Behaviour Speak with Ben Reiman

For decades, behaviour analysts have worked to develop evidence-based interventions that improve quality of life for children and families.But evidence-based doesn't always mean culturally responsive.In this episode, Ben welcomes Chloe Wang, BCBA and PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia, whose dissertation explores a culturally responsive, group-based Family-Centred Positive...

When Mafer Chang Espinoza returned to Ecuador after completing her education in the United States, she found a country where autism was poorly understood, ABA was virtually nonexistent, and many families had nowhere to turn.Rather than accepting the status quo, she began building something entirely new.Starting with just a few children, ethical supervision from international mentors, and a vision...

What if severe behaviour isn't something to eliminate—but evidence that important skills or opportunities are missing?Katie Gibson joins Behaviour Speak to explore the Constructional Approach, an increasingly influential framework developed from Israel Goldiamond's work and expanded through Nonlinear Contingency Analysis.Rather than asking how to stop behaviour, Katie explains how clinicians can...

Leadership isn't something we inherit—it’s something we model.In this powerful multi-generational conversation, Ben Reiman welcomes Quatiba Davis, along with her daughters, Keniyah Rowe and Kennedy Rowe, for an honest discussion about leadership, resilience, representation, disability, family, and the future of Applied Behaviour Analysis.Quatiba shares the remarkable journey that took her from...

What happens when the very strategies behaviour analysts are taught to rely on become part of the problem?In this episode of Behaviour Speak, Ben Reiman welcomes BCBA Michelle Karren for a thoughtful discussion about PDA (commonly known as Pathological Demand Avoidance), autonomy-focused learners, and the challenges families face when traditional intervention approaches aren't working.Drawing on...

What does it take to build and advance a profession while simultaneously running a busy clinical practice, leading a national organization, and completing a PhD?In this episode, Ben Reiman welcomes Niesha Illingworth for a wide-ranging conversation about the current state—and future—of behaviour analysis in Australia. Drawing on nearly twenty years of clinical experience, Niesha reflects on how...

Aida nos comparte su experiencia aplicando los principios del análisis aplicado de la conducta (ABA) en contextos clínicos y hospitalarios, trabajando con personas que presentan afasia, lesiones cerebrales adquiridas y esclerosis lateral amiotrófica (ELA). Exploramos cómo el ABA puede integrarse con otras disciplinas de la salud para apoyar la rehabilitación, la comunicación y la calidad de vida...

How do neurodivergent youth experience schools, juvenile justice systems, and the adults responsible for supporting them? In this episode, Ben Reiman is joined by Dr. Larome Myrick, Executive Director of Youth Justice for the State of Rhode Island, and Anthony Bronaugh Sr., BCBA, educator, and former school principal. Drawing on decades of experience in corrections, education, and behaviour...

In this powerful and deeply reflective conversation, Dr. Tibetha Kemble challenges us to rethink what we believe about colonization, reconciliation, and responsibility.Together, we explore how settler colonialism isn’t just history—it’s an ongoing system that shapes institutions, relationships, and everyday life in ways many of us struggle to see.This episode invites you to move beyond...

In episode 273 of Behaviour Speak, we’re joined by Mikala Chee of the Diné (Navajo) Nation, Sanoe Rapozo, a Native Hawaiian, and Abbey Woldt of the Ho-Chunk Nation—three Indigenous undergraduate scholars whose work spans nursing, psychology, and neuroscience. Together, they share their journeys into higher education, the challenges of navigating predominantly Western academic systems, and their...