Treating Emerging Problem Behavior with the BALANCE Program: Session 164 with Kelsey Ruppel

The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria

Earlier this summer I had the chance to chat with Dr. Kelsey Ruppel, who is a Senior Consultant and the Director of Operations at FTF Behavioral Consulting. After I stopped getting tongue-tied in the introduction, we were able to cover a wide variety of topics, including:

• How she got into ABA.
• Pro-tips for remote consultation.
• A quick review of the Preschool Life Skills curriculum.
• Her research on addressing emerging problem behaviors, i.e., the development of the BALANCE program.
• More pro-tips: How to speed up the Skills-Based Treatment Process.
• What Kelsey plans to talk about at the upcoming Stone Soup Conference.
• And what is meant by the term, "Gray Reinforcement."

In short, this interview has tons of practical tips for everyday BCBA's, and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

Here are some links to what we discussed:

• An Evaluation of “Balance”: a Home-Based, Parent-Implemented Program Addressing Emerging Problem Behavior (Ruppel et al., 2021).
• Session 145 with The Consultants for Children (Lessons from Implementing the PFA Process).
• Preschool Life Skills: Recent Advancements and Future Directions (Fahmie and Luczynski, 2018).
• Prevention of problem behavior by teaching functional communication and self-control skills to preschoolers (Luczynski and Hanley, 2013).
• Free resources and downloads re: all things Practical Functional Assessment, Skills Based Treatment, and more!
• The Stone Soup Conference (save at registration using coupon code: PODCAST).
• Not included in the interview, but just as exciting, Kelsey will keynote the New Hampshire ABA 2021 conference on 9/11/2021. Link is here, and you can save at registration by using coupon code Matt2021.
• The FTF on-demand courses. As an FYI, Early-adopter and above tier Patrons can get a 20% discount on the 10-hour PFA/SBT course, the BALANCE course, and the Stereotypy course.
• And here are some bluetooth earpieces in case anyone is interested (note: Amazon affiliate link).

This episode is brought to you with the support of the following:

• The 2021 Stone Soup Conference! I challenge you to find a better CEU value in any virtual conference out there. With pod faves like Drs. Linda LeBlanc, Dithu Rajaraman, Jim Moore, Kerri Milyko, and more, there's something for everyone at this event. Use promo code PODCAST to save even more at checkout! Click here for additional details.
• The 2021 New Hampshire ABA Conference! If you're in New England on September 11th, 2021, take the short drive to beautiful Concord, NH to attend this year's event. If you're not local to the region, don't worry, the event is available virtually as well! This year's program features both clinical and business tracks, a free lunch, an afternoon ice cream social, oh, and there will be great talks too, including Drs. Kelsey Ruppel, Paulie Gavoni, Byron Wine, Peter Gerhardt, Antonio Harrison, and more! Go to NHABA.net, and click the conference tab for details. While you're there, use the promo code Matt2021 to save at checkout.
• If you like what you hear on the Behavioral Observations Podcast, you can support the show by either joining the Patreon group, which provides numerous benefits (ad-free podcasts, members-only events, discounts on cool stuff, and more!), or by considering the BOP for your continuing education needs.