In this episode of the Behaviorist Book Club, Matt Harrington walks us through LeBlanc et al.’s 2018 component analysis of Behavioral Skills Training (BST) for caregiver instruction delivery. Discover how instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback each contribute to skill acquisition—and why, in the moment, descriptive feedback emerges as the single most powerful driver of behavior change. Plus, learn practical tips for streamlining BST when time is tight so you can maximize caregiver competence and client outcomes.

Check out the show notes for direct links to the full article and all supporting materials at www.behavioristbookclub.com/blog.

In this episode of the Behaviorist Book Club, Matt dives into Frampton et al. (2016) and the power of matrix training to promote generative language with children on the autism spectrum. You’ll learn how carefully selected diagonal targets can unlock rapid recombination of words—teaching three phrases to generate nine or more—and discover practical tips for scaling these methods across verbs, nouns, pronouns, sight words, s-blends and beyond.

Ready to transform your language programs and work smarter, not harder? Check out the show notes for article links and all supporting resources at www.behavioristbookclub.com/blog.

In this episode, Matt breaks down Hagopian et al.’s Augmented Competing Stimulus Assessment (A-CSA), showing how its four-phase approach—free access, prompted engagement, response blocking/redirection, then repeated free access—can identify and teach effective competing stimuli for treatment-resistant, automatically maintained behaviors. He highlights why every assessment you use should directly inform your intervention and offers practical tips for fading and generalizing A-CSA protocols.

Check out the shownotes for article links and supporting information at www.behavioristbookclub.com/blog.

In this episode of the Behaviorist Book Club, Matt Harrington shifts gears from problem behavior to skill acquisition, breaking down Valentino et al.’s 2018 study on using a quick prerequisite skills assessment to pinpoint the most effective mand training modality for each learner. Discover how assessing foundational skills like motor and vocal imitation can prevent wasted time, reduce frustration, and accelerate communication outcomes.

Ready to streamline your interventions and get better results faster? Check out the show notes for article links and all the supporting materials at www.behavioristbookclub.com/blog.

In this episode, Matt unpacks Jacoby & Smith’s seminal 2012 study on identifying and functionally analyzing precursors to severe self-injury. You’ll learn how spotlighting and reinforcing milder, earlier behaviors can prevent dangerous escalations and why precursor assessments are the future of safe, effective functional analyses.

Check out the show notes for article links and supporting information at www.behavioristbookclub.com/blog.

In this episode of the Behaviorist Book Club, Matt breaks down Fisher, Iwata, and colleagues’ comprehensive review of how to modify functional analyses to account for idiosyncratic variables. You’ll discover practical strategies for tweaking antecedents and consequences, using deep caregiver interviews, and individualizing your FA conditions so that unclear data can turn into clean, actionable functions—and more effective interventions.

Want the full article list and bonus resources? Check out the show notes at www.behavioristbookclub.com/blog.

On this episode of the Behaviorist Book Club, Matt Harrington breaks down Cicero’s 2021 article on ethical practice in ABA, showing why ethics are never just black-and-white, how environmental contingencies reveal intent, and which biases—self-serving reinforcement, incrementalism, framing, conformity, and overconfidence—most often lead practitioners astray. Discover practical strategies for assessing intent, reinforcing prosocial behavior, and creating a culture that stops small lapses from snowballing into major violations. For all the article links and supporting materials, check out the show notes at www.behavioristbookclub.com/blog.