BACA

By Ronit Molko, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Strategic Advisor, LEARN Behavioral

Preparing a child who has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for any routine change can be a significant challenge. In fact, insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal behavior are common traits and characteristics for children on the spectrum. So, you have your schedule, your child has adjusted to it, and then Daylight Saving comes along. Getting ready for school no longer happens during sunrise, and eating dinner no longer occurs in the dark. Now what? Thankfully, there are tools at your disposal that can mitigate the stress caused by these abrupt changes and help you prepare for the upcoming Daylight Saving Time—when our clocks “spring forward” an hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 14.

When establishing a new routine with your child, planning ahead is important. A change is made all the more stressful when it is abrupt. You can sit down with your child a few days or even weeks before Daylight Saving to explain what will happen and why. If your child is used to visual routines, you can add the new sunrise and sunset into the visual schedule, so it is something they can look at and expect each day. You can even start using light-blocking curtains to mimic the upcoming change in sun around waking and sleeping times.

It is also helpful to put your child’s schedule in context with the rest of their day. Instead of explaining to your child what time each thing is to be done, you can explain it as an order of events. For example, you could say, “breakfast is before school,” instead of, “breakfast is in the morning at 7 a.m., and we leave for school at 7:30 a.m.” Framing the story in this way leaves room for flexibility. Plus, the statement will hold true when the time has changed—and your child and family continue to eat breakfast before school, regardless of the light outside or the time on the clock.

Another stressful trigger for children with ASD during this time is their internal clock. They may find themselves wide awake at their bed time and overly tired in the morning, as their bodies adapt. For this, two main techniques can help: incremental adjustment and physical activity. To use the first technique, start moving your child’s bed time in small increments (15 minutes, for example) each night leading up to Daylight Saving Day, so their bodies have more time to get used to the new schedule. Also make sure they engage in physical activity after school, so they burn some energy and feel tired by their new bed time.

For children with ASD, most of the stress that comes with routine changes stems from a lack of understanding the change. It will take time, but with proper communication and incremental adjustments, you can significantly minimize the stress triggers that come with Daylight Saving. Once your child has acclimated, reward their flexibility with a task they enjoy, verbal praise, or any preferred activity you currently use. This will lay the groundwork for flexibility in future routine changes and encourage positive coping behaviors for stressors moving forward.

By Mary Smith, BCBA, LBA
Executive Director, WEAP

The global pandemic of COVID-19 has directly claimed 2.6 million lives worldwide, with roughly 20 percent, or 525,000, of the departed living in the United States. Indirectly, the cost of and on lives is vast—beyond vast, actually—and we are all facing this vastness together, now and for future generations.

The impact of COVID-19 on the labor market has also been dramatic. According to studies, and to what I’ve witnessed firsthand as the executive director of WEAP, a part of LEARN Behavioral, this impact has been greater on women than men. Consider, for example, that there were 2.2 million fewer women in the labor force in October 2020 than there were in October 2019. Why?

Largely, it’s that the occupations and industries most affected by the pandemic—leisure and hospitality, education and healthcare, and wholesale and retail—have a high proportion of female workers. Another reason is the closure of daycares and schools, leading to increased caregiving responsibilities. Research indicates that women took on a disproportionate amount of these responsibilities, compared to men. Decisions needed to be made regarding the children and elderly who needed caring for, and millions of working women left their positions.

Time away from the workplace can result in missed opportunities that range from training and tuition reimbursement to participation in initiatives, pay increases, and promotions. Despite the fact that more women than men now graduate from college, women are the ones moving out of the workforce, potentially leading to an entire generation of women being unable to progress to leadership positions in their chosen careers as readily as men.

Why is this vacuum of women leadership in business a big issue for society? A recent analysis by authors Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, as published in an article for Harvard Business Review, finds that women scored higher than men in several key leadership skills, including taking initiative, driving results, developing others, inspiring and motivating others, and displaying high integrity and honesty—among other skills. So, empathy and multi-tasking, which women have, for centuries, been stereotyped as having in higher degrees, are not the only talents women bring to the table. It turns out women bring an abundance of skills. If women lose their seat at the table as a result of COVID, a tremendous opportunity for continued gains by women will be lost.

In my own field, applied behavior analysis (ABA), recent data reports that more than 85 percent of licensed practitioners are female. Likewise, a study by Melissa Nosik and her colleagues indicates that over the past few decades, women in ABA have made substantial career progress, transforming the field from one in which men hold more leadership positions to one predominantly led by women. Despite this progress, Nosik identifies career milestones, like becoming a fellow of the Association of Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) or receiving late career awards, underrepresented by women. If women are not given the flexibility to continue to advance into leadership positions, we risk this lack of progress and representation continuing.

As a female leader in the field of ABA, I have a significant responsibility to maintain a flexible work environment for every staff member, 85 percent of whom are women (and many of those who are working mothers). One benefit of COVID-19 that has made this easier is the increasing acceptance of telehealth by health plans. Now, 90 percent of insurance companies fund telehealth treatment and consultation—a move that has been vital for the children and families we serve, in addition to the clinicians who can work from home and be more flexible with their time.

In my role, I strive to ensure that all women and men alike are comfortable being flexible with their working hours. I want them to know, for instance, that they’re supported when they need to change their schedule to attend to care-giving needs. Additionally, I initiate conversations about leadership to ensure that my team consider it. As Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman in Congress, once said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, then bring a folding chair.”

I am confident that LEARN takes female leadership seriously. Here, 75 percent of our senior leadership team are women, including the recent promotions of Hanna Rue to Chief Clinical Officer and Sabrina Daneshvar to Senior Vice President. Other opportunities helping women involve the introduction of sick pay for part-time workers, the majority of whom are women; the many cross-organization task groups available for people to practice leadership skills; the accepted flexibility of time management to meet care-giving needs; and the organization’s initiative to purchase from and do business with female-owned vendors and businesses. These decisions and actions, in addition to others, make me proud to work for and help lead an organization committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion—and to women.

By Katherine Johnson , MS, BCBA
Senior Director of Partnerships, LEARN Behavioral

Children learn language best when they’re engaged and interested—something the right book can evoke in an instant. Since children on the autism spectrum sometimes struggle with reading comprehension, it’s important to build positive routines around reading as early as possible in your child’s life. Why?

Books often use repetitive or rhyming words that capture a child’s attention and help them focus on language. In addition, reading offers a chance to generalize recently-learned vocabulary and expose your child to new words. This year, in honor of Read Across America Day on March 2, which is also the birthday of one of my all-time favorite children’s book authors, Dr. Seuss, I’m sharing strategies and tips on using books to help your child build language skills—and, over time, an endless supply of new words. 

Tips on choosing books

As you browse reading options, select books at the right level. It’s OK if they’re a bit of a stretch, but in general, they should use language your child can mostly understand. If you plan to read aloud, the best books for learning will be those with vocabulary your child has learned in programming and is just beginning to generalize. 

Books with pictures are wonderful for many reasons. Colorful illustrations can capture a child’s attention; pictures can provide a visual for new words; and children can point to pictures, even if they don’t yet have expressive language.

Remember, too, to use repetition. After all, books with predictable or repetitive language and rhyming words help solidify new vocabulary—and children on the spectrum often count these books among their favorites. You can also read a favorite book many times over, focusing on new things each time. 

Perhaps the most important tip I can offer, however, is to follow your child’s lead. Remind yourself to let go of the familiar parental urge to control—and let your kids choose how long they want to read, whether they want to hold the book, how fast they want to go, and even if they want to skip pages. Again, you’ll need to hold back your natural inclination to supervise, and in the words of Queen Elsa from Frozen: let it go. 

Books of all kinds offer a wonderful way to teach new words and can help your child generalize recently-taught language, while making progress on current goals. Plus, building a love of books will cultivate curiosity—and a love of learning across a lifetime.

Did you catch our recent blog post about reading, “Celebrate Black History Month with These Children’s Books”? Also see “How Can Parents Embed Language?”

Our new series, “Spotlight on Black Professionals in ABA,” kicks off with an interview with Brandon Whitfield, the clinical director overseeing LEARN Behavioral’s Autism Spectrum Therapies (AST) Beach Cities office in beautiful, sunny Los Angeles.

