can open doors, but it can also be withheld in ways that quietly shut families out. Mike and Dan continue the brew with Michelle Burr, to talk about what it looks like when autism diagnostic practices miss the mark, especially for families of color, and how those delays ripple into access to services, school support, and day-to-day quality of life. From there, we get honest about labels. We’ve all seen how a label can bring relief, community, and clarity, and we’ve also seen how it can narrow expectations until every moment gets filtered through a diagnosis. We unpack the strange new reality of self-diagnosis trends, the growing understanding of autism in girls and women, and why “normal” is a wide statistical range, not a social pass or fail. Then we go deep on assent-based ABA. Michelle lays out what assent actually looks like in behavior you can observe, why pausing matters, and how “assent-based” can get twisted into permissive, chaotic center-based services that do not teach functional skills. We talk functional communication, individualized programming, generalization beyond the clinic, and a hopeful model for ethical center-based care that starts with pairing, builds communication, and creates calm structure kids can succeed inside. If you want ABA that feels humane and still works in the real world, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a colleague or parent, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

  2. 30 Aug

    Assistive, Augmentative, Alternative: Talking Tech with Jennifer Kraft (Part II)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Jennifer Kraft (Part 2 of 2): A single line in the wrong plan can change a child’s whole trajectory: “increase compliance.” We dig into what it looks like to replace that mindset with support that actually removes barriers, starting with augmentative and alternative communication and the broader world of assistive technology. We talk with Jennifer Kraft about why you are never too young or too old to start AAC, and why it is devastating when someone only gets the right device and the right team in adulthood. We walk through the practical reality of access, including the IEP process, insurance requirements, and how SLPs and physicians often become the documentation gatekeepers for prescriptions and funding. If you have ever searched “how to get an AAC device,” “assistive technology evaluation,” or “AAC through Medicaid,” you will leave with a clearer picture of what to ask for and where to look. Then we zoom out past speech devices into everyday assistive technology that changes lives: weighted bowls and spoons, pencil grips and slant boards, hearing supports, magnification tools, adapted computer mice, and the creative problem solving mindset behind it all. From there, we get real about school-based ABA consultation: building rapport with teachers, setting boundaries, observing the whole classroom system, picking targets that can actually work in a busy environment, and navigating the hard truth that sometimes school politics override good data. If you care about neuro-affirming ABA, assent and safety, and helping clients become who they are, not who someone else thinks they should be, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest AAC or school collaboration question. Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

  3. 23 Aug

    Assistive, Augmentative, Alternative: Talking Tech with Jennifer Kraft (Part I)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Jennifer Kraft (Part 1 of 2): AAC is everywhere right now, but too many people still treat it like a gadget instead of a voice. Mike and Dan sit down with Jennifer Kraft, a longtime special educator, assistive technology specialist, and BCBA, about what actually makes augmentative and alternative communication work in the real world and what goes wrong when devices get handed out without true assessment, training, or follow-through. Jennifer shares a career journey that spans early intervention, life skills classrooms, ed tech facilitation, and behavioral health leadership in Pennsylvania’s evolving system (BHRS to IBHS). Along the way, she gets candid about the ethical pressure points in agency life, what it feels like to walk into a broken organization, and why protecting clients and clinicians sometimes means refusing to play along. That path ultimately leads her to launch her own practice, Krafted Care, and push through licensing and Medicaid barriers that can delay autism services for months. Then we dig into practical AAC best practices: why AAC does not take away speech, how it can serve as a backup during stress or motor planning challenges, and why modeling matters more than “handing over the device.” We also cover device fit, customizing pages for real routines, separating entertainment screen time from the AAC system, and the nonnegotiable need for constant access and a charged battery. If you care about ethical ABA, assistive technology, or helping kids and adults communicate with dignity, hit play. Subscribe, share this with your team, and leave a review with your biggest AAC question. Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

  4. 16 Aug

    The 'Hidden' Skills Behind Great ABA Leadership: Ethics, Growth and Parsimony with Kristyn Peterson (Part II)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Kristyn Peterson (Part 2 of 2): The hardest part of behavior analysis isn’t the data sheet, it’s the human side: how you show up, how you lead, and how you make change feel doable. ABA on Tap is  back with Dr. Kristyn Peterson for a candid, practical conversation that connects behavioral artistry to the real-world pressures BCBAs face when business models clash with clinical values. If you’ve ever felt like you’re “making humans do the thing” without believing in the system behind it, you’ll recognize yourself here. We talk through Kristen’s path from clinical work into OBM-informed consulting, including how she and her team help organizations survive big technology changes by balancing people, process, and technology. You’ll hear concrete ways behavior analysts add value outside autism services: defining what success actually looks like, choosing measurable metrics, and using organizational change management to reduce stress, resistance, and turnover instead of bulldozing people with “because leadership said so.” Then we go deeper on leadership and sustainability: what it’s like to run a small company, document recommendations when clients won’t follow them, and protect your energy when your job becomes finance, sales calls, and crisis cleanup. Kristyn also breaks down Lean Six Sigma (including Master Black Belt training) and why its maintenance planning can be a model for better fade-out, parent training, and operational systems in ABA. We close with hot takes on culture (stop pretending pizza parties are an intervention), gatekeeping, and how to help BCBAs feel less trapped in a changing field shaped by private equity and regulation. If this resonates, subscribe, share this with a colleague who needs it, and leave a review so more behavior analysts can find the conversation. Tune In. Drink Up. And ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

  5. 9 Aug

    The 'Hidden' Skills Behind Great ABA Leadership: Ethics, Growth and Parsimony with Kristyn Peterson (Part I)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Kristyn Peterson (Part 1 of 2): A BCBA passes the exam, gets promoted fast, and suddenly has to lead teams, train new RBTs, manage payer demands, and still protect the client’s care. That jump can feel like getting handed the keys to a moving car, especially in underserved markets where there is no mentorship bench and no clean roadmap for what a clinical director should actually do. Kristen Peterson joins ABA on Tap to tell the truth about early-career leadership in applied behavior analysis, from building scalable supervision systems to navigating rural ABA service delivery across long distances. We dig into cultural competence in autism services, including how providers earn trust in communities with different religious norms, different parenting styles, and real skepticism toward “outside experts.” We also talk ethics in plain language, what happens when you see harmful punishment practices, and how to balance reporting obligations with compassionate parent support. Then we get into the hard part: private equity buyouts, policy shifts that squeeze training opportunities, and the moral injury that hits when leaders are asked to defend decisions they believe will hurt staff or families. We unpack how algorithmic hours tools and templated programming can quietly replace clinical judgment, and why the art of individualized ABA still matters when research meets the living room. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review if it resonates. Where have you felt the strongest pressure between efficiency and ethics? Tune In, Drink Up and ALWAYS Analyze Responsibly.  Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

  6. 19 Jul

    From Adaptive PE To BCBA Leadership In Schools: Lupe Castañeda Brews A Fresh Perspective (Part II)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to sit down with Lupe Castañeda (Part 2 of 2): You can have the best behavior plan in the world and still fail if the classroom doesn’t trust you. Mike and Dan pick up part two with Lupe Castaneda, and get practical about school-based ABA, BCBA leadership in schools, and the messy middle where collaboration meets real-world constraints. We talk through what it looks like when we’re “not the experts” in the family system or the classroom environment, yet we’re brought in because something is already going wrong, and the people in the room may not want change. From there, we get into the hard stuff most people won’t say out loud: school politics, predetermined placement decisions, and how to protect your staff when they’re doing great work but still getting nitpicked. Lupe shares how he approaches teacher buy-in by building rapport, talking with paraprofessionals, and living the principle of “show me, don’t tell me” rather than being the BCBA in the corner with a laptop. We also explore supervision and mentorship strategies that improve retention, including bi-directional feedback, coaching, and shaping performance instead of punishing mistakes. We then zoom into tactics for bridging 1:1 ABA into group instruction: small-group DTT, instructional pacing, short learning sprints, contextual fit, and preparing students for natural environments. Along the way we unpack clinical judgment, crisis prevention, and why it matters to teach teams how to think on the fly, especially when the difference between an extinction burst and failed treatment is not obvious to educators. We wrap with burnout prevention, skill diversification, and why staying curious might be the most underrated career strategy in behavior analysis. If this helped you, subscribe, share it with a school-based BCBA or teacher, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What’s the biggest obstacle you hit when trying to collaborate in schools? Tune in, drink up and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

  7. 12 Jul

    From Adaptive PE To BCBA Leadership In Schools: Lupe Castañeda Brews A Fresh Perspective (Part I)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to sit down with Lupe Castañeda (Part 1 of 2): If you’ve ever walked into a school confident in your assessment, your data, and your “best practice” plan, and still watched it fall apart by week two, you’re not alone. Mike and Dan sit down with Lupe Castaneda, a longtime school-based BCBA and consultant, to talk about what actually makes ABA in schools work, and what quietly makes it fail even when everyone has good intentions. We start with Lupe’s path into the field, from early exposure to children with disabilities to adapted physical education, autism support, and becoming one of the earliest full-time BCBAs employed by a Texas school district. Along the way, he shares the moments that reshaped his practice, including a hard lesson about making changes without family input and a blunt IEP meeting reminder that experience means nothing if you cannot explain what you will do for this specific child. From there, we dig into the practical heart of school-based behavior support: family-centered programming, meaningful long-term goals, parent education, and the legal and team-driven reality of the IEP process. We also break down two essentials for any behavior intervention plan or functional behavior assessment in a school setting: collaboration and contextual fit. A plan is only “evidence-based” if it can be implemented by real educators in real classrooms with real constraints, and if it respects the priorities of the student and family. This is Part 1 of our conversation with Lupe. Subscribe so you don’t miss Part 2, and if this resonates, share it with a BCBA, teacher, or parent navigating school services. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve seen when ABA meets the classroom? Tune in, drink up and ALWAYS ANALYZE RESPONSIBLY. Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

  8. 5 Jul

    Skittles, A Rubik’s Cube, And The ABA Rabbit Hole: A Sip and A Candid Chat with Asia Johnson (Part II)

    Send us Fan Mail ABA on Tap is proud to present Asia Johnson (Part 2 of 2): A kid can learn their colors and still be worse off if they’ve been trained to silence “no.” That tension drives our candid conversation with Asia Johnson as we wrestle with what ethical, modern ABA therapy should look like when the goal is a real life, not perfect compliance. We talk honestly about how many clinicians are shaped by a single supervisor, a single company, and a single packaged system, and how that funnel can turn good people into one-track practitioners without meaning to. From VB-MAPP popularity to PEAK’s assessment structure, we dig into “teaching to the test” and why assessment scores can’t be the finish line. We compare naturalistic teaching with discrete trial training as a tool, then zoom out to the bigger issue: assent-based practice, withdrawal of assent, and the fine line between instruction and coercion. We also unpack a hard but necessary question for client outcomes: what did it cost to get that progress, and did it create masking, trauma, or reduced self-advocacy? Then we shift into cultural competency in ABA and autism services in Black communities, where programming details matter, like hair care routines, barber shop versus salon experiences, and language goals that erase AAVE. Asia breaks down how competency, referral decisions, Medicaid access, and limited provider pools collide in the real world, plus why research diversity and historical medical mistrust shape family engagement. If you care about trauma-informed care, ethical ABA, and culturally responsive autism support, this conversation will stretch your thinking. Subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave us a review with the biggest “success metric” you think ABA should be judged by. Enjoy the second pour with Asia Johnson, share this with a parent or clinician who needs it, subscribe and leave a review with your take. Tell us---what should ethical ABA protect first? Tune in, drink up and ALWAYS analyze responsibly. Support the show 🔥 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review on your favorite podcast platform! 📢 Connect with Us: 🔗 Website: https://abaontap.com 🎧 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aba.on.tap.podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abaontap/ 🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ABAonTap 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aba-on-tap 💡 Support the Show: ☕ Love what we do? Buy us a virtual drink! Support ABA on Tap 🎙️ Interested in sponsoring? Partner with us 🚀 Join the ABA on Tap Community! Stay updated on the latest episodes, live events, and exclusive content. 🎧 Analyze Responsibly & Keep the Conversation Going! 🍻

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About

The ABA podcast, crafted for BCBAs, RBTs, OBMers, and ABA therapy business owners, that serves up Applied Behavior Analysis with a twist! A podcast for BCBAs, RBTs, fieldwork trainees, related service professionals, parents, and ABA therapy business owners Taking Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) beyond the laboratory and straight into real-world applications, ABA on Tap is the BCBA podcast that breaks down behavior science into engaging, easy-to-digest discussions.  Hosted by Mike Rubio (BCBA), Dan Lowery (BCBA), and Suzanne Juzwik (BCBA, OBM expert), this ABA podcast explores everything from Behavior Analysis, BT and RBT training, BCBA supervision, the BACB, fieldwork supervision, Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA), OBM, ABA strategies, the future of ABA therapy, behavior science, ABA-related technology, including machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual learning or virtual reality, instructional design, learning & development, and cutting-edge ABA interventions—all with a laid-back, pub-style atmosphere. Whether you're a BCBA, BCBA-D, BCaBA, RBT, Behavior Technician, Behavior Analyst, teacher, parent, related service professional, ABA therapy business owner, or OBM professional, this podcast delivers science-backed insights on human behavior with humor, practicality, and a fresh perspective.  We serve up ABA therapy, Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), compassionate care, and real-world case studies—no boring jargon, just straight talk about what really works. So, pour yourself a tall glass of knowledge, kick back, and always analyze responsibly. Cheers to better behavior analysis, behavior change, and behavior science!

Information

  • Creator
    Mike Rubio, BCBA & Dan Lowery, BCBA (co-Hosts) & Suzanne Juzwik, BCBA (Producer)
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    127
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 ABA on Tap
  • Show Website
    ABA on Tap

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