ABA Resources

Hi! Amanda here, welcome to my personal collection of written works that I have used over the past decade to make informed and meaningful decisions about how I chose to interpret and implement ABA therapy as a Neurodivergent BCBA. #AuDHDyslexic

There are a lot of links below. So, take your time, look around, ask questions, and learn all there is to know about Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA); Neurodivergent lived experiences as told by #ActuallyAutistic voices on their journeys through the Neurodivergent Movement; and yes, even links from those that are against the Anti-ABA movement.

I have included all sides so that you can make an informed decision about if the kind of Compassionate trauma-informed and client-centered ABA that we pride ourselves on providing is the right choice for your loved one. I wholeheartedly believe that ABA as a science and tool can be used for good to help foster independence and self-advocacy skills in my clients. But I am also a history nerd, so I don't want to repeat the mistakes of ABA practitioners of the past, that did to take into consideration their Autistic clients' sensory needs.

My mission as a Neurodivergent BCBA is to make sure that all recipients of ABA services are not enduring compliance therapy. That is not what we do here. We teach our clients the 'why' behind what we ask them to learn. This includes anything from safety skills, feeding therapy, and daily living skills like potty training.

If you have any questions, please hit the chart button or send us an email, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Thank you for visiting us at Voyage Behavior!

ABA Communication Tools

The American Manual Alphabet and Numbers of American Sign Language.

American Sign Language & Finger Spelling

The American Manual Alphabet (AMA) is a manual alphabet that augments the vocabulary of American Sign Language.

Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC)

"Everyone has the desire and the ability to communicate despite physical and neurological challenges." - The Center for AAC & Autism

At the Center for AAC & Autism, they are dedicated to building awareness of the power of AAC to change the lives of children with autism and other developmental disabilities, who are challenged by limited spontaneous communication skills.

By providing specialized clinical training to health care professionals, teachers, and parents, they are empowering clients and families with education, resources, and information and supporting clinical research, their aim is to give all children the ability to speak their minds and heart and become engaged in their world.

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)®

PECS is a unique alternative/augmentative communication system developed in the USA in 1985 by Andy Bondy, PhD, and Lori Frost, MS, CCC-SLP. PECS was first implemented with pre-school students diagnosed with autism at the Delaware Autism Program. Since then, PECS has successfully been implemented worldwide with thousands of learners of all ages who have various cognitive, physical and communication challenges.

The PECS teaching protocol is based on B.F. Skinner’s book, Verbal Behavior, and broad spectrum applied behavior analysis. Specific prompting and reinforcement strategies that will lead to independent communication are used throughout the protocol. The protocol also includes systematic error correction procedures to promote learning if an error occurs. Verbal prompts are not used, thus building immediate initiation and avoiding prompt dependency.

CALL Scotland's Wheel of iPad Apps for Complex Communication Support Needs sorted in a pie chart.

'Wheel of Apps' Posters by CALL Scotland, at the University of Edinburgh's

Communication, Access, Literacy, and Learning (CALL) Scotland is a unit within Moray House School of Education at The University of Edinburgh. "CALL Scotland has been around since 1983 helping children and young people to overcome disabilities and barriers to learning, and to fulfill their potential."

CALL Scotland has an amazing library of information, where they have created free downloadable resources for all support needs, including Autism; Communication; Dyscalculia; Dyslexia; Physical Support Needs; Severe & Complex Support Needs; and Visual Impairment supports that use technology to help with writing, reading, and numeracy to reduce or eliminate barriers to learning.

Behavior Analysis Links

Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB)

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board®, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation established in 1998 to meet professional credentialing needs identified by behavior analysts, governments, and consumers of behavior analysis services. The BACB’s certification requirements, exam content, and procedures undergo regular review according to international standards for organizations that grant professional credentials.

The Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA)

The Association of Professional Behavior Analysts (APBA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and advance the science-based practice of applied behavior analysis. APBA carries out that mission by:

Representing the interests of appropriately credentialed professional and paraprofessional practitioners of applied behavior analysis.
Providing support and resources to appropriately credentialed professional and paraprofessional practitioners of applied behavior analysis.
Providing education opportunities to appropriately credentialed professional and paraprofessional practitioners of applied behavior analysts.
Promoting public understanding of the professional practice of behavior analysis.

**Amanda does not support the other large ABA organization, the ABAI, because of their continued support of the JRC and contingent electric skin shock (CESS).

The APBA took a clear stance against CESS, calling it unethical, and harmful, and that there is insufficient evidence of its effectiveness or necessity.

That is one of the reasons why Amanda supports the APBA. Another is their sincere wish to include the Autistic and Neurodivergent community in bettering the field of ABA through inclusion and diversity.

Autistic Publications

The Autistic Guide to Adventure: Active Pursuits from Archery to Wild Swimming for Tweens and Teens by Allie Mason and Ella Willis

What I Mean When I Say I'm Autistic: Unpuzzling a Life on the Autism Spectrum by Annie Kotowicz

I'm Just A Kid With An IEP by

I Think I Might Be Autistic: A Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis and Self-Discovery for Adults by Cynthia Kim

Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve Silberman

Knowing Why: Adult-Diagnosed Autistic People on Life and Autism by The Autistic Self Advocacy Network

The Guide to Good Mental Health on the Autism Spectrum Paperback – March 21, 2016 by Yenn Purkis, Emma Goodall, Jane Nugent, Wenn B. Lawson, & Kirsty Dempster-Rivett

Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for Helping Your Child with Sensory Processing Issues (Revised and Updated Edition) by Lindsey Biel, Nancy Peske, & Temple Grandin PhD

The Autism and Neurodiversity Self Advocacy Handbook by Barb Cook (Author), Yenn Purkis

Spectrum Women: Walking to the Beat of Autism by Barb Cook, Michelle Garnett, Lisa Morgan, Jen Elcheson, Artemisia, Catriona Stewart, Anita Lesko, Liane Holliday Willey, Samantha Craft, Yenn Purkis, Kate Ross, Becca Lory, Renata Jurkevythz, Terri Mayne, Maura Campbell, Dena Gassner, & Christine Jenkins

The Spectrum Girl's Survival Guide by Siena Castellon

Can You See Me? by Libby Scott & Rebecca Westcott

Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for You by Jenara Nerenberg

Sincerely, Your Autistic Child: What People on the Autism Spectrum Wish Their Parents Knew About Growing Up, Acceptance, and Identity by Emily Paige Ballou, Sharon daVanport, Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, & The Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network