The Inaugural Frontera Series on AI with Amol Deshpande
The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria
Release Date: 02/28/2025
AI, Applied Behavior Analysis, and the Future of Clinical Tools: Frontera Series on AI with Sydney Holmes
The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria
Behavior Analysis Meets Artificial Intelligence , I had the pleasure of speaking with , a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and master’s level psychologist. Sydney is also the Clinical Product Lead at , where she’s helping bridge the gap between behavior analysis and artificial intelligence in some really exciting ways. Did you miss the first Frontera Series interview with CEO and Founder, Amol Deshpande? Check it out ! We covered everything from using AI tools for clinical work and content creation, to how machine learning is reshaping supervision, diagnostics, and parent...
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Supporting Parents in ABA Services with Valencia Harper from Apollo Behavior: Session 301
The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria
When it comes to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), much of the focus is often placed on data collection, program goals, and measurable outcomes for the child. But what about the parents? Supporting caregivers is a critical, and sometimes overlooked, component of effective ABA services. In a recent podcast episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Valencia Harper, a seasoned clinician from Apollo Behavior, to talk about her thoughtful approach to working with families. Long-time listeners may remember Valencia from our Apollo Case Study Series, where she and her colleagues...
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Chronic Absenteeism and School Refusal: Session 300 with Kristen McNeely
The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria
Kristen McNeely joins me for an informative discussion about the challenging topic of School Refusal and Chronic Absenteeism. If you are in any way connected to a school community, you've probably heard about this difficult and growing problem. As we discuss in this episode, school refusal is an ever-growing concern, and it manifests itself in numerous ways. Kristen is both a BCBA and a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist in California, and she spends nearly all of her time working with parents who have children who engage in school refusal. In this episode, we cover: The distinction...
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Understanding Repetitive Behavior: Session 299 with Bill Ahearn
The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria
Dr. Bill Ahearn joins me in Session 299 of Behavioral Observation. I met Bill a few times at conferences and I'm so glad we finally had a chance to sit down and record a podcast together. Bill is the at . Long time listeners may recall that NECC sponsored a series of episodes, and in this podcast, we talked about some of the great research that has come out of that storied institution. As an aside, if you want to learn more about NECC, particularly working at NECC, you can find more information about that . We covered a lot of ground in this conversation, including: ...
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El Estado del Análisis de la Conducta en Puerto Rico con la Dra. Yaniz Padilla Dalmau: BOP en Español 14
The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria
El Estado del Análisis de la Conducta en Puerto Rico con la Dra. Yaniz Padilla Dalmau En este episodio, tuve el honor de conversar con la Dra. Yaniz Padilla Dalmau, una de las voces más comprometidas y visionarias en el desarrollo del análisis de la conducta en Puerto Rico. A través de una charla llena de realidades, aprendizajes y esperanza, exploramos el estado actual de la práctica de ABA en la isla, los desafíos sistémicos que enfrentan las familias y profesionales, y el impacto de barreras lingüísticas, económicas y estructurales. Yaniz comparte no solo el panorama de...
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Altering the Relative Efficiencies of Responses for Behavioral Improvement: Session 297 with Steve Ward
The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria
Steve Ward returns to the podcast to talk about a paper he recently published with co-author Teresa Grimes, titled, "." In this conversation, we review the highlights of this paper, and discuss things like The Matching Law, making desired behavior more efficient in generating reinforcement, making problem behaviors less efficient, and how altering reinforcement parameters like delay, magnitude, and schedules can enhance learner progress. We also talk about the work that Steve does with his company, , as well as a Q & A he will be doing on this topic that's coming up on . Steve is...
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Improving Access to Medical Care for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities: Session 296 with Brandon Franklin
The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria
Brandon Franklin returns to the podcast after a very long hiatus. You'll have to go back to Session 36 to hear his first appearance as a matter of fact. It turns out that he's been doing a lot of innovative clinical work in that time. Currently, he is the Chief Behavior Analyst for the and a Behavioral Consultant at . In these roles, Brandon has implemented various interventions to help individuals with intellectual disabilities access routine medical and dental care. If you're not familiar with this topic, it might sound pretty mundane, but as you'll hear, these populations...
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Response to Name Interventions for Staff and Caregivers: Inside JABA 22
The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria
This is not a show about teaching eye contact. We'll get to that in a bit. First though, I should note that the 22nd installment of the Inside JABA Series is coming out comically late. I apologize for getting us off schedule. The good news is that we already have a great paper to discuss for the 23rd Inside JABA episode that I think you're going to love, so I hope to have that one out later on in the spring. Back to this episode. Drs. Danny Conine and Jenn Fritz join me to discuss a paper Danny wrote with his colleagues called, "." There are so many great things about this paper, and listeners...
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Ethical Decision Making in Applied Behavior Analysis: Session 294 with Ilene Schwartz and Beth Kelly
The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria
Drs. Ilene Schwartz and Beth Kelly joined me to discuss the never ending conundrum of navigating ethical dilemmas. As Ilene points out in the podcast, most people know right from wrong, but the types of dilemmas BCBAs encounter are what she calls 'right vs. right' dilemmas... Therefore, ethical practice requires a continuous decision making process. And in my guests' view, this is not a matter of decontextualized rule-following. In this podcast, we get into these nuances, using Ilene and Beth's newly published book, . We also discussed a framework for articulating one's values and...
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How Increasing Opportunities to Respond Improves Classroom Behavior: Session 293 with Todd Haydon
The Behavioral Observations Podcast with Matt Cicoria
Many years ago, a wise principal once told me that good instruction is the best classroom management tool teachers have at their disposal. In Session 293, Dr. Todd Haydon joins me to discuss the practice of increasing the rate of students' opportunities to respond (OTR), which is an instructional practice that has been shown to improve classroom behavior. In doing so, Todd and I did a deep dive on his dissertation work, which culminated in the study, Haydon, Mancil, and Van Loan (2009). This study began with a referral to help students who engaged in disruptive and off-task behaviors. Rather...
info_outlineI'm thrilled to announce a new special series for Behavioral Observations! I've partnered with Frontera to bring you a series of podcasts on using AI to support and enhance ABA therapy.
To be candid, I've been a bit behind the curve on learning about AI. Sure, I've played around with ChatGPT, but unless you've been living under a rock, you've likely seen many AI solutions that have been brought to bear to Behavior Analytic services.
And while I've been wanting to produce content in this area for a while, I've struggled to find an outlet to do so. Until now.
In this inaugural series, I interview Amol Deshpande. Amol is an engineer, an entrepreneur, and an autism dad. He also is the founder and CEO of Frontera.
What does Frontera do? They develop AI technologies that help BCBAs work efficiently, creating more access for their patients. In doing so, Frontera helps clinics see more patients through improved operations and better productivity, all while reducing turnover and burnout.
As you'll hear in this interview, Frontera's technologies accelerate the time to treatment for children and families. And they believe AI, applied correctly at the right time, can create more precise and personal treatment plans that improve children’s outcomes.
Along the way, you'll learn about Amol's personal commitment to the field, as well as the values of transparency and open-access that Frontera delivers.
If you've been skeptical of AI in the ABA space, this podcast is for you.
Speaking of transparency, I want to disclose that Frontera will be sponsoring several upcoming BOP episodes. I hope that long time listeners know that I do not undertake these relationships lightly.
I've not only spoken with Amol, but also with many other of Frontera's clinicians and staff. To a person, they are committed to making ABA treatment more efficient, effective, and person-centered.
If you're interested in learning more about Frontera's technologies, you can explore their easy-to-use Assessment Builder and Diagnosis Builder features at fronterahealth.com.
What do these tools do? For starters, they'll help you cut down the time it takes to complete initial client assessments from 8-10 hours to 3-4 hours. This saves time and lets you begin treatment and help your clients sooner rather than later.
Your first assessment report is free. And if you use code BOP25 you’ll get an additional five assessments for just $100. So head to fronterahealth.com to check it out!
Here are some links if you're interested in learning more about Frontera: