Sick of saying “no” and getting big reactions? Audra shares an easy-to-remember acronym—R.E.D.O.—to help reframe your redirections and get more buy-in from students without the meltdown.

💡 Teach them it’s not “No forever,” it’s “Yes, just not yet.”

🔑 Key Takeaways
✅ R – Reframe the No: Say what they can do instead
✅ E – Engage with Warmth: Invite, don’t command
✅ D – Define the Next Step: Be clear about what’s first/next
✅ O – Offer Motivation: Use reinforcers that actually matter to that learner
✅ “Yes… after…” can prevent behavior and build trust

📚 Resources & Inspiration
📝 Pair this with our longer Episode 51 Antecedent Strategies in Behavior Plans and Episode 12 Managing Problem Behaviors Through Replacement Skills
📌 Follow us on Instagram @MisfitBehaviorists for daily tips and visuals and especially join us on Facebook where we house all the freebies!
🎧 Subscribe so you never miss your weekly quick win and share this with someone you care about!

Join the Facebook group for collaboration and freebies: The Misfit Behaviorists

😍 More, you say? We’re here for you!

• Apple podcast | The Misfit Behaviorists
• Instagram | @‌themisfitbehavioristspodcast
• YouTube | @‌themisfitbehaviorists

👋 Find us!

• Audra | ABA in School
• Caitlin | Beltran’s Behavior Basics
• Sami | B.A.S.S.

🖱️ Rate, Review, Like & Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Showing this love helps us get out to more educators out there!

Planning an IEP can feel like a whirlwind—deadlines, data, collaboration, and student needs all rolled into one big meeting. In this episode, Caitlin and Audra walk through a practical timeline for IEP prep, from parent check-ins to drafting goals and reviewing behavior plans.

Whether you’re a teacher, BCBA, or case manager, this one’s packed with real-talk and ready-to-use tips to make your IEPs more effective and less stressful.

🔑 Key Takeaways
📅 Start early—draft a prep timeline 4–6 weeks in advance if possible
📬 Reach out to families before the meeting to check in on their priorities and updates
✏️ Don't blindly carry over goals—use progress data, probe skills, and adjust accordingly
🔄 Always review behavior plans—don’t let them autopilot year to year
🧑‍🎓 Involve students when appropriate—yes, even younger learners!
🗣️ Drafts are okay—just be clear it’s a starting point, not a final plan
💬 No surprises! Build trust with families by keeping communication open and collaborative

📚 Resources and Ideas
📌 Download the free IEP Prep Timeline Visual
📌 Related Episode: Ep. 29 – Functions of Behavior

Join Us...
🎙 Next Episode: Prepping for IEPs!
🌟 Subscribe: Don’t miss upcoming episodes on practical strategies and must-have resources for behavior support!
📢 Share this episode with a teacher, BCBA, or administrator looking for fresh approaches to special education and behavior analysis!
💬 Get Involved: Share your ideas in our Facebook group or tag us on social media. @TheMisfitBehaviorists
📚 Connect: Follow us for more tips, tools, and discussions about all things behavior and education.

Join the Facebook group for collaboration and freebies: The Misfit Behaviorists

😍 More, you say? We’re here for you!

• Apple podcast | The Misfit Behaviorists
• Instagram | @‌themisfitbehavioristspodcast
• YouTube | @‌themisfitbehaviorists

👋 Find us!

• Audra | ABA in School
• Caitlin | Beltran’s Behavior Basics
• Sami | B.A.S.S.

🖱️ Rate, Review, Like & Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Showing this love helps us get out to more educators out there!

🎙️ Misfit Minute #2: W.A.I.T. – Why Am I Talking?

Sometimes, the most powerful support you can offer during a student’s escalation… is silence. Caitlin introduces the W.A.I.T. strategy ("Why Am I Talking?")—a simple but transformative tool for de-escalation and emotional regulation.

🔑 Key Takeaways
✅ Silence can be a strategy—not avoidance
✅ Extra words = extra demands during escalation
✅ Give students space to feel, process, and reset
✅ Speak with purpose: clear, calm, and kind
✅ “I’m here when you’re ready” can be magic

📚 Resources & Inspiration
📝 Pair this with our longer episode 6 Ways to Approach Challenging Behaviors with Trauma-Informed Care and Building Relationships with Students
📌 Follow us on Instagram @MisfitBehaviorists for daily tips and visuals and especially join us on Facebook where we house all the freebies!
🎧 Subscribe so you never miss your weekly quick win and share this with someone you care about!

Join the Facebook group for collaboration and freebies: The Misfit Behaviorists

😍 More, you say? We’re here for you!

• Apple podcast | The Misfit Behaviorists
• Instagram | @‌themisfitbehavioristspodcast
• YouTube | @‌themisfitbehaviorists

👋 Find us!

• Audra | ABA in School
• Caitlin | Beltran’s Behavior Basics
• Sami | B.A.S.S.

🖱️ Rate, Review, Like & Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Showing this love helps us get out to more educators out there!

Continuing on in our FBA-BIP mini-series, we're at Step 11. This week, we’re diving into the consequence side of behavior plans—what to do after students engage in either the challenging behavior or the replacement behavior. It’s not just about preventing problem behavior… it’s about teaching, reinforcing, and responding with consistency and care.

🔑 Key Takeaways
🧠 Reinforce replacement behaviors immediately and consistently—across staff, settings, and time
🎯 Match the function with the reinforcement (e.g., escape behavior = give a break)
💬 Avoid reinforcing the problem behavior, even accidentally (yep, we’ve all done it!)
🧍‍♀️ Use neutral responses when addressing challenging behavior—no power struggles, just calm presence
🛠️ Make the plan simple, visible, and actionable for all team members
📉 Use data to drive decisions, not just feelings or assumptions

📚 Resources and Ideas
📌 Check out Episode 29 on Functions of Behavior!
📌 Consequence Strategies FREE visuals
📌 These Functions of Behaviors social stories might be helpful for your young learners!

Join Us...
🎙 Next Episode: Prepping for IEPs!
🌟 Subscribe: Don’t miss upcoming episodes on practical strategies and must-have resources for behavior support!
📢 Share this episode with a teacher, BCBA, or administrator looking for fresh approaches to special education and behavior analysis!
💬 Get Involved: Share your ideas in our Facebook group or tag us on social media. @TheMisfitBehaviorists
📚 Connect: Follow us for more tips, tools, and discussions about all things behavior and education.

Join the Facebook group for collaboration and freebies: The Misfit Behaviorists

😍 More, you say? We’re here for you!

• Apple podcast | The Misfit Behaviorists
• Instagram | @‌themisfitbehavioristspodcast
• YouTube | @‌themisfitbehaviorists

👋 Find us!

• Audra | ABA in School
• Caitlin | Beltran’s Behavior Basics
• Sami | B.A.S.S.

🖱️ Rate, Review, Like & Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Showing this love helps us get out to more educators out there!

🎙️ The Misfit Minute #1: 5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Teaching

Welcome to the very first episode of The Misfit Minute — your quick wins podcast series packed with fast, practical tips for educators, BCBAs, and therapists. In this debut episode, Audra shares 5 honest, heartfelt lessons learned the hard way — so you don’t have to.

✨ If you're in the messy middle of teaching, this one's for you.

🔑 Key Takeaways
✅ Set boundaries early — your time matters
✅ Saying “no” is a professional skill
✅ Not everyone will like you, and that’s okay
✅ Ask for support (and keep asking if you need to)
✅ The work is hard, but the wins are magic

📚 Resources & Inspiration
📝 Pair this with our longer episode #9 Battle Burnout
📌 Follow us on Instagram @MisfitBehaviorists for daily tips and visuals and especially join us on Facebook where we house all the freebies!
🎧 Subscribe so you never miss your weekly quick win and share this with someone you care about!

Join the Facebook group for collaboration and freebies: The Misfit Behaviorists

😍 More, you say? We’re here for you!

• Apple podcast | The Misfit Behaviorists
• Instagram | @‌themisfitbehavioristspodcast
• YouTube | @‌themisfitbehaviorists

👋 Find us!

• Audra | ABA in School
• Caitlin | Beltran’s Behavior Basics
• Sami | B.A.S.S.

🖱️ Rate, Review, Like & Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Showing this love helps us get out to more educators out there!

This week, we’re diving into ABA strategies for building tolerance in real-life situations like haircuts, doctor visits, and dental appointments. Many learners with autism and anxiety struggle with these experiences, and traditional approaches like social stories aren’t always enough. We’ll break down how to desensitize fears, use reinforcement effectively, and teach coping skills to make these essential life skills more manageable.

🔑 Key Takeaways
✅ Meet learners where they are – Start with the smallest step they can tolerate and build up gradually.
✅ Break it down like a task analysis – Even sitting near a hair clipper or stepping into a waiting room is progress.
✅ Use real-life visuals & practice visits – Take pictures, arrange preview visits, and mimic the experience as closely as possible.
✅ Find powerful reinforcers – Whether it’s a favorite toy or a coping strategy, reinforcement helps learners push through discomfort.
✅ Teach coping skills proactively – Don’t just rely on external rewards—help learners self-regulate with breathing techniques, fidgets, or preferred items.

📚 Resources and Ideas
📌 Check out Episode 49 on anxiety!
📌 A couple social stories for young learners that might help: https://abainschool.com/wvvp and https://abainschool.com/13ou
📌 Coping Skills visuals

Join Us...
🎙 Next Episode: Consequence Strategies in the BIP – Reinforcing Success & Responding to Behavior
🌟 Subscribe: Don’t miss upcoming episodes on practical strategies and must-have resources for behavior support!
📢 Share this episode with a teacher, BCBA, or administrator looking for fresh approaches to special education and behavior analysis!
💬 Get Involved: Share your ideas in our Facebook group or tag us on social media. @TheMisfitBehaviorists
📚 Connect: Follow us for more tips, tools, and discussions about all things behavior and education.