This series comes on the heels of an analysis conducted by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), which found that Black behavior analysts make up only 3.6 percent of the total board certified behavior analysts, a number that lags behind the 13.4 percent of Black people living in the United States, according to 2019 U.S. Census data. To put this in perspective, this equates to roughly one Black behavior analyst for every 28, compared to a population of roughly one Black person for every eight people in the United States.

Here, Brandon sits down to talk about his efforts to help boost diversity and share stories about his experience in the field.

Q: Brandon, thanks for taking time to talk with us. You recently served on a panel of speakers for a webinar, “Racial Equity in ABA,” at the University of Southern California – Dornsife. How did you get involved?

A: Well, it was really coincidental. During a Harbor Regional Center vendor advisory committee meeting with other behavioral health agencies, I asked for updates on what they were doing to address diversity concerns. In a previous meeting, they had discussed some agendas surrounding action items for diversity, and I wanted to find out what was happening. A colleague from Harbor Regional Center heard me ask the question and later reached out to talk to me about her involvement with the “Racial Equity in ABA” event at USC – Dornsife. We hit it off from there, with both of us seeing a real need to diversify the field and make the pool of clinicians more reflective of the children and individuals with autism in need of treatment.

Q: You’ve been at AST for 12 years now. How did you get into the ABA field?

A: That’s a fun story—and a long story because it spans my entire working life. In college, I worked for a company as part of their mobile crisis intervention unit for adolescents and adults. I was assigned to a 13-year-old boy with autism who had severe behaviors, and I thought to myself: How did he reach the point of needing a 24-hour crisis service? I started researching and learning about autism, knowing there had to be a better way.

After wrapping up undergrad, my dad, a school psychologist, introduced me to his intern, who worked for AST. One thing led to another, and I started as a behavior technician on May 5, 2009. I’ve been here ever since.

Q: Tell us about your experience as a behavior technician (BT). How did it inspire you to continue in the ABA field?

A: Working as a BT was an eye-opening and rewarding experience. I started off as a BT in the classroom, where I realized I could affect change not only with the single child I was assigned to but also with his peers.

I remember taking my client to the playground and exposing him to social opportunities while playing kickball and basketball. He didn’t have the skills to socialize successfully, but I could see the desire to play and engage with his peers. So, it gave me a real purpose—to help him build the skills to get out there and play and socialize successfully. And with time, he did.

I was also motivated by watching his peers grow. Really quickly, they realized that it was OK to play with kids with special needs. Stereotypes washed away, the more time they spent together.

Q: That’s a great story, and I love the line “stereotypes washed away.” How does the story continue? In other words, what prompted you to become a behavior analyst?

A: As a BT, the research always intrigued me. I read some studies from UCLA that showed how peers could be involved and help with autism treatment, specifically with social skills. So, I got to read about what I saw happening firsthand.

My supervisors also played a role. I started getting access to parents on home cases and began helping to implement parent education goals. I really liked that interaction and started reading about it. I borrowed the classic ABA textbook from a friend—”the Cooper book,” we call it in the field. It’s by John Cooper and some other scholars from Ohio State University. Most people would fall asleep with all the scientific jargon, but I loved it. I ended up using it as a supplement to help parents and caregivers. I even made copies of certain chapters for the parents to review with me during sessions.

My supervisor noticed my extra steps and encouraged me to pursue a master’s degree and earn my BCBA. I told myself, “This is what I’m meant to do.” And I did it. Eventually, I was promoted to a program supervisor position. I worked 40 hours a week as a program supervisor, plus weekends at a group home. I spent every spare minute studying.

Q: That sounds like a busy schedule, but your hard work paid off. Tell us about your first months as a behavior analyst?

A: I started with a pretty challenging caseload—10 cases. But I felt more independent, more grown-up. Sure, I needed to work on time management and staff management, but I cherished the level of influence that I had gained over the treatment planning for the cases I was assigned. I really liked that.  The one difference that was really pronounced for me: within what felt like a day, I went from being people’s peer to being their supervisor. It was an adjustment, but I really enjoyed working with my team and growing together.

