Essential for Living in Action: Building Meaningful Skills Through Everyday Events | Session 334 with Kristina Montgomery and Emily Beal Wilkinson
Summary
Host Matt Cicoria interviews Christina Montgomery and Emily Beal Wilkinson from Victory Academy about their implementation of the Essential for Living curriculum. They discuss shifting from isolated skill drills to event-based teaching, which embeds multiple goals into meaningful, real-world activities like cooking and gardening. The episode highlights how this context-rich approach improves generalization, supports learners with limited repertoires, and fosters durable, functional skills.
Topics discussed
Introduction, guests, and podcast sponsors
Guest backgrounds and entry into ABA
Discovery of Essential for Living (EFL)
Overview of EFL assessment and curriculum
Event-based teaching and skill stacking
Examples: LARPing, cafes, and repetition
Health and wellness program for medical desensitization
Research opportunities and measuring happiness
Advice for new BCBAs and closing remarks
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