ABA Inside Track — February 2026 Preview
Podcast: ABA Inside Track
Episode: February 2026 Preview
Release Date: February 4, 2026
Hosts: Robert Perry Crews (Rob), Jackie McDonald, Diana Perry Crews
Episode Overview
This episode serves as a preview for the upcoming February 2026 releases on ABA Inside Track. With a playful “Rob’s Birthday Month” theme in celebration of Rob’s birthday and the show’s approaching 10-year anniversary, the hosts outline the month’s planned content—including a re-released book club with a special guest, a deep dive into the use of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPG) in behavior analysis, and a 'three-view' revisit of Preschool Life Skills (PLS). The team also touches on exciting behavior analysis community updates and answers listener correspondence.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. February 2026 Theme: Rob’s Birthday Month
- February’s episodes have a fun, mostly Rob-centric theme, partially as an easy way to collect topics that fit the timing.
- Rob: "There's no present better than being able to talk for an extended period of time." [05:57]
2. Episode & Content Lineup for February
A. Book Club – The Science of Consequences
- Release: First episode of February.
- Content: Discussion of “The Science of Consequences,” featuring a guest interview with author Dr. Susan Schneider.
- Originally a Patreon-exclusive from January 2024, it’s now being released for all listeners.
- Noteworthy as the podcast’s only 2.5 CEU episode, due to the combined length of the guest interview and group discussion.
- Rob: "I love the presence of great minds in behavior analysis having a chat with us...I love the presence of—I don't have to do anything that week!" [05:57–06:15]
B. Tabletop Role Playing Games (TTRPGs) in Behavior Analysis
- Content: Exploration of TTRPGs (like Dungeons & Dragons) as potential tools for teaching social skills and therapy contexts for behavior analysts.
- Guest: Danielle Yang, a fellow behavior analyst and TTRPG enthusiast.
- Discusses lack of behavioral analytic research on TTRPGs for intervention, but references a growing interest, both personally and in the community.
- Main article: "Scoping Review of Tabletop Role Playing Game (TTRPG) as Psychological Intervention: Potential Benefits and Future Directions" by Uliwati, Wardani, and Eng (2024).
- Bonus: A short, approximately 30-minute demonstration episode on what a TTRPG session could look like in a therapeutic context.
- Rob: "When it came time to talk about what's a good birthday episode, I've been spending a lot of time talking about TTRPGs with other behavior analysts in the past year." [08:21]
C. Preschool Life Skills (PLS) 'Three-View'
- Content: The third in-depth episode revisiting the Preschool Life Skills curriculum and associated research.
- Discussion of three targeted journal articles:
- 1. Falligant & Pence (2017): PLS using RTI model with preschoolers with developmental disabilities.
- 2. Reese, Seal, Huxtable & Austin (2024): PLS for children with trauma histories.
- 3. Lee, Gunning, Lao & Holloway (2024): Delivery of parent PLS via telehealth.
- The hosts reflect on the rarity of returning to topics three or more times ("3-view") on their show.
- Rob: "It's the third episode we've done about Preschool Life Skills...It's a topic I love, love, love." [10:55, 11:41]
- Diana: "Having the words preschool life skills in the title, this will be the third time that that has happened." [11:44]
- Discussion of three targeted journal articles:
3. Behavior Analysis Community News
A. New Journal Launch: Journal of Black Behavior Analysis
- Announced as an exciting milestone: The Journal of Black Behavior Analysis is expected to launch in 2026.
- Affiliated with the BABA (Black Applied Behavior Analysts) organization.
- The theme of the inaugural issue is “Toward a Liberated Black Behavior Analysis."
- Rob: "It's been a long time since we've had a new behavior analytic journal...exciting to have another one to be able to pull articles from, especially around an area of practice that we have been very fortunate to have a lot of guests on to talk about." [14:59]
- Info: Visit jobba.org for updates and previews.
B. Celebrating Black History Month
- Recognition that February is Black History Month:
- Diana: "If you go to the BABA website or any of their handles, then you can also see information." [15:46]
4. Listener Correspondence & Community Engagement
A. Continuing Education (CEU) Management
- A listener requested support having accidentally purchased a CEU for an episode already credited to the BACB—a reminder that each CEU episode can only be claimed once.
- Tips for tracking CEU history before a planned software upgrade in April, which may not retain prior records.
- Diana: "It wouldn't be a bad idea to go on now and jot down or screenshot the episodes that you've ordered in the past." [21:21]
B. Upcoming Site & Process Improvements
- New website launching in April 2026, with improved CEU management—a much-requested upgrade.
- Some episodes (e.g., book clubs) have been re-branded in the new system for clarity.
C. Re-release of 'Coercion and Its Fallout' Book Club
- In honor of Rob's birthday (and perhaps as a response to current events), their in-depth discussion of Murray Sidman's “Coercion and Its Fallout” will be re-released on President’s Day.
- Rob: "If you read it and you're like, 'you know what? This is making me think about how society could be running to be functioning more effectively to reinforce the behaviors we want to see more of,' then there's no way that you can look at any of the actions of our current administration and not say, this is all against everything I have learned as a behavior analyst, full stop." [24:14]
- Diana: "It's a really good, powerful book and it's great. It is certainly a cautionary tale, so we feel like it's very timely to re-release." [25:15]
D. Positive Listener Feedback
- Shout-outs to longtime listeners, especially those providing ethical practice reminders.
- Appreciation for word-of-mouth sharing and positive reviews.
- Mention of thoughtful listener Ksenia’s feedback on podcast style influences.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Rob: "There's no present better than being able to talk for an extended period of time." [05:57]
- Rob: "When it came time to talk about what's a good birthday episode, I've been spending a lot of time talking about TTRPGs with other behavior analysts in the past year." [08:21]
- Diana: On community sharing—"Honestly, [word-of-mouth] is the absolutely best thing that you could do." [18:51]
- Rob: On Sidman’s work—"If you read [Coercion and Its Fallout] and you're like, ‘I disagree with everything that's in here,’ I question your ability to be an ethical behavior analyst." [24:14]
- Jackie: On growth—"I'm getting better [at RPGs]." [14:07]
Timestamps for Major Segments
- 00:00–03:44 – Light banter, intro, and show structure.
- 04:06–06:15 – Introduction of February’s theme and first episode (Book Club).
- 06:15–09:25 – TTRPGs episode overview and guest introduction.
- 09:25–13:23 – Discussion of PLS revisitation and planned articles.
- 13:33–14:01 – Hosts' birthday banter, setting up the rest of the episode.
- 14:08–16:48 – News: Black Behavior Analyst Journal and Black History Month.
- 17:24–22:25 – Listener correspondence, CEU process, website upgrades.
- 23:07–26:44 – ‘Coercion and Its Fallout’ re-release discussion.
- 26:44–29:00 – Listener comments, Patreon, podcast influences.
- 29:00–End – Closing thoughts and sign-off.
Conclusion
This lively and engaging preview sets the stage for a varied and festive February on ABA Inside Track. The hosts combine their love for behavior analysis with personal touches and community updates, promising listeners a month of substantive discussions—from book clubs with field leaders to contemporary uses of role-playing games, and a critical look at foundational curriculum and theory in the field. The addition of new journal news and listener engagement segments ground the episode in both the ongoing evolution of behavior analysis and the podcast’s own vibrant community.
End of Summary