The ABA Speech Podcast- Easy Strategies for Speech Therapists, BCBAs, and RBTs

Rose Griffin
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Join Rose Griffin, a dedicated Speech Therapist and BCBA from ABA SPEECH, as she shares her compassionate approach to supporting the communication needs of autistic individuals. With 20 years of experience, Rose is committed to respecting and understanding the diverse ways autistic people communicate and interact with the world. This podcast is a resource for professionals and parents alike, offering practical strategies that honor each person's unique communication style. Rose covers a wide range of topics, including how to recognize and support autistic communication from an early age, the distinctions between autism and speech differences, and effective, respectful approaches to fostering communication, whether a child is non-speaking, minimally speaking, or verbal. Through a mix of interviews and solo episodes, Rose explores how to enhance meaningful connections, address challenges with empathy, and celebrate the strengths of autistic individuals. Whether you're a parent, therapist, or educator, you'll find valuable insights and actionable advice to create supportive environments that empower communication and honor neurodiversity. Hit subscribe and learn more at www.abaspeech.org.

  1. 6D AGO

    #267: Start Your Own Practice with Finni Health with Bukhtar Khan

    Starting your own practice does not have to mean doing it all alone. In today’s episode, I sat down with Bukhtar Khan, co-founder and CEO of Finni Health, to talk honestly about what it really looks like to start and grow an independent ABA practice. We talked about the fears BCBAs often have around finances, insurance, staffing, and burnout, and how Finni Health is built to support clinicians who want autonomy without sacrificing stability or ethics. Bukhtar shares the heart behind Finni Health and why their work is so focused on reducing stress for clinicians, protecting quality care, and helping providers build sustainable practices that align with their “why.” If you have ever thought about starting your own clinic but felt overwhelmed by the logistics, this conversation will give you clarity, reassurance, and a realistic look at what support can look like. #autism #speechtherapy What’s Inside: The most common concerns BCBAs have about starting their own practiceHow Finni Health supports clinicians with operations, billing, staffing, and complianceThe balance between entrepreneurship and financial securityWhy knowing your “why” matters more than knowing every stepMentioned In This Episode: Finni Health Earn CEUs with a community of peers. Join the ABA Speech Connection ABA Speech: Home

    22 min

  2. FEB 3

    #266: Lessons of Leadership and Advocacy with Rayni McMahon

    Stepping into your first leadership role can feel overwhelming, and navigating autism services as a parent can feel even harder, even when you’re already in the field. In this episode, I sat down with Rayni McMahon for a powerful conversation about leadership, advocacy, and what happens when your professional world and personal life collide. We talked about what it really feels like to move from clinician to administrator, why so many professionals feel unprepared for leadership roles, and the one thing that can make that transition feel more manageable. Rayni shared practical, honest insights about mentorship, managing people, setting boundaries, and learning to lead with both confidence and compassion. We also spent time talking about advocacy from a deeply personal lens. Rayni opened up about her experience as a BCBA navigating the system as a parent of an autistic child and how being “in the know” did not make accessing services easier. Her perspective highlights just how complex and exhausting the system can be, even for professionals, and why empathy, persistence, and advocacy matter so much for families. This conversation is thoughtful, relatable, and full of takeaways for anyone who is stepping into leadership, supporting teams, or advocating for children and families within our field. #autism #speechtherapy What’s Inside: How to navigate the transition from clinician to leader without burning outWhy mentorship and leadership support are critical in growing organizationsThe realities of advocating for autism services, even as a professionalLessons on balancing leadership, boundaries, and empathy Mentioned In This Episode: Virtue Healthcare Consulting Rayni Brindley McMahon on LinkedIn Earn CEUs with a community of peers. Join the ABA Speech Connection ABA Speech: Home

    28 min

  3. JAN 27

    #265: Hot Topics In AAC

    Prompting AAC is abuse? Let’s talk about that and a few other AAC conversations that keep coming up again and again. In today’s solo episode, I’m diving into five hot topics in AAC that have been surfacing repeatedly in my recent calls, trainings, and collaboration meetings. After more than 20 years as a speech therapist and being dually certified as a BCBA, I’ve seen how confusing, overwhelming, and sometimes divisive AAC conversations can become. I also remember very clearly when AAC felt intimidating to me too. This episode is about cutting through the noise, grounding ourselves in research, and having better, more collaborative conversations about AAC. I share real scenarios clinicians are facing right now, from AAC evaluations that drag on far too long to device access barriers to strong opinions about prompting that simply don’t align with the science. My goal is to help you feel more confident, more informed, and better equipped to advocate for your students and clients. Whether you’re newer to AAC or have years of experience, these topics matter. AAC is a student’s voice, and we have a responsibility to protect, support, and expand it in thoughtful, ethical ways. #autism #speechtherapy What’s Inside: Why AAC evaluations should be thorough, but not take nine months, and what may be going wrong when they doHow to approach parent-purchased devices, including those bought online, with collaboration instead of fearThe ongoing core versus fringe vocabulary debate, and why research supports using bothWhy prompting is a teaching tool, not abuse, and how misinformation can harm collaboration and progressMentioned In This Episode: Earn CEUs with a community of peers. Join the ABA Speech Connection Take the All About AAC bundle ABA Speech: Home

