Courage Indicators

AI in ABA, compassionate training and smokejumpers

This month we’ve been looking at various uses of AI within the field of ABA. In this episode of Functional Relations, Ellie Kazemi talks about staff training using AI, and shares some recent observations on feedback which made me think more about how to deliver feedback to supervisees.

I highly recommend Ethan Mollick’s Substack on AI. I first came across it a while back and recently read Which AI to Use Now—a great guide if you’re looking to get started. In a recent supervision session, we got some good advice: use AI as a problem-solving tool, almost like Talk-Aloud Problem-Solving—basically, work with it rather than just asking it for answers. I’ve been doing that ever since and the results are pretty great so far.

This episode of Dr. Paulie’s Rants and Thoughts of a Behavior Scientist on Revolutionizing ABA Clinics talks about how their software helps behavior techs complete session notes easily while meeting insurance requirements. That part is more relevant for our colleagues in the U.S., since insurance coverage here in Dubai is minimal. But even so, I can see how a tool like this could be a huge time-saver for techs, IBTs, and supervisors—cutting down on admin work while still ensuring detailed notes and keeping everyone, including families, in the loop.

I'm excited to see what else we can do to advance the field—especially if it means clinicians have more time to focus on their clients and we can create more meaningful, effective behavior change. Maybe it could even help reduce burnout and turnover in the field. Are you using AI in your ABA work?

ALSO READING AND LISTENING TO:

• Loads of ideas and resources in this episode of In the Field: The ABA Podcast on Compassionate Parent Training.

• My pal Shauna’s paper talks about how flexible precision teaching can be, and the various modifications that can be made so it can be used to support all learners.

• Loved thinking about how children play with each other in this piece versus how we adults often play with children- “At least in modern Western cultures adults are often ridiculously condescending toward children and often dishonest. Consider for example, the adult who asks the three-year old, “What color is that?” while pointing to a red toy fire engine. This is not an honest question. Unless the adult is blind, the adult knows perfectly well what color it is. A child would never ask such a stupid question”

• A post listing Three Good Reasons Teachers Shouldn’t DIY Their Lessons (and shouldn’t be asked to).

• Ogden R. Lindsley: I followed the Idea of the Missoula Smokejumpers. What a fun read. I didn’t know about the term curricular courage before this!! Or about courage indicators! Something to think about - “children can handle high curricular courage. It’s just the subject matter experts who can’t”

Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash