Peer-Led Virtual BST for Empathetic Listening in ABA Supervision

Peer-Led Virtual BST for Empathetic Listening in ABA Supervision

Overview

This episode explores how peer-led virtual Behavioral Skills Training (BST) can effectively teach graduate students to master 14 specific active and empathetic listening behaviors.

Key Concepts

• Empathy and listening are critical supervisory and clinical skills in ABA.
• Virtual BST offers a scalable, time-efficient way to teach soft skills.
• Law et al. (2024) broke empathy into 14 observable behaviors and trained them via peer-led role play, video modeling, and checklists.

Research Summary

• Participants: Six grad students (3 peer dyads)
• Design: Nonconcurrent multiple-baseline
• Mastery: 90% accuracy across two sessions
• Results: Most participants mastered skills via peer-led training; others succeeded after expert coaching

Implications for Practice

• Operationalize interpersonal skills like empathy and listening.
• Use peer-led BST to scale skill acquisition in training programs.
• Supplement with expert coaching when mastery is not met.

Recommendations

• Start with a small number of target behaviors.
• Create high-quality video models showing correct/incorrect responses.
• Use fidelity checklists and brief, frequent practice sessions.
• Include booster sessions to support maintenance and generalization.

Resources

• Law et al. (2024). Peer-Led BST for Listening Skills. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
• Miltenberger (2011). Behavior Modification: Principles and Procedures.
• Koegel et al. (1996). Generalization strategies in social skills training. JABA.

Call to Action

If you're training future BCBAs, consider implementing peer-led BST for interpersonal skills. Subscribe to the podcast, share this episode, and follow @TheBehavioristBookClub for more supervision tools and resources.