Miami Behavior Analyst

As a behavior analyst, who works in and outside of the schools, I see the positive influence a kind child can have. Unfortunately, more often than not, I see how cruel children can be and the negative influence they have in the life of anyone who is different from them 😔. My mom did a great job at modeling and teaching my sister and myself kindness and compassion. I believe it is something which MUST be taught- because I can tell you, it is not what you see when children are in social situations. So what do you teach your child? Here’s a few things I would advise teachers and parents to teach:

- Excluding someone from a game is not kind. Even if you are not the one telling the child they can’t play and keep playing then you are NOT making a kind choice. Choose to do better, stand up for others by leaving the game or letting others know what is happening is not kind.

- Making a decision to stop talking to your friends when someone you “don’t like” comes around is cruel and a type of bullying. Include others in your conversation, it will cost you nothing.

- Laughing with someone and laughing at someone are different. Know the difference by putting yourself in the other person’s shoes.

- Not answering someone or acting like you can’t hear them is not kind. Respect everyone the same way you would like to be respected.

- Telling someone to do something that is dangerous, will get them in trouble, or something that will make others laugh at them is cruel. If you see someone doing this to someone then tell the teacher and stand up against bullying.

- Using someone’s name in any other way than the way it should be said is not nice. Calling them anything other than their name is not kind.

- Being kind may mean you help- maybe help by playing with the other child, by smiling, by helping with something that may be easy for you but hard for them.

- Show compassion for the children that may not have nice clothes, school supplies, or may not smell to good- not everyone has parents that may be able to care for them the way you are cared for- so try to be extra kind to them- share your supplies or give it to them.

- Being kind is an action

Happy Mother’s Day! With love, The GBS team 💕

How did you pass the BCBA exam?

TikTok · MiamiBehaviorAnalyst 126 likes, 7 comments. “Ain’t nothin to it 📚😵‍💫📓🫠 hang in there all you future BCBAs, you got this!”

Short video on how we teach problem solving to kids during social skill training!

TikTok · MiamiBehaviorAnalyst Check out MiamiBehaviorAnalyst’s video.

In our 4th Ethics BCBA Brunch, we discussed ABA in schools. The goal of an ABA company in the school should BE TO GET 👏🏼OUT 👏🏼OF THE 👏🏼SCHOOL 👏🏼 SO THE CHILD CAN FUNCTION INDEPENDENTLY - our job is to put ourselves OUT of a job- if you don’t see it that way, then you are not PRIORITIZING YOUR CLIENT AND NOT practicing ABA the way you should. Unfortunately, sometimes the schools don’t see it that way, and require ABA support, but in my opinion- if the school doesn’t support independence and fading of services then it may not be the best placement for the child. Swipe ➡️ for more discussion topics for our brunch! Hope you join us our next Brunch Miami BCBAs!

Do you know the difference??? Which one do you use with your child? Take a look at the awesome visual made for the parent board by our team!

Do you know the functions of behavior? Learn the functions and know WHY!! Ask your behavior analyst to teach you more. Thanks to Kaylin for the awesome visual for a parent bulletin board ♥️

In our first of the month meeting this week, our master students focused on learning how to problem solve as a future BCBA! This is NOT something you find in your Cooper text, but still priceless in the training of future analysts and for the success of their future clients. As BCBAs problem solving is a huge part of what we do. Prior to tackling any problems we recommend to make sure you develop rapport with staff, parents, and clients. You can’t problem solve without a good relationship with all of the above- it is a team effort. How do you problem solve as a BCBA?

Do you love someone with autism, WE do! This autism awareness month - educate yourself on autism and what it looks like. Always practice acceptance and love to others! ……………………………………………..

Thanks to Olivia for creating our visuals!

Yes, I know it is being put out there that “work family” is a “toxic” way to view work BUT I disagree with such negativity.

We are a unit of people who have a common goal, need each others support and rely on each other. Of course, there are boundaries which is why we call it a “work family”.

I am very grateful for the GBS family because each of them bring positive energy to the clinic and they are determined to make a difference in their client’s life EVERY day. Literally every day, these women are giving it 110%- do you know how hard our line of work is and how hard that is to do? They are able to do this because they are supported by their colleagues, supervisors, parents, and teachers in the community. SO from our GBS family to YOU- thank you for your support and we are forever grateful for the opportunity you have given us to make a difference 🧡💛🤎

Hey there, just checking in. Maybe you follow me because you are a parent, teacher, sibling, or therapist of a child with special needs- or maybe not. Whoever you are I am here to tell you -I know life can be hard and it can feel like no one knows your battle.
You are loved and never alone. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
Today is Sunday but I’m doing mental health Monday today because su***de is highest around the holidays. My husband is a firefighter so he deals with arriving to these scenes often - he says the hardest part of the scene is seeing those left behind, their loved ones heartbroken, and seeing pictures of their family…
So don’t forget - You were fearfully and wonderful made (Psalm 139:14) - YOU are loved ❤️ If you are burdened- please seek help by calling or texting 988.
***deawarness

It’s that time of year- a little ABA refresher for our GBS parents! This will be in person at the clinic, space is limited to 5 slots (2 caregivers for each slot). Group parent trainings allow a chance for parents to meet and mingle, review some of the basics, and practice analyzing behaviors with your BCBAs. Sign-up sheet is in the waiting room!

As children return to school tomorrow please remember to be kind. You don’t know the battles they face…the challenges they have overcome…the work it took for them to be in YOUR classroom with YOU.

Your words, your patience, your kindness will cost you nothing but will mean the world to them…

If you haven’t read the poem in the next pic, I would encourage you to do so ❤️

This week myself and the GBS team provided a workshop to a few local schools. Did you know 75% of teachers report they would spend more time teaching effectively if they had LESS disruptive behavior in their classroom?! Yet teachers receive very little behavior management training in their credentialing programs! Schools and teacher education are failing not only our teachers, but also the students they work with. We are excited about the schools who are seeking out behavior management training for the classroom which ultimately lowers a teacher’s job stress, improves student relationships and will help the teacher maintain control over their classroom. .all.day

1 week left of summer! Have you started prepping the kids for going back to school? If not, then enjoy your weekend of freedom and start working on these behaviors next week to help make that first week of school a breeze!
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1. Set bed times and get into a regular bed time routine. Cut off electronics/screens two hours before bed time to help with a good night sleep.

2. Practice waking up at the new wake-up time. To make this easier try adjusting wake-up time 15 minutes closer to the target wake-up time every day.

3. Get dressed! Have the kiddos wear their school uniforms especially if you have a child who may be sensitive to changes in clothing- practicing the new clothes everyday will help get them ready.

4. If your child packs their lunch then test out their new lunchbox! Generalization is tough for a lot of children on the spectrum so testing out the new lunchbox allows you to see if the child knows how to open their lunch box or water bottle.

5. If your child has a behavior plan then try to communicate with the teacher as soon as possible. The teacher understanding how to manage behaviors at the get go will be helpful in her helping your child.

Happy Prepping! Your hard work will pay-off, making that first week a lot easier for you and your little! ❤️

💯😂, the health insurance struggle…

Dr. Glaucomflecken on TikTok Dr. Glaucomflecken's short video with ♬ original sound

The pain, heartache, and agony of losing a child to violence is unimaginable and a pain no human being is built to feel. My heart breaks for Texas, for those mothers and fathers, crying out to God for their baby back. For those siblings, who are so alone in their grief because their family is broken.
There is no healing at this time so pray for God to be close to them, to hold them, and carry them through what will be a lifetime of grief. 💔

Swipe ➡️ to learn more about how to prevent wandering and safety measures you can put in place at home, school, and community!

April is autism awareness month ❤️

TikTok - Make Your Day TikTok - trends start here. On a device or on the web, viewers can watch and discover millions of personalized short videos. Download the app to get started.

Do you have a little who needs to develop school readiness skills?

BOOST is an intensive, therapeutic preschool program for children that are 3-5 years old at Gomez Behavior Services.

The program uses the principles of ABA therapy and teaches kids to gain skills in: receptive language, simple expressive communication, interacting with peers, imitation, following group directions, sitting in groups, taking turns, raising their hand to answer questions, putting away materials and more.

