Host Annette Hines begins the episode with a reminder that even though summer just started for many of us, for parents with school-age kids, it’s time to start thinking about returning to school. She recommends that parents dust off that IEP and review it for needed changes for the upcoming school year. If you have a high school student with disabilities, Hines’ Special Needs Academy course, Special Needs Advocacy and Planning is a must!  It includes detailed guidance on how to help prepare a student to transition into adulthood including information about assessments and evaluations and whether they are necessary for the transition process as well as a dedicated module on emerging adults, the IEP, and working with the school.

For the interview, Hines speaks with Rose Griffin, the founder of ABA SPEECH, which provides online courses and consulting related to Autism speech therapy for board certified behavior analysts and speech therapists. Currently, if you visit abaspeech.org, you can subscribe to receive a free IEP Goal Bank that provides real-life examples of specific, measurable goals. Griffin’s work focuses on Autistic learners and integrating ABA into traditional speech therapy. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) according to Autism Speaks is a therapy approach based on the science of learning and behavior by using positive reinforcement with rewards as well as understanding causal relationships between what happens before and after a behavior occurs.

Connect with Rose Griffin:
Rosemarie Griffin, MA, CCC/SLP BCBA, is an ASHA certified Speech- Language Pathologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She is the founder of ABA SPEECH. ABA SPEECH offers courses, consultations, and products geared towards helping autistic students find their voice. Her website features tons of online resources such as the Autism Toolbox for therapists and others to get started working with Autism learners to encourage independent communication.

Griffin is also the host of the Autism Outreach Podcast, a weekly show all about autism and communication. She is a sought-after speaker who enjoys connecting with audiences at the local, state, and national levels. Rose is passionate about the mission of ABA SPEECH, which is to help all students become more independent communicators.

Parenting Impossible has featured many episodes on Autism and speech therapy. Some good past episodes to explore include: