Individualizing care in ABA with Dr. Jessica Flaherty: The Expert Interview series
For this first interview in the Expert Interview series, I asked my good friend Dr. Flaherty to talk with me about all things ABA, including individualizing care, the environment, and supporting families as advocates!
Welcome to the newest Staying Centered series: Expert Interviews! This series will involve interviewing close friends of mine who also happen to be experts in the field. Each interview will highlight their unique perspectives and knowledge of a specific topic within the world of special education. As with all Staying Centered content, the focus will be on equipping parents with essential information they can use to engage as experts alongside their child’s IEP team. I hope you enjoy learning from these experts as much as I do!
Introduction
Dr. Jessica Flaherty (she/they) is a behavior analyst and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Washington. At UW, they worked as a Research Assistant for the Professional Development and Training team at the Haring Center for Inclusive Education, an instructor for various undergraduate courses, and a practicum supervisor in the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) graduate program at the College of Education.
Jessica's research focuses on developing a contextually appropriate, gender-affirming care training model for behavior analysts. This work addresses a critical gap in autism services, where neurodiverse individuals are disproportionately likely to identify as gender-diverse, yet behavior analysts lack specialized training in gender-affirming practices.
Jessica’s research provides practical solutions for behavior analysts to better serve gender-diverse individuals, with the long-term goal of integrating gender-affirming practices into behavioral services for neurodiverse populations.
Before pursuing their doctorate, Jessica worked as an early intervention behavior analyst in New Orleans, Louisiana, providing services across clinic, home, and school settings. This experience shaped their values, emphasizing the importance of collaborative relationships with clients, families, and communities, as well as delivering individualized, culturally responsive, and contextually appropriate services.
As both a behavior analyst and a gender-diverse individual, Jessica’s research is deeply personal. Their long-term aspiration is to ensure that gender-affirming practices become an integral component of behavior analytic services for neurodiverse populations.
Quick look ahead…
Dr. Flaherty and I covered a handful of topics essential to the ever-evolving field of ABA. The topics we selected are intended to support parents new to ABA and those who have been receiving services for some time. Our conversation covers:
What it means to truly individualize care
Targeting the environment as the focal point for change
What ABA really is as a tool in a school setting (a tool for everyone)
How families can ask hard questions and navigate conversations about ABA
Some practical takeaways for families navigating ABA
Our discussion aims to highlight individualized care, ethical and environmental considerations when engaging in ABA practices, the universal application of ABA in schools, and how families can advocate effectively.
1. Individualizing care in ABA
As someone who has provided ABA services to many children over the last decade, what does individualizing care within the ABA framework mean to you?
To me, it is as simple as meeting someone where they are. Figuring out what is exciting and important to them. Understanding what it looks like for them to access that.
It is working to really understand what their behavior means—where it starts and where it can go. Understanding what currently exists in their repertoire and starting there. Setting our expectations within their existing repertoire before attempting to expand it.
It's about building trust, safety, and encouragement through respect and reinforcement before making big asks. Understanding that context is key. For example, yes, you can ask for what you want and need under ideal circumstances, but doing so under non-ideal circumstances is a completely different skill that deserves patience and different expectations.
Our main goal for every learner is: helping them access the things that are important to them in ways that are meaningful to them. To do this, we have to make sure that we are choosing assessments intentionally, collaboratively creating goals and performance criteria, and meaningfully measuring outcomes.
Many parents’ first experience with ABA starts when their child’s IEP team is developing a behavior intervention plan (BIP). How do you ensure that a BIP is reflective of a child’s unique needs, values, and environment rather than a one-size-fits-all model?
The first thing that I want to tell parents is that yes, the behavior analyst has expertise in ABA, but they are the experts on their family and child. An ideal process of building a behavior intervention plan is one that relies heavily on collaboration. It can be hard to know where to start, but I find the the following reflection questions helpful when considering a BIP for a learner:
What percent of this plan reflects the learner's interests and values?
How attainable are these expectations to this learner? Are we asking them to do things that they have already shown us they can do? If not, why?
How much onus is put on the learner vs the environment? If something can be addressed by altering the environment, let's start there.
Have we attended to the nuance of context? Are our goals context specific or are they expecting the same performance across settings and contexts?
Do these goals ultimately assist the learner in accessing things that are important and enjoyable to them? And/or things that will improve their quality of life?
Keyword being THEIR life. Not our assumptions about what a general good quality of life is, but a deep understanding of what brings quality to this specific person's life.
2. Targeting the environment vs. changing the person
Can you explain the importance of focusing on the environment as the main driver for behavior change in ABA?
I love this question, because it is actually wildly important not just to students, but to all of us. Our environment heavily influences our behavior. It tells us what is attainable and available or not. It makes things harder or easier to accomplish. It provides us little reminders about what we could, should, or need to do.
For example, If the first expectation upon arrival to the classroom is to put their backpacks away before engaging in free play, the cubbies shouldn't be in the back corner of the room past all the toys. Would you want to go to the back of the store to check out? Likely not. The cashiers belong at the front of the store just like cubbies belong at the front of the classroom. If the cubby right by the door still isn't doing it for a particular student, maybe we put a bin right outside the door. Once we're regularly unpacking there, we move the bin into the doorway. Eventually, we move the bin into the cubby.
The responsibility, or the extra work to learn something new, doesn't always have to fall on the learner. Often, if we as educators put in a little extra effort at the get go, we get a lot further in a much shorter time than if we put it all on the learner.
How can rethinking environmental factors—rather than trying to “fix” the child—lead to more compassionate and effective interventions?
Kids are just young people. So think about it from your point of view. Have you ever encountered a system, process, or expectation at your worksite that just did not go well for you? Something that just did not align with the way you work, organize, or think?
When you brought it up to your boss or team, what was their approach? Did they ask if they could help you figure out how to manage your time better or engage in or understand that process better? How did that make you feel?
Likely, frustrated and flawed. How much did it help you? Likely, not much. And that is likely because you, or the way that you think, organize, and work wasn't the problem - the system, process, or approach was the problem. Maybe not for everyone, but for you, and that matters. If your boss or team approached it by making changes to the system or process that better fit your workflow, you’d likely feel more confident and motivated to engage in the task.
One of our biggest jobs as educators is teaching kids how to engage in meaningful learning - not teaching kids what to learn, but how to learn. How to explore topics, lean into curiosity, and dive into meaningful learning. The environment is our greatest tool when it comes to that task.
What are common misconceptions about ABA that contribute to the idea that it seeks to change the person rather than support their success within their environment?
First, I want to say that these misconceptions didn't come from nowhere and many of them are valid. ABA is a powerful tool, and powerful tools can be used in great ways or in destructive ways. An ambulance can drive someone to the hospital and save their life. It can also crash into an intersection and cause a lot of damage.
ABA was born in the 60's to a group of upper-middle-class white men. It has historically had a limited point of view. It most certainly centered an idea of "normal" through a limited lens.
I have seen several examples of ABA being used in a way that attempts to change things about people—things it shouldn’t attempt to change. This includes gender presentation, sexuality, social behaviors, etc.
Thankfully, I have also seen a big shift in the field in the last 10 years - one that condemns, prohibits, and even penalizes that use. What I’ve seen shift in the past decade includes:
Working to expand our idea of "normal" or "the norm" and centering more voices in that conversation
Seeing the importance of cultural humility and person-centered care
Aiming to meaningfully collaborate with the people we aim to help in the methods we aim to help them with.
3. ABA in Schools for All Students
In what ways can ABA strategies be implemented universally in a school setting—not just for students with disabilities?
First and foremost, it prompts us to see students as individuals, classrooms as environments, and behavior as behavior. Your diagnosis, or lack of one, doesn't define your access. For students with diagnosed disabilities, your access to your classroom, peers, and curriculum shouldn't be limited.
For students without diagnosed disabilities, your access to supports that could greatly benefit you should not be limited. If it helps you connect with your peers, your classroom content, or new knowledge, it should be provided to you. Additionally, it can help us educators view, approach, and assess all of our students in the same way.
When we talk about behavior management strategies in a classroom, we naturally think about decreasing undesired behaviors. BUT the best way to do that is to avoid them altogether by offering (and reinforcing) an appropriate and beneficial alternative. Kids don't have an internal desire to act out.
But they do want and need to understand the expectations of their environment, how to fulfill them, and how to manipulate them. That is not a bad thing. We all deserve the ability to manipulate our environment—within reason.
We need to allow students to do that in the ways that they know how. Not by throwing a fit, but it also doesn't have to be the most perfect, beautiful vocal request. Things that are beyond helpful include:
Individualized and group reinforcement systems
Peer-mediated reinforcement
Environment structures that facilitate expectations
Easy ways to ask for and access help
How can educators use ABA techniques to support classroom management, engagement, and social-emotional learning?
Multiple modalities for EVERYTHING: instructional methods, stimuli and models, expected and accepted responses, etc. Providing a variety of learning strategies and supports can increase students’ access to and engagement with the curriculum and classroom. Multiple modalities of learning can generally include:
Visual
Auditory
Reading/writing
Kinesthetic
What role can school administrators and families play in promoting a more inclusive understanding of ABA as a school-wide support tool?
The info exists - become familiar with it and share it. Look into CABAS (comprehensive ABA in schools - started at Columbia University). If your school is already doing multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), that's awesome, it's a very similar idea and structure and value. CABAS is a bit more nuanced - particularly in the ways it takes data, tracks progress, makes treatment decisions, and monitors the quality of implementation.
4. Advocating & Navigating Opposition
How can families approach tough conversations with educators or community members who may have negative or outdated views of ABA?
Lead with curiosity. Give the assumption of good intent. Listen to hear. Find a common value - find a point that you agree on. Share that you have a different point of view and invite a conversation.
Also, know when to protect your peace.
What are some respectful but firm questions families can ask professionals to ensure that ABA services are ethical, person-centered, and not compliance-based?
These sample questions are meant to encourage transparency between families and professionals, prioritize the child’s autonomy and well-being, and ensure values-based, individualized care.
How do you balance teaching new skills with respecting my child’s autonomy and preferences?
How do you define “success” in your ABA programs, and how is the child’s quality of life considered in that definition?
Can you share how your practice incorporates the voice and interests of the child and family in goal setting and intervention planning?
How do you ensure that reinforcement strategies are not used to suppress natural behaviors that are harmless but atypical (like stimming)?
How do you individualize programs to align with the child’s unique needs, personality, and developmental profile?
How do you ensure that the focus of therapy isn’t just on compliance or “looking typical”?
Can you provide examples of how your practice supports emotional regulation and self-advocacy instead of demanding compliance?
How is progress measured, and how do you ensure that it reflects meaningful improvements for the child—not just behavioral compliance?
Do you have a system in place for regularly reviewing practices to ensure they align with current ethical standards and input from the neurodivergent community?
What guidance would you give to families who want to advocate for their child’s needs without alienating others or compromising their values?
Ask for help. When possible, start by sharing your thoughts and needs in a way or at a time that doesn't require an immediate response or conversation. Give it room to breathe - send an email with your thoughts and then schedule a time to talk about it.
5. Practical Takeaways for Families
What are a few core ABA principles that families can use at home to help their child thrive—regardless of whether they’re formally receiving services?
The book "ABA Visualized" is so great for caregivers and non-ABA people. My approach to this question is very much that core ABA principles can help us all thrive - everyone in the family. Our kids, yes, but ourselves as well. Figure out what works well for your family. Figure out what doesn't. Build simple, doable systems that support those things.
How can families know when an ABA approach is truly helping their child grow versus just reducing “problem behaviors”?
What do our target behaviors look like? What does the balance of our treatment plan look like? if it is not overwhelmingly goals that center the kid's interest and joy, it ain't it. Yes, sometimes we need to stop doing certain behaviors - but it needs to be because they are limiting our access to the things that bring us joy.
What does a healthy collaboration between family and behavior analyst look like in practice?
I would encourage those of us in the ABA world to approach working with families as meaningful collaboration. The entire process of accessing, defining, and receiving services should revolve around collaboration. The BCBA knows the tools, but the family knows everything else - so we have multiple experts here and they should all have a voice.
If you have more questions about ABA practices, your child’s ABA services, or anything related to the topics we discussed in this interview, please send me a message. I would love to connect you with Dr. Jessica Flaherty. Dr. Flaherty is not only an expert in all things ABA, but they are an incredible human. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and supporting students and their families is Dr. Flaherty’s priority as an academic and as a provider.
Stay centered out there, friends!
Mischa and Jessica