March 20th is World Behavior Analysis Day 🌏 Who’s your favorite analyst?!

Happy Employee Appreciation Day to our Amazing staff! I can’t say enough about how dedicated and hard working our therapists are. We have an amazing team- who supports each other, works together and keeps the workplace drama free and a positive environment so our focus can be 💯 percent on our clients- No easy task with 17 women 🤣 but that’s how amazing they truly are! A majority of our staff is in their masters program and seeking higher certification, many going to school full time and working full time! In addition, they participate in an “intern training” program at GBS which is LOTS of extra hours in addition to their regular schedule. I AM CONFIDENT the BEST BCBAs are created at GBS and today we want to THANK them for their dedication and hard work! Which of these beautiful women would you like to say thanks to? .all.day

The last line in this article broke my 💔. How can a 5 year old be facing charges?? Shouldn’t the school be responsible in ensuring teachers are trained in behavior management? EVERY TIME I go into a classroom for an observation I think, “If I only had two weeks to train the teacher, para, and staff” on why the problem behavior is happening and educate them on what THEY are doing to reinforce that behavior. Behavior doesn’t happen for no reason- it happens because it works for the child- it’s as simple as that. It gets them something they want or getting them out of something they don’t want. In order to “fix” the aggressive student or to “fix” the child who misbehaves we must “fix” the person delivering the consequence- that means fixing YOU and changing the consequences you are delivering because it is maintaining the problem behavior. The problem is NOT the child- the problem is the consequence which comes from ME, YOU, and the TEACHER. Behavior analysis could change the classroom AND the course of life for a child!!! IF ONLY the teachers had training in behavior analysis.

If not then teach them! It is an essential skill when learning how to problem solve. Typically when a child is with us for social skill training- problem solving and learning to compromise are some of the first skills we will teach. We use tools from Eve Coates (pic 2) and from Everyday Speech’s curriculum (pic 3! Fyi- they have some free videos on their you tube page as well if you don’t subscribe to their curriculum!).

You may have seen me tagged in a recent video with a cutie pie using her problem solving chart! 💕
This is a staple in our social skill lessons at GBS to help teach problem solving skills. The chart is from Myles and Kolar’s book The Hidden Curriculum (highly recommend!). The book has lots of other great resources and social rules that help children with peer relationships, school and everyday activities.

Learn the functions of behavior! You can't fix a problem behavior unless you first know WHY it is occurring! If you are a parent and would like training on identifying the functions then we are here to help. Training available in person or via tele-health!

Every day I am blessed with a career that gives me the opportunity to help others. Though it can be stressful, difficult, and even heartbreaking at times (yes your behavior analyst goes home and cries too) - it is a gift, a gift God gave us to make a difference. The JOY of knowing how others may feel about the difference you made in their lives is everything 💕 This past weekend, I was able to visit . This family is an inspiration to special needs families everywhere. They have biological children and adoptive children, with varying needs, including autism. Sharing my knowledge with them and being able to help with education of resources, therapies, and about ABA was priceless- giving the gift God gave to me away- my purpose. So thankful for the opportunity ❤️ Check out my story for story of our long weekend together, bring a tissue.

If you’ve ever been to FABA or your local ABA conference and attended a behavioral feeding problems talk they will all say the same thing: intensive behavioral feeding interventions should not be practiced outside of training from the few behavioral feeding hospital units out there (my training came from Kennedy Krieger’s behavioral feeding unit). Unfortunately, not everyone is cautious of this advice and many analysts practice feeding without the supervision of someone trained from one of these hospitals -often not realizing they may not have all the tools, experience nor training they need to help their clients with severe food refusal. Hats off to ABA Guatemala and Ana’s team for seeking out mentorship, supervision and referring a client to get the help they need- I know because of their ethical practice and dedication to their clients they will be able to make a difference ❤️

So are we!!! We have all completed the 10 hour coursework plus some and still have questions SO we are looking for some local BCBAs (in South Miami/Coral Gables/Kendall area) who are interested in meeting once a month to discuss the process and what they have learned. It may be the blind leading the blind 😳😬 but hopefully we can discuss and grow together? Any BCBAs/bcabas interested?

Be there.