Episode Description
In this episode of In the Field: The ABA Podcast, I talk with Rose Griffin, founder of ABA Speech and one of fewer than 500 professionals dually certified as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Rose shares how her interdisciplinary experience has shaped her approach to supporting autistic learners and building more collaborative teams across clinical and educational settings.

We discuss the misconceptions that often divide SLPs and BCBAs, explore overlapping scopes of practice, and offer concrete strategies to promote ethical, respectful, and effective collaboration. Drawing from research, including Brodhead’s (2015) seminal article on interdisciplinary relationships, we dig into what it means to be a partner, not just a provider.

Key Topics

• Rose’s path to dual certification and the founding of ABA Speech
• Scope of practice vs. scope of competence and why that nuance matters
• Misconceptions and mistrust between SLPs and BCBAs, and where they come from
• Brodhead’s framework for navigating non-behavioral recommendations
• Practical phrases and strategies to support collaborative, non-combative dialogue
• How clinic culture and training structures can foster true interdisciplinary partnership

Key Takeaways

• Interdisciplinary collaboration isn’t optional. It’s essential to learner outcomes.
• BCBAs and SLPs both bring unique expertise to communication interventions, and understanding scope is key to ethical practice.
• Curious, nonjudgmental dialogue (“Tell me more about that”) opens the door to collaboration, even in tense situations.
• Building collaborative systems starts with culture: onboarding, supervision, and team dynamics all matter.
• We don’t have to know everything, but we do have to know when to ask.

Referenced Resource
Brodhead, M. T. (2015). Maintaining professional relationships in an interdisciplinary setting: Strategies for navigating nonbehavioral treatment recommendations for individuals with autism. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 8(1), 70–78. Read here

Keywords
BCBA and SLP Collaboration, AAC, Gestalt Language Processing, Functional Communication Training, Scope of Practice, Interdisciplinary Teams, Behavior Analysis, Rose Griffin, ABA Speech

Connect with Rose and ABA Speech
🌐 Website: www.abaspeech.org
📸 Instagram: @abaspeechbyrose
📧 Email: [email protected]
🔗 LinkedIn: Rose Griffin

Subscribe to the Podcast
For more conversations about evidence-based practice, ethical supervision, and leadership in behavior analysis, subscribe to In the Field: The ABA Podcast. Visit Sidekick Learning for free tools, CEUs, and supervision resources.

Disclaimer:

BCBA®, BACB® [or any other BACB® trademark used] is/are registered to the Behavior Analytic Certification Board® BACB®. This website and products are not in any way sponsored by the BACB®.

All information and products are for educational purposes only.