Q: It sounds like you were a natural, given that you’re now a clinical director. What are some of your future goals as a leader in the ABA field, both in general and in your involvement with LEARN’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Plan?

A: In general, I’m itching to get back to my community outreach, which has largely been upended by COVID. It’s something we’ve been passionate about in our region and something that works—using community outreach to increase awareness of ABA in communities of color. Tremendously large communities are underserved in our area, so I’d really like to change that—from a diagnostic standpoint to access to early intervention.

Of course, I’m really excited about LEARN’s DEI efforts. Beyond LEARN’s Future Leaders Diversity Advancement Program, we’re exploring the possibility of establishing affinity groups within our organization. Affinity groups essentially provide a safe space for employees who are members of marginalized groups to come and talk, problem-solve, and get support for issues that relate to diversity, equity, and career development. Efforts the DEI group is making as a whole really reflects LEARN’s dedication to securing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive future. The conversations taking place are important, and I hope they’ll spark more people to jump into the fray.

On the heels of the Black Lives Matter movement and ongoing civil unrest, particularly around race, children are learning and discussing racism in America more than ever before, whether it is discussed at home or not. With COVID-19 resulting in many children attending virtual school at home, it is up to us as parents and caregivers to equip our children with the education and proper context from which to speak. While this can seem like a daunting task, we can lean on the many great authors who have taken on the challenge—and written honestly and creatively about racism. In honor of Black History Month, and because this is an essential topic for all families, compiled below are six books for children and teens that address race, racism, and the Black experience.

Children K-2

Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from The Underground Railroad
By Ellen Levine

This one is so popular that Scholastic has made a teaching guide geared toward teachers that you can use when introducing it to your child. Henry’s Freedom Box follows the tale of a young boy and his escape from slavery. It helps your child learn about the Underground Railroad, while allowing them to imagine themselves in Henry’s place, and therefore begin to comprehend the injustice of slavery.

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters
By Barack Obama

Positioned as a letter from Barack Obama to his two daughters, this tender book is strong for a myriad of reasons. It has meaningful illustrations to captivate children; it shows them the power and accomplishments of 13 key people of color throughout history; and it encourages unity, while empowering readers to know they can dream just as big and accomplish just as much.

Grade 3-6

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
By Vashti Harrison

Vashti Harrison does an incredible job of gathering some of the most influential women of color over time and presenting them in an inspiring and motivational light, without minimizing their struggles. This book highlights the power of women of color and the ability in all of us to stand up for change when needed.

One Crazy Summer
By Rita Williams-Garcia

This book tells the story of three sisters who visit their mother in Oakland, California, during the 1960s. Focusing on the history of racism in America, the story serves as a learning tool for children growing up during the Black Lives Matter movement who may not understand the overall context that ultimately shaped it.

Grades 7 and up

The Hate U Give
By Angie Thomas

In 2017, The Hate U Give won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fiction. This book follows the life of 16-year-old Starr Carter, the only witness to the fatal shooting of a dear friend at the hands of a police officer. Thomas’ story offers a gripping and earnest tale of the fear and vulnerability racism instills, and the courage needed to push against it.

Ghost Boys
By Jewell Parker Rhodes

Written in the unique perspective of Jerome, a ghost of a young boy, Ghost Boys takes readers on a journey from the view of those who have paid the ultimate price of racism. This book expertly balances the gutting realities of racism and the importance of hope for our future.

Let these books start your child’s important journey of discovering, processing, and addressing racism in America. Books like these inspire us to take racism out of the shadows of taboo and into the light where it can be examined and challenged. If you find yourself at a loss for these discussions, PBS has put together a helpful guide for parents with key words and helpful questions to get the conversation going. Also read our blog post, “How to Start Talking About Racism.”

For many of us, the past year didn’t allow for much planning ahead. Most, if not all, of us, had no idea what the next month would hold. Could we visit with family or friends, eat in restaurants, or shop in-person in a grocery store? Would our loved ones even be safe?

In a year where time both flew by and stood still, it’s easy to continue the pattern of simply getting through whatever the next months bring. However, 2021 offers a unique opportunity to do far more. After all, 2020 forced us to think differently, adapt, and reprioritize our lives—all things that can help us create our most intentional path yet in the year ahead.

How can we embrace 2021 with intention? These tips can help.

Cultivate your inner development
Think back to the biggest challenges you faced last year. Was it managing your child’s change in routine? Did you have to do your job, on top of the job of an impromptu teacher? Did you find yourself putting your own goals and those of your children on pause?

In addition to acknowledging everything you navigated, take time to look inward as you plan ahead. With the absence of many external events in our lives, now is the perfect time to create goals that focus on inner development, or the parts of ourselves the outward world may not see but we can feel and experience internally, such as our awareness and sense of well-being.

While “inner development” may sound like a wishy-washy endeavor, you can actually take concrete steps to nurture your inner self. Try, for example, taking part in a hobby you enjoy, learning something new (just for the fun of it), taking a leisurely stroll, or spending quiet time reflecting on, or even jotting down, your thoughts and feelings. This sort of development differs from the outer development that tends to consume us in normal times—acing a test, reaching the next level of a fitness program, landing a promotion. While outer development is important, it can overshadow our inner development—and leave us harried, stressed, and overwhelmed by our day-to-day obligations.

As you look inward, help your child cultivate his or her inner self, too. Children are naturally curious—and love things like looking up at the stars at night and inspecting an acorn or leaf. Follow your child’s curiosity, and see where it takes you. It may be more difficult, during the pandemic, to monitor your child’s progress or test new skills outside of home, but you can still work on personal development objectives—and even track them. These incremental steps can go a long way in helping us stay positive and move forward, when things seem to be standing still.

Create new routines and traditions
Another way to make use of the irregular year is to develop new traditions, especially ones that relate to personal goals—or to your child’s specific objectives. To work on teamwork and social skills, for instance, try planning a movie night with a discussion afterward or a regular fort-making session, indoors or out. Likewise, to get more exercise, try learning a new dance skill (like Salsa!) and designating an evening each week to practice. (YouTube, by the way, is a great source for free dance videos.)

To expand your child’s palette, add international cooking days to your weekly or monthly routine. If possible, involve your child in selecting the country or culture, preparing the food, and even creating culturally-themed decorations. While your kids may not be ready to eat the new cuisine you make, creating an international cooking day is a great way to expose them to new foods, textures, and smells—and to diverse cultures and lifestyles.

Creating regular virtual events with friends and family you can’t see in-person gives your child a chance to practice social and communication objectives. You can simply chit-chat and catch up—or plan something special like sharing a picture book, singing a song, or playing a game on a platform like Kahoot. For ideas on games to play virtually with friends, see this list from USA Today. And remember: even if you child can’t play the game independently, he or she can team up with you or another family member—and contribute in some way.

Heed your needs and limitations
It’s easy to play the parental martyr by doing everything for your children, especially when they require more accommodations than others. But if you stop managing your own boundaries, you can reach a point where you begin to model behavior based on the emotions of stress, anger, frustration, and fatigue. And that doesn’t benefit anyone.

To all parents and caregivers: consider creating your own goals for 2021. How are you going to prioritize yourself so you can be a supportive, loving parent? Often, this requires incorporating self-care, like a morning routine just for you or time for something as simple as reading a good book, reaching out to friends on a more regular basis, or getting more involved in a parental support group. Arranging play dates for parental time off may not be possible during COVID, making it more crucial than ever to carve out time for yourself.

Whatever you decide to incorporate, keep these three things in mind to help you succeed: don’t overlook inner development as a worthwhile use of time; heed and accommodate your own limitations; and involve your child in the creation of new goals. Keeping your children involved in the planning process gives them autonomy, while enabling you to create a realistic plan that you can sustain over time—and that prevents your own burnout.

Although we don’t know what next year will bring, we do know we’ve already been tested and have shown immense strength and resilience. We now have the experience and tools to handle what comes our way—and move into 2021 with intention and a positive mindset for a nourishing, growth-oriented year ahead.