Episode #288: Hot Topics in Speech and ABA with Dr. Melanie Olson Giles

What happens when two SLPs and BCBAs get together to tackle the biggest conversations in our fields? You get an honest discussion about collaboration, research, and keeping students at the center of every decision.

Today, we’re flipping the script and I’m answering some of the questions I hear most often about speech therapy and ABA, from choosing AAC vocabulary to navigating current topics like gestalt language processing, prompting, and aided language modeling. I share why I believe we have to move beyond an “all or nothing” mindset and focus on what the research tells us while making thoughtful, ethical decisions for each individual learner.

Dr. Giles and I also dig into functional communication, response forms, and why collecting meaningful data should guide every intervention we use. My hope is that these conversations help bridge the gap between disciplines so we can spend less time debating and more time helping our students communicate with confidence.

#autism #speechtherapy

Today’s Guest:

Dr. Melanie Olson Giles is a dually licensed Speech-Language Pathologist and Board-Certified Behavior Analyst in Massachusetts, who is certified by the American Speech and Hearing Association and BACB. Dr. Olson Giles is the CEO and Clinic Director of Speech Therapy Group and The Verbal ABA Clinic in Beverly, MA. Dr. Olson Giles received her Bachelor of Sciences in Communication Disorders as well as her Masters in Speech Language Pathology from University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1999 and 2001. She also received her Master of Education in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Autism from Endicott College in 2017, where she completed her PhD in ABA in 2020. She founded The Verbal ABA Clinic in 2019, co-founded Speech Therapy Group in 2004 and co-founded MassTex Imaging in 2006. All are private practices focusing in the areas of either Speech Therapy diagnostics and treatment or Applied Behavior Analysis. She has training, which involves extensive evaluation and treatment of swallowing disorders pediatric through geriatric, completing over 6000 swallow studies, as well as over 2500 Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing. Dr. Olson Giles’ main concentrations and licenses involve AAC/FCT with reduction of problem behavior, Voice/LSVT, and feeding/swallowing disorders pediatric through geriatric. Dr. Olson Giles is also an adjunct faculty member for Endicott College and Bay Bath University. Dr. Olson Giles’ passion is supporting interprofessional collaboration between the fields of Speech Pathology and Behavior Analysis.

What’s Inside: