Dower and Associates, Inc.

02/01/2026

Want to support SPABA? I just ordered some merch with the new logo!

Support SPABA and order today!!

Buy SPABA 2026 merchandise that supports Speech Pathology Applied Behavior Analysis. Featuring Sport Grey Classic Long Sleeve Tees, professionally printed in the USA.

01/01/2026

🎉 Happy New Year from Dower and Associates, Inc.! 🎉

As we all welcome the year ahead, I extend my very best wishes to all of Dower and Associates, Inc. followers, colleagues, past and current clients, and past team members. Thank you for being part of our professional community and for the trust, collaboration, and shared commitment to meaningful progress.

As you set your New Year’s resolutions, a friendly behavior-analytic reminder: make sure your goals are observable, operationally defined, and measurable. Clear definitions and data-driven goals set the stage for real, sustainable change.

Here’s to a year of intentional growth, thoughtful reflection, and measurable success.

Warm regards,
~ Dower and Associates, Inc.

31/12/2025

31/12/2025

Excited & nervous to be honest! Not a fan of presenting ... but here we are :)

Move past "referral relationships" and learn how to build sustainable, integrated partnerships that actually could improve client outcomes.

🎤 Speaker Announcement: Nikia Dower, MS, CCC-SLP, BCBA, LBA 🎤

We are beyond thrilled to announce that the incredible Nikia Dower is an invited speaker at WIBA's Women Behaving Boldly Virtual Conference on January 15th & 16th, 2026!

Nikia is a true "unicorn" in the field - an - one of less than 500 worldwide. In 2005, she became the first Speech-Language Pathologist in Virginia to earn the BCBA credential. With nearly 40 years of service, she owns her private practice, serves as the current President of the SPABA SIG (Speech Pathology Applied Behavior Analysis), is an advisory board member for the BF Skinner Foundation, is a board member of Commonwealth Autism, and is a long-time champion of the WIBA community.

🗣️ Featured Session:
"Beyond Our Scope: Why BCBAs Need SLPs at the Table (Not Just on Speed Dial)"

As BCBAs, we are experts in behavior change, but communication is a complex behavior governed by linguistic, pragmatic, and motor systems that often lie outside the ABA scope of practice.

In this session, Nikia will address the "uncomfortable truth" about working in silos and challenge the status quo of inadequate collaboration.

Nikia's Bold Mission:

⏺ Understand the critical competencies SLPs bring that BCBAs cannot replicate.
⏺ Learn why our professions remain parallel rather than integrated.
⏺ Get actionable strategies for building sustainable interprofessional partnerships - not just referral relationships.

It’s time to behave boldly by admitting what we don’t know and identifying exactly who we need at the table for the best client outcomes!

🎟️ Join Us for Unbeatable Value!
Don't miss the chance to learn from this powerhouse SLP-BCBA leader and earn a massive amount of CEUs for an incredible price.

Cost: Only $99 * Value: Earn 20+ CEUs (Live + On-Demand)

Register here: https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/wiba-boldly26/registration

29/12/2025

Need last-minute CEs / PDHs / CMHs / COAs to close out 2025? No worries - Speech Pathology Applied Behavior Analysis has you covered.

🎓 is available on-demand via BehaviorLive. Choose the full conference or à la carte sessions to fit your needs and your schedule.

This is the only conference in the world dedicated exclusively to SLP–BCBA collaboration and interdisciplinary practice, with thoughtful discussion of overlapping scope of practice and scope of competence across both professions.

⏰ Don’t miss your chance to finish the year strong.
👉 Register here: https://behaviorlive.com/conferences/SPABA25/registration

28/12/2025

This is a brilliant observation about how behavior really works!

Let's translate:

"The person is exposed to the motivating operations"
This means: You experience things that make you want stuff.

Life happens to you in ways that change what you care about moment-to-moment:

You get hungry (now food matters) 👍
Your friend texts you (now responding matters) 👍
It starts raining (now an umbrella matters) 👍
You feel lonely (now connection matters) 👍

You don't always control when these feelings or situations pop up - they just happen as you go through your day.

"The behavior is exposed to the contingencies of reinforcement."

This means: Your actions experience the real consequences of the world.
When you actually do something, reality responds:

👉 You text back → your friend replies and you feel connected (reinforcement!)
👉 You grab the umbrella → you stay dry (reinforcement!)
👉 You touch a hot stove → you pull back instantly and never touch it again (the burn punished the touching behavior)
👉 You tell a joke that bombs → you feel embarrassed and stop telling that joke (embarrassment punished that joke-telling)

The behavior "finds out" what happens when it occurs in the real world.

Putting It Together
Dr. LeBlanc is pointing out that these are two separate things:

1️⃣ YOU don't choose to be hungry, tired, or stressed (motivating operations just happen to you)
2️⃣ But YOUR BEHAVIOR learns from what actually works or doesn't work in the real world (consequences teach the behavior)

It's a reminder that we're all navigating between what we want in the moment and what actually happens when we try to get it. Pretty insightful!

28/12/2025

ABA in Real Life: Understanding What Motivates Us

Let's break down what sounds like technical jargon into everyday language.

The Core Idea: What Makes Us Want Things?
In behavior analysis, we're really interested in understanding why people do what they do. A huge part of that comes down to motivation - what makes something feel rewarding or worth doing at any given moment?

Establishing Operations (EOs) are basically anything that makes something more valuable to you right now. Think about it this way:

👍 You haven't eaten all day → food becomes super motivating
👍It's freezing outside → a warm jacket suddenly seems amazing
👍You've been working for hours → a break feels incredibly appealing

Abolishing Operations (AOs) are the opposite - they make something less valuable:

You just ate a huge meal → more food? No thanks 👎
You're already wearing a coat and sweating → another layer sounds terrible 👎
You just drank a large glass of water → you're not motivated to drink more right now 👎

Conditioned Motivating Operations (CMOs) are learned - they're things that gain their motivating power through experience:

✅ Your phone buzzes → you want to check it (because buzzing has been paired with potentially interesting messages)
✅ You see your gym bag → it reminds you that you wanted to work out
✅ Someone mentions coffee → suddenly you crave it

The "Concurrent Chains" Wish
Now, the playful ending: "May all your chains be concurrent today."

In ABA, a chain is a sequence of behaviors linked together, like: wake up → brush teeth → get dressed → make coffee → leave for work.

Concurrent chains mean you have multiple good options available at the same time - it's wishing you a day where you have pleasant choices rather than being stuck in one rigid routine.

It's essentially saying: "I hope today brings you lots of good options and that the things you need feel rewarding!"

23/12/2025

🎄 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Dower and Associates, Inc. 🎄

As the holiday season arrives, I want to extend my warmest wishes to everyone who has been part of the Dower and Associates, Inc. community - followers, colleagues, past and current clients, and past team members.

This time of year invites reflection, gratitude, and connection. I am deeply thankful for the trust you place in me, the partnerships we’ve built, and the shared commitment to supporting meaningful communication and growth across the individuals and families we serve.

May your Christmas be filled with warmth, peace, and moments that matter most. I wish you and your loved ones a joyful holiday and a bright start to the new year.

With sincere appreciation,
Nikia Dower, MS, CCC-SLP, BCBA, LBA
President/Dower and Associates, Inc.