Mary Fitzgerald is a master educator.  She has worked with school districts, educational service centers, and with business partners for many years making education better for many, many students.  In this conversation, she emphasizes the importance of presuming competence with students as we interact with them and around them.  In this first half of the conversation, she talks about a student who had been hitting peers who were interacting with her.  Presuming that she could participate in a conversation with her peers about this made a big difference.  She has many stories to illustrate such a difference it can make to remember that everyone should be treated with respect.  Have a listen and come back for the rest of the conversation next week.  Thank you!

The conversation continues with Dr. Gray Atherton as she moves into a discussion of video games.  She talks about finding ways to incorporate similarities to video games in activities, but make the activities involve others and social interaction.  It could be games that create a "battle" with figurines or something like paintball.  She suggests trying to channel their interests into something that creates opportunities to interact with others.  Many of these activities are things that people who are neurotypical enjoy.  Her discussion of research around these things is very encouraging.  Thank you for listening.  Hope you got the answer for the question.

Dr. Gray Atherton received her Ph.D. at the University of Houston, but is working at Edge Hill University in England now.  She is a professor and researcher interested  in many areas related to autism.  One especially interesting topic is anthropomorphism.  A simple explanation of this is when someone implies human characteristics to nonhuman things such as cartoons or animals.  She talks about how to use this idea to teach social skills like understanding what others may be thinking.  She also talks about using individuals passions to teach them skills and consider them as we think about future work for individuals with autism.  Susan and Cissy hope you enjoy this first half of the conversation and come back next week for the rest of it.

Susan and Cissy talk all the time about how behavioral concepts are involved in everything we do.  It is even involved when we make decisions about how to help ourselves with medical issues like hip pain.  Susan shares about the journey to getting a hip replacement.  From the way the doctor talks with her to the way she prepares herself for the surgery and even to the necessary things after the surgery, behavioral concepts can be seen.  Have a listen.  Let us know what you think about the question.  Thank you for listening.  Please come back next week!

Dr. Amanda Gray continues her conversation with Susan and Cissy about executive functioning.  You don't have to be on the spectrum to have executive functioning problems.   We have almost all had moments of executive dysfunction when hurried or under stress.  This could look like being late for an appointment because after an out of order kind of morning, you could not find your keys.  They talk about how trauma can impact executive functioning too.  She goes on to say that executive functioning and theory of mind can look very different for each person.   Cissy and Susan hope you take away as many ideas as they did from this great conversation.  Come back next week.  Hope you enjoy the question.

Amanda Gray is back!  She has a practice in the Dallas area called "Gray Area".  She helps individuals with ADHD and related challenges work on homework, study skills, and strategies that will help them at school and in life.  She talks with Susan and Cissy about Executive Functioning and working to find  what works.  This can be very individualized.  The skills needed may be the same such as organization, being on time, and finishing homework and other assignments, but what will help each person may look very different.  Please enjoy this first half of our conversation with her about the topic.  Come back next week for the rest of our conversation to learn new things and get great tips.  Let us know if you knew the answer to the question.

Susan shares about her day that started a little crazy and got crazier.  Having one of those days made her think about how important self-regulation is.  She related the importance of explicitly teaching self-regulation skills to students.  She talked about a student who yells, name calls, and hits furniture or the wall when upset.  The staff working with her have been doing a great job counting the behaviors.  She talked about how they worked through coming up with a plan to split out the behaviors to see patterns.  They also talked through ways to help her reduce the behaviors through learning self-regulation skills.  Have a listen and try the question.  Thank you for listening.

Susan and Cissy continue their conversation with Dr. Todd Savage, former president of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and international speaker.  He shares important information about warning signs for suicide.  He helps our listeners see the connection between school violence and suicidal ideation and attempts.  Being mindful of these behaviors can help school staff engage people trained in threat assessment.  He also makes a case for working on social emotional learning as a part of the way we help keep all kids stay safe in schools

Susan and Cissy had the wonderful opportunity to talk with Dr. Todd Savage about school safety and crisis prevention as well as gender diversity.  Dr. Savage is a psychologist and professor who speaks nationally on these topics as well as culturally responsive practice and LGBTQ+ matters in education.  The statistics he shares about suicide should serve as a wake up call to us all.  He advocates for training for all adults in schools to help with this issue.  He also talks about the need for peers to understand how to help a friend or classmate that they may know who is contemplating suicide.  This is just half of the conversation.  Stay for the question.  Thanks for listening.  Be sure to check back next week for the second half of this conversation.