    23 min

  4. JAN 20

    #264: Fostering Belonging In Autistic Individuals with Kathleen Dyer, Anna Linnehan & Mary Jane Weiss

    In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of welcoming Dr. Kathleen Dyer, Dr. Anna Linnehan, and Dr. Mary Jane Weiss for a powerful conversation around their article Fostering Belonging in Autistic Individuals. This was actually the first time I’ve had three guests on the podcast at once, and it felt like the perfect conversation to mark that milestone. We spent time unpacking the difference between inclusion and true belonging and why simply being “in the room” does not always mean someone feels connected or accepted. As behavior analysts and speech-language pathologists, we’ve made incredible progress with access, inclusion, and participation, but this conversation challenged us to take a deeper look at the quality of those experiences. We talked about what happens when autistic individuals are included but don’t feel they belong, the emotional toll of masking and camouflaging, and the very real systemic barriers that still exist for autistic adults. I also loved hearing how this work grew from their experiences in higher education and from listening closely to autistic individuals and families who shared that they often had to create their own communities. What really stood out to me was how much this conversation aligns with compassionate, individualized care. Belonging looks different for everyone, and if we’re not asking about it, observing it, and building it into our assessments and interventions, we’re missing something essential. This episode felt like an invitation for our field to stretch, reflect, and evolve, and I’m so grateful to these three leaders for helping start that dialogue. #autism #speechtherapy What’s Inside: The difference between inclusion and true belonging, and why access alone is not enoughHow masking and camouflaging impact mental health and long-term well-beingBarriers autistic adults face in education, employment, and community participationPractical ways clinicians can keep belonging at the center of assessment and interventionMentioned In This Episode: Earn CEUs with a community of peers. Join the ABA Speech Connection Get the book Perspectives on Neurodiversity and Belonging ABA Speech: Home

    29 min

  5. JAN 13

    #263: SLP, OT and ABA Under One Roof with Nafisa Obi

    In today’s episode, I sat down with Nafisa Obi to talk about what it really looks like to bring speech therapy, occupational therapy, and ABA together under one roof. Nafisa shared her journey from starting a small speech therapy practice to co-founding Essential Speech and ABA Therapy, which has grown into a nationwide franchise model focused on early intervention and true interdisciplinary collaboration. We talked honestly about the realities of private practice ownership, the challenges of adding ABA to an existing SLP practice, and why understanding your “why” matters so much when you’re building services that impact families. Nafisa walked us through how her team recognized a gap in care, leaned into collaboration instead of competition, and built a model that prioritizes children, families, and ethical growth. This conversation is especially powerful if you’re an SLP, OT, BCBA, or practice owner who feels the pull to do more for your clients but isn’t sure where to start. Nafisa’s story is a reminder that thoughtful, family-centered care and sustainable business practices can exist together, and that collaboration truly changes outcomes. #autism #speechtherapy What’s Inside: How Essential Speech and ABA Therapy evolved from a speech-only clinic into a fully collaborative SLP, OT, and ABA modelWhat SLPs need to consider when adding ABA services, from staffing and billing to company cultureWhy true interdisciplinary collaboration improves outcomes for autistic children and their familiesHow franchising became a way to responsibly expand access to ethical, high-quality autism careMentioned In This Episode: Essential Speech and ABA Therapy Nafisa Obi on LinkedIn Join the ABA Speech Connection  ABA Speech: Home

    27 min

  6. JAN 6

    #262: Strategies for Verbal Imitation

    I’m bringing back one of my mini episodes that continues to spark great conversations around verbal imitation. This reprise dives into how we think about echoics and verbal imitation in a way that is thoughtful, ethical, and grounded in collaboration. I share why this can be such a tricky area, especially when speech-language pathologists and BCBAs are working together, and why context always matters more than a checklist. In this episode, I walk through how I approach verbal imitation on a team, why assessment and collaboration are essential, and how we can support learners without turning them off to verbal communication. This is a practical listen that encourages all of us to slow down, zoom out, and make sure our targets are truly functional for the child in front of us. #autism #speechtherapy What’s Inside: Why verbal imitation and echoics require careful, collaborative decision-makingThe role of assessments and context when choosing verbal targetsHow SLP and BCBA collaboration supports ethical and effective programmingA high-level look at maintaining and generalizing verbal imitation skillsMentioned In This Episode: Verbal Imitation Guide (Hack #19) Join our ethics course Join the aba speech connection  ABA Speech: Home

    13 min

  7. 12/30/2025

    #261: PDA and Collaboration Over Compliance Dr. Michael C. Selbst and Dr. Jeniffer Cruz

    In this reprise episode, I’m revisiting an important conversation with Dr. Michael Selbst and Dr. Jeniffer Cruz about Pathological Demand Avoidance, often called PDA. I began getting more questions about PDA as clinicians and parents shared concerns about students who weren’t responding to traditional strategies and seemed to escalate around even small or well-intended demands. In this episode, we break down what PDA is and how it’s currently understood. While PDA is not a formal diagnosis in the United States, it’s often described internationally as a profile rooted in anxiety and a strong drive for control. Dr. Selbst and Dr. Cruz explain how both explicit demands, like being told to complete a task, and implied demands, such as routines or social expectations, can trigger a fight, flight, or freeze response. We also explore why compliance-based systems and reward-driven approaches often don’t work for learners with this profile. Even positive strategies can increase anxiety when they rely on external control. Instead, this conversation focuses on shifting toward collaboration over compliance, building trust, and reducing power struggles so regulation can come first. What I appreciate most is how practical this discussion is. We talk about language, tone, and small changes adults can make to better support regulation, communication, and independence. #autism #speechtherapy What’s Inside: What Pathological Demand Avoidance is and how it differs from defiance or noncomplianceWhy anxiety-driven responses make compliance-based strategies ineffectiveHow shifting from compliance to collaboration supports regulation and trustPractical ways to adjust language, expectations, and support for PDA learnersMentioned In This Episode: Dr. Selbst and Dr. Cruz have the authority to practice interjurisdictional telepsychology (APIT) from the PSYPACT commission, allowing them to provide telepsychology to clients in many states. To see if your state is included, please click on this link: https://psypact.site-ym.com/page/psypactmap  PDA Society Behavior Therapy Associates Join the aba speech connection   ABA Speech: Home

    29 min

  8. 12/23/2025

    #260: Functional Communication Training—Getting Started with Dr. Bethjoy Houck

    Functional Communication Training can change everything when behavior is really communication and we take the time to listen. In this reprise episode, I’m revisiting one of our most popular conversations of the year, all about Functional Communication Training and how to get started in a way that is practical, ethical, and truly supportive for students. I hear so many questions about what to do when students are struggling to express their needs and emotions and how to move beyond problem behavior into meaningful communication. This conversation with Dr. Bethjoy Houck gives you a clear, research-based way forward. We walk through what Functional Communication Training actually is, why it is different from simple mand training, and why identifying the true function of behavior through assessment is essential before jumping into intervention. We also break down how to thoughtfully select functional communication responses so they are easy to prompt, meaningful to the learner, and sustainable across environments. Whether you are a speech-language pathologist, BCBA, RBT, or parent, this episode is filled with real-world examples that bring the research to life and help you apply FCT with confidence and compassion. #autism #speechtherapy What’s Inside: What Functional Communication Training really is, and why it goes beyond basic mand trainingWhy identifying the function of behavior is essential before implementing FCTHow to select communication responses that are easy to prompt, ethical, and effectivePractical examples of using AAC, visuals, and object exchange to support meaningful communicationMentioned In This Episode: A Practitioner’s Guide for Selecting Functional Communication Responses Join the aba speech connection  ABA Speech: Home

    32 min
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About

Join Rose Griffin, a dedicated Speech Therapist and BCBA from ABA SPEECH, as she shares her compassionate approach to supporting the communication needs of autistic individuals. With 20 years of experience, Rose is committed to respecting and understanding the diverse ways autistic people communicate and interact with the world. This podcast is a resource for professionals and parents alike, offering practical strategies that honor each person's unique communication style. Rose covers a wide range of topics, including how to recognize and support autistic communication from an early age, the distinctions between autism and speech differences, and effective, respectful approaches to fostering communication, whether a child is non-speaking, minimally speaking, or verbal. Through a mix of interviews and solo episodes, Rose explores how to enhance meaningful connections, address challenges with empathy, and celebrate the strengths of autistic individuals. Whether you're a parent, therapist, or educator, you'll find valuable insights and actionable advice to create supportive environments that empower communication and honor neurodiversity. Hit subscribe and learn more at www.abaspeech.org.

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