Episode #296: Social Skills and Mealtimes with Dr. Katherine Bateman

Mealtimes are full of natural opportunities for communication, connection, and friendship, but we may be overlooking just how valuable those moments can be.

Dr. Katherine Bateman joins me to explore Snack Talk, a simple visual communication support designed to help learners engage with peers during meals and snacks. We talk about using personalized questions and visual choices to make communication accessible across modalities, including speech, gestures, AAC, and other forms of communication.

What I love about Snack Talk is how practical it is. We can build visuals around what our learners genuinely enjoy, rotate topics to keep them meaningful, and use prompting to support engagement without making implementation complicated. Katie also shares how this approach can help educators become more intentional during typically unstructured times while creating opportunities for SLPs, BCBAs, teachers, and paraprofessionals to collaborate.

Ultimately, this is about more than answering social questions. It is about belonging, friendship, and giving learners meaningful ways to connect with the people around them.

#autism #speechtherapy

Today’s Guest:

Dr. Katherine Bateman is a Research Scientist in the Area of Special Education at the University of Washington. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst- Doctoral (BCBA-D). Dr. Bateman has extensive experience in Applied Behavior Analysis and as a practicing BCBA in homes, clinics, and schools. She has an active research and professional development agenda through her work in early intervention and early childhood special education. Dr. Bateman has vast expertise in the Project ECHO (Extension of Community Healthcare Outcomes) service delivery model of professional development. She serves as a reviewer on a number of journals, including the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disability and the Journal of Early Intervention. Dr. Bateman is currently working on projects to increase access to high quality, Applied Behavior Analysis services for children and families with autism and other developmental and intellectual disabilities utilizing the ECHO model of dissemination.

What’s Inside: