ABA Inside Track – September 2025 Preview

Release Date: September 3, 2025
Hosts: Robert "Rob" Perry Crews, Diana Perry Cruz, Jackie McDonald

Main Theme

Supervision September is Here!
The September 2025 preview episode of ABA Inside Track spotlights the highly anticipated “Supervision September”—a month entirely dedicated to topics on behavioral supervision in applied behavior analysis (ABA). Rob, Diana, and Jackie lay out episode themes, the articles, and special guests featured this month, all with the goal of supporting practitioners in achieving their supervision continuing education requirements (CEs) and deepening understanding of emerging supervision research and best practices.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Supervision September Overview

• For several years, September has been dedicated solely to ABA supervision topics on the podcast.
• Listeners can earn up to four supervision CEs, thanks to two regular episodes and an extended book club, even though there are only three weeks in the month.
• September’s content is curated to help behavior analysts expand their supervision skill set and fulfill certification requirements:

  “More bang for your buck here on ABA Inside Track.” (Rob, 01:24)

2. Episode Line-up & Articles

A. Disability Affirming Supervision

• Focus: How to provide supervision that is culturally responsive and affirming of disabilities.
• Articles featured:
  • “Providing Culturally Competent Supervision to Trainees with Disabilities in Rehabilitation Settings” (Andrews et al., 2013, Rehabilitation Psychology)
  • “Cultural Responsiveness Framework in BCBA Supervision” (Gadzunis et al., 2022, Behavior Analysis in Practice)
  • “Disability Affirming Supervision: Future Directions in Applied Behavior Analytic Supervision” (EchoJoJo, 2024, Behavior Analysis in Practice)
• Quote:

  “I was excited that there are articles out there...from our field, some of them from others that are already thinking on this topic.” (Diana, 02:47)

B. “What Do We Actually Know About Supervision?” with Guests

• Guests: Dr. Natalie Anzik and Dr. Michael Cranick
• Scope: Wide-ranging, evidence-informed dialogue on the research base for ABA supervision—moving from think pieces to actionable data.
• Articles featured:
  • “A Scoping Review of Research on and Strategies for Mitigating Burnout Among Board Certified Behavior Analysts” (Cranick et al., 2024, Behavior Analysis Research and Practice)
  • “The Softer Side of Supervision: Recommendations When Teaching and Evaluating Behavior Analytic Professionalism” (Anzik & Cranick, 2021, Behavior Analysis Research and Practice)
  • “A Systematic Review of Supervision Research Related to Board Certified Behavior Analysts” (Cranick et al., 2023, Behavior Analysis in Practice)
• Memorable moment:

  “The crux of this episode is, hey, we’ve had a lot of articles...but what research do we have on how effective different supervisory practices are?” (Rob, 05:05)

C. Book Club – “Oops! 13 Management Practices That Waste Time and Money and What to Do Instead” by Aubrey Daniels

• Extended, two-hour special—released to all listeners, not just patrons.

• Features an interview with Dr. Judy Agnew from the Aubrey Daniels Institute about Daniels’ legacy and contributions.

• Book club veteran Alan Haberman joins the deep dive into Daniels’ 13 “Oops” management practices.

• Quote:

  “It's like a two-parter but we will release it all together as one two-hour block for your enjoyment.” (Diana, 07:35)

• Book club CEs are available to $10+ patrons; the episode itself is unlocked for all.

3. Patreon & Book Club Access

• Supervision Book Club episodes are released for free to all listeners during September, though early access and associated CEs require Patreon support.
• Other patron perks: early access to all episodes, ability to vote in Listener Choice polls, and patron-only bonus content.

4. Back to School, Productivity, and Hobbies (Errata Section)

• The hosts share reflections on the shift from summer to fall routines.
  • Jackie notes never leaving “the routine” due to a busy summer of work (11:47).
  • Diana expresses book club overload:

    “All I’ve been doing is trying to read all these books for book clubs. And then I have these other books I haven’t even gotten to...It has taken all of my reading time.” (Diana, 12:38)

  • Rob muses on adult routines and structuring hobby time:

    “As an adult...you actually have more time when you get into the fall and winter to do your hobbies, because there’s enough structure...so you find yourself carving out the time better.” (Rob, 14:00)

5. Parenting Styles & Social Discussion: “FAFO Parenting”

• Rob brings up a Wall Street Journal article on the “FAFO” (F*** Around and Find Out) parenting trend, voicing strong concerns about its harsh, consequence-heavy approach.
• Discussion contrasts “FAFO” parenting with “gentle parenting” and emphasizes the dangers of extreme, punitive responses.
  • Memorable insights:

    “If you do something as a kid...the child does have to be responsible for their own behavior. But that’s very different [from]...the idea that ‘I want the worst possible consequence to happen...’” (Rob, 16:57) “That feels like terrible parenting.” (Rob, 18:11)

• Diana’s response:

  “That seems like such a huge pendulum swing away from...the predominant parenting strategies, which are much more of [the] gentle parenting [type].” (Diana, 21:49)

• Rob advocates for evidence-based positive parenting (e.g., Glenn Latham’s model) and recognizes the challenges of consistent, mindful parenting.

6. Upcoming Listener Choice Poll

• Soliciting listener votes for the next Listener Choice topic for a Fall 2025 episode.
• Topics up for vote:
  • Lag Schedules (revisiting a classic topic last discussed in episode 4)
  • Transitions (how to facilitate student transitions effectively, last covered in episode 18)
  • Toe Walking (assessment/treatment in the context of neurodivergence and stakeholder values)
• Voting is open to all Patreon supporters.

7. Conference Announcements

• Thompson Center for Autism Conference:
  • Dates: September 11–12, 2025
  • Diana will lead a session on “Creating Neurodiversity Affirming Goals,” with Rob and Jackie in support (28:04).
• BABBITT Conference: Scheduled for October 2025.

8. Listener Feedback Highlight

• Listener Amy wrote in about the positive impact of public school-focused episodes, specifically the collaboration and ethics episode with Dr. Bruce Tenor (28:38).
• Diana tallies strong listener responses to school-based episodes (#311 with John Staubitz, #317 with Carolyn Bohmier).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Supervision September Justifies the Hype

  "More, more bang for your buck here on ABA InsideTrack." (Rob, 00:41)

• On Researching Supervision

  “What research do we have on how effective different supervisory practices are? So that was sort of the overarching umbrella of that episode.” (Rob, 05:05)

• On Book Clubs and Hobbies

  "All I’ve been doing is trying to read all these books for book clubs...It has taken all of my reading time." (Diana, 12:38)

• Parenting Debates

  “That feels like terrible parenting.” (Rob, 18:11)
  “That seems like such a huge pendulum swing away from...the predominant parenting strategies, which are much more of [the] gentle parenting [type].” (Diana, 21:49)

• Listener Engagement

  “We’ve gotten a lot of feedback on the episodes that are public school facing...So all of those we’ve actually gotten really positive feedback on.” (Diana, 29:09)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:38] – Introduction of Supervision September and episode structure.
• [02:20] – Detailed rundown of September’s episode topics and articles.
• [04:39] – Discussion of guest episode with Dr. Natalie Anzik & Dr. Michael Cranick.
• [07:30] – Book club announcement and structure.
• [10:05]–[14:35] – Errata: summer-to-fall transitions, hobbies, routines.
• [15:31]–[22:32] – Critical discussion on “FAFO Parenting” vs. evidence-based approaches.
• [25:33] – Listener Choice poll details and proposed episode topics.
• [27:40] – Conference announcements: Thompson Center, BABBITT.
• [28:38] – Listener email and feedback.
• [29:50] – Closing reminders and patron info.

Tone and Approach

• Conversational, witty, and highly collegial.
• Occasional playful banter, balanced with clear expertise and focused, actionable information.

Summary Takeaways

• Supervision September is a resource-packed month for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of ABA supervision or accrue supervision CEs.
• Major themes include disability-affirming and culturally competent supervision, evaluating the research base for supervision best practices, and critical thinking on current parenting trends.
• Listeners are encouraged to actively engage—by voting in polls, sending questions, and joining upcoming conferences.
• The hosts maintain a supportive, welcoming space for discussion, highlighting both evidence and the importance of self-care and balance as a professional and parent.

For full episode details, CE access, or to vote in the Listener Choice poll, visit patreon.com/ABAInsideTrack.

Next week: The first deep-dive episode of Supervision September!