Join the Facebook group for collaboration and freebies: The Misfit Behaviorists

😍 More, you say? We’re here for you!

• Apple podcast | The Misfit Behaviorists
• Instagram | @‌themisfitbehavioristspodcast
• YouTube | @‌themisfitbehaviorists

👋 Find us!

• Audra | ABA in School
• Caitlin | Beltran’s Behavior Basics
• Sami | B.A.S.S.

🖱️ Rate, Review, Like & Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Showing this love helps us get out to more educators out there!

Continuing on in our FBA-BIP mini-series, we're at Step 10! This week, we’re tackling one of the most important steps in behavior intervention planning—choosing the right replacement behavior. Just reducing problem behavior isn’t enough; we have to actively teach what to do instead in a way that’s functional, motivating, and sustainable.

🔑 Key Takeaways
✅ Replacement behaviors must meet the same function – If a student yells to escape a task, teaching them to request a break makes sense. Giving them a fidget does not.
✅ Make it easy & efficient – The new skill must be as quick (or quicker) than the problem behavior, or it won’t stick.
✅ Teach what’s already in their repertoire – If a learner can’t say, “Can I take a break?” yet, start with something simpler, like using a break card.
✅ Plan for sustainability – Reinforcement should be natural whenever possible, so skills can generalize without heavy external rewards.
✅ Extinction matters – If the old behavior still works sometimes, students will keep using it. Staff must commit to only reinforcing the replacement behavior.

📚 Resources and Ideas
📌 Check out Episode 12 on replacement behaviors!
📌 Teaching Positive Behaviors FREE visuals
📌 These Functions of Behaviors social stories might be helpful for your young learners!

Join Us...
🎙 Next Episode: ABA Tools for Tolerance -- Haircuts, Doctor Visits & More
🌟 Subscribe: Don’t miss upcoming episodes on practical strategies and must-have resources for behavior support!
📢 Share this episode with a teacher, BCBA, or administrator looking for fresh approaches to special education and behavior analysis!
💬 Get Involved: Share your ideas in our Facebook group or tag us on social media. @TheMisfitBehaviorists
📚 Connect: Follow us for more tips, tools, and discussions about all things behavior and education.

Join the Facebook group for collaboration and freebies: The Misfit Behaviorists

😍 More, you say? We’re here for you!

• Apple podcast | The Misfit Behaviorists
• Instagram | @‌themisfitbehavioristspodcast
• YouTube | @‌themisfitbehaviorists

👋 Find us!

• Audra | ABA in School
• Caitlin | Beltran’s Behavior Basics
• Sami | B.A.S.S.

🖱️ Rate, Review, Like & Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Showing this love helps us get out to more educators out there!

Join us as we break down the pros and cons of being a BCBA in a school vs. clinic setting, covering collaboration, job stability, workload, and more!

🔑 Key Takeaways
✅ Team Collaboration Matters – Schools often provide a built-in multidisciplinary team (SLPs, OTs, teachers, etc.), while clinics may have fewer collaboration opportunities.
✅ Family Involvement Differs – Clinics typically have more direct parent involvement due to insurance requirements, while schools rely on IEP meetings and teacher communication.
✅ Job Stability & Work-Life Balance – Schools offer predictable schedules, summers off, and union protections, while clinics can have more flexibility but higher burnout potential.
✅ Paperwork & Caseloads – Clinics may have intense insurance-driven documentation, while schools balance IEPs, FBAs, and larger caseloads.
✅ Making an Impact – Schools allow for systemic change across students and staff, while clinics often focus on intensive, individualized progress.

📚 Resources and Ideas
📌 ABAI & Autism NJ Conferences – Professional development opportunities for BCBAs in schools and clinics.
📌 Licensure & Certification Considerations – Some schools require dual certification (e.g., special education or school psychology).
📌 Work-Life Balance & Pay – Important factors to research when considering a BCBA role in either setting.

Join Us...
🎙 Next Episode: Step 10 of the FBA mini-series -- Teaching replacement behaviors
🌟 Subscribe: Don’t miss upcoming episodes on practical strategies and must-have resources for behavior support!
📢 Share this episode with a teacher, BCBA, or administrator looking for fresh approaches to special education and behavior analysis!
💬 Get Involved: Share your ideas in our Facebook group or tag us on social media. @TheMisfitBehaviorists
📚 Connect: Follow us for more tips, tools, and discussions about all things behavior and education.

Join the Facebook group for collaboration and freebies: The Misfit Behaviorists

😍 More, you say? We’re here for you!

• Apple podcast | The Misfit Behaviorists
• Instagram | @‌themisfitbehavioristspodcast
• YouTube | @‌themisfitbehaviorists

👋 Find us!

• Audra | ABA in School
• Caitlin | Beltran’s Behavior Basics
• Sami | B.A.S.S.

🖱️ Rate, Review, Like & Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Showing this love helps us get out to more educators out there!