Applied Behavioral Health Practice

Applied Behavioral Health Practice We're here to help caregivers and schools empower their children and students
with neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD and ASD. You're not alone.

🧠 Does your brilliant teen struggle with:

âś“Homework done but not turned in?
âś“Hyperfocus on fun tasks, avoidance of boring ones?
âś“Disaster-zone backpacks and bedrooms?
✓Knowing material but bombing tests? And you don't have to keep rescuing them forever. Hi, I'm Ryan Baker-Barrett, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst® who's spent years seeing what works in schools. But I also live this daily - I have ADHD, and so do my kids. I understand both the professional solutions AND the kitchen table chaos.

✨ What Changes:

âś“ Your teen learns to break big tasks into manageable chunks
âś“ They develop organization systems that work WITH their ADHD brain
âś“ They build self-advocacy skills for school and life
âś“ You stop micromanaging and start celebrating their wins

📞 Ready to go from exhausted helicopter parent to proud observer? FREE CONSULTATION → Low-cost assessment → Proven independence

Book your free call: +1 619-367-6445 or appliedbehavioral.health

BCBA® credential • School system experience • Personal ADHD journey

01/07/2026

Being passionate about ADHD as a BCBA is often treated like a niche interest.

A side thing.

Something you do on your own time.

That misses the point.

Most systems still approach ADHD through compliance and behavior reduction.

More reminders. More charts. More consequences. More “try harder.”

But when the skills aren’t there, it isn’t noncompliance.

It’s a mismatch.

I see this constantly.

As a behavior analyst.

And as an adult with ADHD raising kids with ADHD.

BCBAs want to do better work.

Work that actually addresses executive functioning, regulation, initiation, follow-through.

But they’re often isolated, second-guessing themselves, or trying to push evidence-based ADHD work inside systems that weren’t built for it.

When passion exceeds support, burnout shows up.

Not because the work is wrong, but because people are trying to do it alone.

That’s why this special interest group exists.

Not to “add more” to your plate, but to build skill, language, and community around ethical, science-backed ADHD support.

To connect BCBAs who know this work matters and want to do it well.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel or fight upstream by yourself.

Good ADHD support is deliberate, collaborative, and skill-based.

If you’re a BCBA passionate about ADHD and tired of feeling like you’re the only one in the room, this space was built for you.

12/31/2025

It’s easy to say. Harder to feel when your ADHD brain is juggling a million things, your to-do list feels like a mountain, and your focus is… somewhere else.

Here’s the truth: “You got this” isn’t about willpower or trying harder. It’s about having the skills, supports, and systems in place so that success isn’t a miracle—it’s predictable.

Most people with ADHD are capable of more than they realize.

The gap isn’t potential—it’s access. Access to planning, task initiation, follow-through, and emotional regulation in the moment it matters most.

So when we say “You got this,” let’s make it real: teach the skills. Set up the environment. Provide the tools. Build the supports.

Then, yes—you really do got this.

Practical. Skill-based. Science-backed.

Follow for ADHD support that makes “You got this” more than words.

That’s not a feel-good slogan. It’s a design principle backed by data.In ADHD support, we often treat accommodations as ...
12/22/2025

That’s not a feel-good slogan. It’s a design principle backed by data.

In ADHD support, we often treat accommodations as extras.

Something you add on after someone struggles. Something that’s only for a few people.

That’s backwards.

When we design environments with executive function in mind, clearer expectations, flexible pacing, visual supports, reduced cognitive load, everyone performs better. Not just the people with diagnoses.

I see this every day.

As a behavior analyst.

And as a parent with ADHD raising two boys with ADHD.

Kids labeled as “challenging” start succeeding when the system stops demanding skills they haven’t been taught. Adults become more consistent when the environment supports planning, initiation, and follow-through instead of fighting them.

Good, science-backed ABA understands this. Behavior doesn’t change in a vacuum. It changes when the environment is designed to make success more likely.

Designing for disability isn’t lowering standards.

It’s removing unnecessary barriers.

And when you do that, everyone wins.

Follow for practical, science-backed ADHD support that actually works.

That quote hits differently when you work with ADHD.Mistakes are usually treated as evidence of carelessness, defiance, ...
12/19/2025

That quote hits differently when you work with ADHD.

Mistakes are usually treated as evidence of carelessness, defiance, or lack of effort. Especially in kids. Especially in school. Especially when behavior doesn’t match expectations.

But from a behavior-analytic perspective, mistakes are data.

They tell us the demand exceeded the learner’s current skills.

The environment didn’t support success.

The system failed before the person did.

I see this constantly.

As a behavior analyst.

And as a parent with ADHD raising two boys with ADHD.

Kids getting corrected for errors that were predictable.

Adults being told to “try harder” when the supports were never there to begin with.

Good, science-backed ABA doesn’t punish mistakes. It studies them. It asks what variables were in place and what skills were missing. Then it changes the conditions so the learner can contact success next time.

Mistakes aren’t the enemy.

They’re the roadmap.

That’s what effective ADHD support looks like.

Curious instead of corrective.

Skill-focused instead of blame-based.

Grounded in science, not shame.

Follow for practical, science-backed ADHD support that actually works.

Running an independent ABA practice is often treated like a motivation issue.If you really wanted it, you’d just work ha...
12/19/2025

Running an independent ABA practice is often treated like a motivation issue.

If you really wanted it, you’d just work harder and do the thing.

That’s rarely the problem.

Most advice pushes more demands.

More hours. More hustle. More marketing. More systems layered on top of systems.

But when the infrastructure isn’t there, the issue isn’t commitment.

It’s overload.

I see this all the time.

As a behavior analyst.

And as a small business owner.

Talented BCBAs doing the best they can with the skills and supports they have, then being told to scale faster, manage better, and lead bigger teams without being taught how to do any of it sustainably.

When business demands exceed business skills, burnout is the signal.

Not failure.

That’s why practices don’t fall apart because owners don’t care enough.

They struggle because no one taught them how to build systems, boundaries, leadership skills, and workflows that actually fit real life.

Strong ABA practices are built, not brute-forced.
With skill development. With realistic systems. With support.
If you’re running a practice and feeling stretched thin, you’re not broken.

You’re responding to demands that outpaced support.

Follow for practical, science-backed support for ABA business owners who want practices that actually work.

🧶🌟 Rocking your tackiest holiday sweater this season? Good. Because being a little extra, a little quirky, a little… you...
12/19/2025

🧶🌟 Rocking your tackiest holiday sweater this season? Good. Because being a little extra, a little quirky, a little… you… isn’t just allowed... it’s celebrated.

I’m knitting together a training community that values that kind of authenticity. No boring slide decks. Just live interaction, real‑world skills, and a supportive crew who gets it.

If you want to bring back the humanity in ADHD support — bold, imperfect, real — sign up for the waitlist and let’s do this together. 💪

That’s not a feel-good slogan. It’s a design principle backed by data.In ADHD support, we often treat accommodations as ...
12/19/2025

That’s not a feel-good slogan. It’s a design principle backed by data.

In ADHD support, we often treat accommodations as extras. Something you add on after someone struggles. Something that’s only for a few people.

That’s backwards.

When we design environments with executive function in mind, clearer expectations, flexible pacing, visual supports, reduced cognitive load, everyone performs better. Not just the people with diagnoses.

I see this every day.
As a behavior analyst.
And as a parent with ADHD raising two boys with ADHD.

Kids labeled as “challenging” start succeeding when the system stops demanding skills they haven’t been taught. Adults become more consistent when the environment supports planning, initiation, and follow-through instead of fighting them.
Good, science-backed ABA understands this.

Behavior doesn’t change in a vacuum. It changes when the environment is designed to make success more likely.

Designing for disability isn’t lowering standards.

It’s removing unnecessary barriers.

And when you do that, everyone wins.

Follow for practical, science-backed ADHD support that actually works.

12/18/2025

Being passionate about ADHD as a BCBA is often treated like a niche interest.

A side thing.

Something you do on your own time.

That misses the point.

Most systems still approach ADHD through compliance and behavior reduction.

More reminders. More charts. More consequences. More “try harder.”

But when the skills aren’t there, it isn’t noncompliance.
It’s a mismatch.

I see this constantly.
As a behavior analyst.
And as an adult with ADHD raising kids with ADHD.

BCBAs want to do better work.

Work that actually addresses executive functioning, regulation, initiation, follow-through.

But they’re often isolated, second-guessing themselves, or trying to push evidence-based ADHD work inside systems that weren’t built for it.

When passion exceeds support, burnout shows up.
Not because the work is wrong, but because people are trying to do it alone.

That’s why this special interest group exists.

Not to “add more” to your plate, but to build skill, language, and community around ethical, science-backed ADHD support.

To connect BCBAs who know this work matters and want to do it well.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel or fight upstream by yourself.

Good ADHD support is deliberate, collaborative, and skill-based.

If you’re a BCBA passionate about ADHD and tired of feeling like you’re the only one in the room, this space was built for you.

On paper, that’s executive functioning.With ADHD, those steps don’t break down evenly. And they don’t fail because someo...
12/17/2025

On paper, that’s executive functioning.

With ADHD, those steps don’t break down evenly. And they don’t fail because someone doesn’t care or isn’t trying.

Most of the people I work with can think just fine.
Planning is shakier.

Acting consistently is where everything falls apart.

And when it does, the response is usually the same.

More reminders. More urgency. More pressure to “just do it.”
That doesn’t fix the problem. It skips the middle.

Executive functioning with ADHD isn’t a character issue. It’s a skills issue. One that shows up under time pressure, emotional load, or competing demands.

I see this every day.

As a behavior analyst.

And as a parent with ADHD raising two boys with ADHD.

Good, science-backed ABA doesn’t assume the steps are already there. It teaches each one explicitly. How to pause and think when emotions are high. How to break a plan into something usable. How to bridge the gap between intention and action.

When we treat Think. Plan. Act. as skills to be taught, not expectations to be enforced, behavior changes without needing constant control.

That’s real ADHD support.

Skill building over pressure.

Design over discipline.

Follow for practical, science-backed ADHD support that actually works.

That line sounds motivational.Sometimes it’s used that way.But in real life, especially with ADHD, it’s not about hidden...
12/16/2025

That line sounds motivational.

Sometimes it’s used that way.

But in real life, especially with ADHD, it’s not about hidden potential or trying harder. It’s about access.

Most kids and adults with ADHD are capable of more.

They just don’t have consistent access to the skills they need in the moment those skills are required.

So when we say “you’re capable of more” and then pile on demands without teaching planning, regulation, task initiation, or follow-through, we’re not encouraging growth. We’re setting people up to fail.

I see this every day.

As a behavior analyst.

And as a parent with ADHD raising two boys with ADHD.
Capability isn’t fixed.

It’s conditional.

It depends on the environment, the supports, and whether the skills needed to meet the demand have actually been taught and practiced.

Good ABA, grounded in science, doesn’t assume potential will magically show up under pressure. It builds it deliberately. It designs systems where people can contact success more often, not just hear that they should be doing better.

“You are capable of more” becomes true when we do the work to make it true.

That’s what real ADHD support looks like.

Practical. Skill-based. Science-backed.

Follow for ADHD support that respects capacity and builds it.

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