Cissy's husband, Joe, joins her on this episode to talk about the legend Toby Keith.  Joe has worked in the music business for a very long time and has had the opportunity to meet and speak with some of the greats.  He shares about a few of those people, but seeks to highlight the kind of person Toby Keith was.  They end with  more of a comment than a question talking about the behavioral aspects of something Toby did. Come back next week.  Thanks for listening.

Susan and Cissy continue their conversation with Michael Soria.  He uses his experience as a parent and educator to help families and schools create plans and find tools that will help students make progress.  He has a positive approach to help families have their concerns heard as well as positive ways to help educators reach students.  Have a listen and gather ideas about being heard in any kind of meeting.  Be sure to check out Matthew's Corner on Michael's LinkedIn site.  Thank you for listening. Stay for the question.

Michael Soria is an educator who went from the classroom to other companies like Pearson, Touch Math, and PCI.  He has a passion for helping individuals with special needs achieve and be included.  He has been the father of two sons one of whom had autism.  He honors the memory of that son in Matthew's Corner.  He has started a company, IEP Curriculum and Consulting.  Through this company, he helps families and schools find tools to help students with special needs.  You are sure to enjoy his insight about education and tools to encourage learning.  There is nothing like the voice of a parent with special needs to help us understand things in a new way.  Please stay for the question and come back next week for the rest of our conversation with Michael.

A year ago, Cissy talked about the fact that she did not finish the marathon at Disney World and how she wanted to have a redemption run. In this episode, Susan and Cissy talk about the ABA concepts behind trying for a comeback.  It is food for thought as we work with individuals with disabilities and setting goals for them that they may achieve or not.  It is important to consider why they were not able to achieve a goal.  What can we change to help them master the skill?  Set them up for success, support them as they move toward the goal, reward the achievement.  This will likely look different for each person.  Stay for the question.  Thanks for listening.

Bryce Kaiser is back with Susan and Cissy to finish the rest of their conversation.  In this second half, he talks about some of the challenges supervisors face and how Hoom House has helped with those challenges.  He also talks about how he has helped people in fields that others may not think about ABA as being applied.  He has worked with a certified mermaid who is using ABA in her practice.  Certification changed so that BACB certificants are only in the US now.  Hoom House is providing mentorship to countries who may not be able to go through the BACB for certification, but want to create ways to help them as they work to provide services to individuals with special needs.

Bryce Kaiser is one of the co-founders of Hoom House.  Hoom House started because Bryce and his co-founder (and wife) saw that those seeking ABA services were on long waiting lists for services.  They wanted to shorten the wait.  They started with providing ABA services online even before Telehealth became so popular.  They have expanded to connecting people pursuing supervision for their BCBA studies and those who can provide supervision.  Susan and Cissy enjoyed hearing about their services and all the things they share freely.  Stay for the question.  Come back for the rest of the conversation next week.

Susan and Cissy talk about finishing up 2023 and making plans for 2024.  They share some of their own goals for the coming year as well as ways to help reach those objectives.  The science of behavior analysis certainly comes into play when we try to learn or achieve something new.  They also reminisce about goals from the past and ways their own New Year's resolutions have morphed over time.  There is no question for this week, but if you are willing, please share your plans for the coming year to our social media pages.

Susan and Cissy talk about holiday memories and the potential behavior concepts behind those memories.  Listen for the level of stimulus discrimination Cissy's Mom showed.  Also, listen for some magic Susan had one year. We hope you enjoy these stories of sweet times from the past.  There is not a question this week.  We want to be sure to thank Troy Payne for all the work he does for us getting the episodes ready as our audio editor and producer.  Thanks too to Joe (Cissy's husband) who serves as our executive producer. Happy Holidays! Be sure to check out Blossom n Beauxs Behavior Secrets  at https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Blossom-N-Beauxs-Behavior-Secrets-By-Susan-Catlett

Susan and Cissy continue their talk with Gary Moore of the nonPareil Institute.  He talks about some of the creative projects the crew from nonPareil have been responsible for.  They have done a great job teaching others about playing to their strengths.  The conversation is a reminder about how hard parents work for their children.  That work, for nonPareil, has turned into people from all over the world wanting to see how they have done it.  Thanks for listening!

Gary Moore, co-founder, President, and CEO of the nonPareil Institute, spends time talking with Cissy and Susan about his grassroots efforts with his co-founder, that set out to help their two sons and that has become a nationally known organization geared at supporting "Crew Members" in the areas of technology, soft skills, and social engagement. He is such an inspiration.

Susan and Cissy talk about handling the challenges of holidays and all the changes to regular routines brought on by the celebrations.  They also give some tips about traveling and safety.  Many of the tips have been learned from families who have successfully managed these kinds of things.  Function Junction hopes this is a happy season for all of our listeners.  We are thankful for each of you.