Episode Description
In this episode of In the Field: The ABA Podcast, I talk with Rose Griffin, founder of ABA Speech and one of fewer than 500 professionals dually certified as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Rose shares how her interdisciplinary experience has shaped her approach to supporting autistic learners and building more collaborative teams across clinical and educational settings.

We discuss the misconceptions that often divide SLPs and BCBAs, explore overlapping scopes of practice, and offer concrete strategies to promote ethical, respectful, and effective collaboration. Drawing from research, including Brodhead’s (2015) seminal article on interdisciplinary relationships, we dig into what it means to be a partner, not just a provider.

Key Topics

• Rose’s path to dual certification and the founding of ABA Speech
• Scope of practice vs. scope of competence and why that nuance matters
• Misconceptions and mistrust between SLPs and BCBAs, and where they come from
• Brodhead’s framework for navigating non-behavioral recommendations
• Practical phrases and strategies to support collaborative, non-combative dialogue
• How clinic culture and training structures can foster true interdisciplinary partnership

Key Takeaways

• Interdisciplinary collaboration isn’t optional. It’s essential to learner outcomes.
• BCBAs and SLPs both bring unique expertise to communication interventions, and understanding scope is key to ethical practice.
• Curious, nonjudgmental dialogue (“Tell me more about that”) opens the door to collaboration, even in tense situations.
• Building collaborative systems starts with culture: onboarding, supervision, and team dynamics all matter.
• We don’t have to know everything, but we do have to know when to ask.

Referenced Resource
Brodhead, M. T. (2015). Maintaining professional relationships in an interdisciplinary setting: Strategies for navigating nonbehavioral treatment recommendations for individuals with autism. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 8(1), 70–78. Read here

Keywords
BCBA and SLP Collaboration, AAC, Gestalt Language Processing, Functional Communication Training, Scope of Practice, Interdisciplinary Teams, Behavior Analysis, Rose Griffin, ABA Speech

Connect with Rose and ABA Speech
🌐 Website: www.abaspeech.org
📸 Instagram: @abaspeechbyrose
📧 Email: rose@abaspeech.org
🔗 LinkedIn: Rose Griffin

Subscribe to the Podcast
For more conversations about evidence-based practice, ethical supervision, and leadership in behavior analysis, subscribe to In the Field: The ABA Podcast. Visit Sidekick Learning for free tools, CEUs, and supervision resources.

Disclaimer:

BCBA®, BACB® [or any other BACB® trademark used] is/are registered to the Behavior Analytic Certification Board® BACB®. This website and products are not in any way sponsored by the BACB®.

All information and products are for educational purposes only.

🎙️ In This Episode of Supervision Stories

In the kickoff episode of our Supervision Stories series, I chat with Lindsay Milnes, a newly certified BCBA who took a creative, values-driven approach to her fieldwork experience. Lindsay shares how she turned challenges—like low client hours and limited access to unrestricted activities—into opportunities to apply ABA to her own life and build confidence along the way.

We talk about how she found the right-fit supervisor, used self-management and ACT strategies during her training, and eventually launched a mentorship group to support other trainees exploring health and wellness within behavior analysis.

If you're a trainee feeling stuck or a supervisor looking to better support your students’ growth, this conversation offers insight, inspiration, and actionable strategies.

🔑 Key Topics:

• Finding a supervisor aligned with your values and interests
• Using self-management skills
• Creative ways to gain unrestricted hours
• Applying ABA to personal goals like water intake and exercise
• Filling supervision gaps with community and collaboration
• Launching a mentorship group for health-focused trainees

💡 Key Takeaways:

• You don’t have to wait for ideal conditions—create your own opportunities within supervision.
• Self-management isn’t just for clients; using ABA tools on yourself builds both skills and confidence.
• Finding a supervisor you genuinely connect with can change the trajectory of your training experience.
• Embedding your passions into supervision can lead to meaningful, career-shaping work.

📬 Connect with Lindsay:

• Instagram: @behavioral_inspirations
• Website: https://www.lindsaybehaviourconsulting.com/resourcesforabaprofessionals
• Free Resource: Healthy Habits Tracker

Disclaimer:

BCBA®, BACB® [or any other BACB® trademark used] is/are registered to the Behavior Analytic Certification Board® BACB®. This website and products are not in any way sponsored by the BACB®.

All information and products are for educational purposes only.

In this episode of In the Field: The ABA Podcast, I chat with Mellanie Page, CEO of The ABA Collective and Executive VP of Operations at ABS Kids. Mellanie brings a rare blend of clinical and operational insight to the world of Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), offering a practical and accessible approach to making meaningful change from within ABA organizations.

Key Topics:

From Clinical to Operational Leadership:
Mellanie shares how her unexpected transition into operations led her to pursue an MBA and, ultimately, build learning programs that bridge the gap between business strategy and clinical excellence.

What is OBM, Really?
We break down the broad umbrella of OBM—what it is, how it differs from traditional ABA, and the subspecialties within it, such as performance management, safety, and instructional design.

Practical OBM in Action:
Mellanie walks us through her “Practical OBM” framework, designed to help everyday BCBAs apply OBM in their current roles. Learn how pinpointing high-impact behaviors and aligning systems can lead to powerful organizational change.

Job Crafting and Burnout Recovery:
Discover how OBM skills can help you reshape your current role to align better with your values, reduce burnout, and increase job satisfaction—without needing a new job title.

Bridging the Science with Systems Thinking:
From motivational interviewing to change management, Mellanie shares how she integrates soft skills with hard data to build sustainable, values-aligned systems of improvement.

Getting Buy-In as a Practitioner:
Learn how to communicate your ideas in a way that resonates with leadership, by framing them around organizational values, ROI, and layered system alignment.

Key Takeaways:

• You don’t need to wait for permission to start using OBM—change can start within your own caseload or team.
• OBM isn’t about titles or certifications; it’s about building skills that create meaningful, scalable impact.
• The most effective organizational change starts with small, clearly defined, high-impact behaviors.
• Understanding stakeholder values and system alignment is critical to making sustainable improvements.
• OBM and instructional design are deeply aligned in their focus on performance, outcomes, and practical implementation.

Connect with Mellanie and The ABA Collective:

• Website: https://www.theabacollective.com/
• LinkedIn: Mellanie Page
• Instagram: @theabacollective
• Upcoming Events:
  • OBM Practitioner Program: 12-week cohort-based experience for designing and implementing real OBM projects with group coaching and support.
  • Digital Clinician: A program for clinicians interested in creating digital products and leveraging online business models to scale their impact.
  • Business of ABA Conference: A virtual event happening in September focused on operations, strategy, and growing with quality in mind.
  • Free CEUs: Monthly workshops on practical applications of OBM and ABA in real-world settings.

Disclaimer:

BCBA®, BACB® [or any other BACB® trademark used] is/are registered to the Behavior Analytic Certification Board® BACB®. This website and products are not in any way sponsored by the BACB®.

All information and products are for educational purposes only.