Assess, Don’t Guess: Finding the Root Cause of Performance Issues in Supervision
When a supervisee struggles, our first instinct is often to retrain or give more feedback. But without understanding the root cause, these solutions often miss the mark. This CEU equips supervisors with a practical framework to assess what’s really going wrong in performance situations. Using the Performance Diagnostic Checklist (PDC) as the central tool, participants will learn how to identify the environmental, instructional, and motivational barriers that contribute to poor performance and how to match those findings with actionable, behavior-analytic solutions. Whether you supervise RBTs, trainees, or other BCBAs, this session will strengthen your ability to lead with clarity, confidence, and effectiveness.
Speaker Name
Allyson Wharam, M.Ed, BCBA
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
Identify common root causes of performance issues in supervision and distinguish between skill deficits and environmental barriers.
Use the Performance Diagnostic Checklist (PDC) to systematically assess performance gaps through structured interviews and data collection.
Develop a targeted action plan based on assessment results, matching identified barriers to practical, behavior-analytic supervision strategies.
Allyson Wharam, M.Ed, BCBA
Allyson Wharam (she/her) is a BCBA, instructional designer, mom of three, and the founder of Sidekick Learning, an online training system that supports behavior analysts and organizations at every stage of the professional journey. She is also the host of In the Field: The ABA Podcast, where she explores the realities of supervision, training, and leadership in applied behavior analysis. Currently pursuing her doctorate in Instructional Design and Technology at the University of Virginia, Allyson’s work blends evidence-based instructional design with real-world experience to promote high-quality, sustainable learning across the field.