Welcome to

A Million Possibilities

This user guide will get you started using the program

in the UnitusTI cloud system.

Table of Contents

Welcome Message from the Author 3

What is Shape Our Village: A Million Possibilities? 4

Purpose and Overview 4

Unique Features and Benefits 7

Notes on Copyright 8

How to Implement 9

Links to Videos 9

Welcome Message from the Author

Welcome to Shape Our Village: A Million Possibilities! We are pleased to introduce a program that is designed to get your family team started with ABA and/or to bridge the transition between assessment and treatment. Our program builds a strong partnership that encourages open collaboration and shared decision-making between providers and caregivers. This program offers a framework that strengthens practitioners’ ability to consider and connect to whole family systems as a key component of successful interventions. As BCBAs, you will bring invaluable expertise in applied behavior analysis to the Family Team. You will also learn how to more effectively leverage the unique contributing factors of each learner’s individual culture, environment, and behaviors by establishing effective working relationships with the families seeking your support.

Shape Our Village empowers caregivers to engage fully and share their crucial knowledge while prioritizing family team communication that fosters an environment free of judgment. It equips providers with the tools necessary to offer a collaborative approach to intervention that will help shape an ongoing equitable and accessible experience for families based on a combination of both the art and the science of child development and a common history of learning through shared language.

This program systematically builds the Family Team relationship, incorporating the science of Applied Behavior Analysis, history of human experience, and the art of human connection , and will guide the interaction with you and the families you serve. Through guided discussions and the exploration of previous experiences and learning, SOV will help providers develop effective, personalized ABA programs that lead to measurable outcomes for the entire team and generalize to the caregivers.

“It takes a village to raise a child and we shape that village with every thought, word, and action.

We love partnering with other parents to share what we've learned about the science behind behavior

and the possibilities that open up when we intentionally and thoughtfully create a family system.”

Ericka Braggs, BCBA

What is Shape Our Village: A Million Possibilities?

Shape Our Village: A Million Possibilities is a little to no prep way to meet your Family Team where they are. It is designed specifically for Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and other providers who can enhance caregiver involvement and integrate professional knowledge with family dynamics . This program guides families through an introduction to therapeutic services while working continually to identify unintended gaps in service delivery to ensure successful outcomes.

Purpose and Overview

The curriculum is a marriage of behavior analytic science and counseling strategies that creates a systematic approach to intentionally build a collaborative Family Team that honors the values and expertise of each member sharing in the development of their learner. Sometimes we are the expert , sometimes we are the learner.

Each course contains implementation components that provide support for the Family Team by offering participating members a framework to reinforce comprehensive support for the learner. Shape Our Village: A Million Possibilities focuses on engaging families in the treatment process, improving skill integration, and ensuring the skills learned can be applied in various contexts. The program's ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between professional knowledge and family dynamics, creating a successful and supportive environment for all involved. Essentially, we don’t skip the humans in front of us. Relationships, shared language, and compassion are the foundations we use to prepare the conversation for the science to be impactful and relevant.

This program is designed to benefit anyone supporting individuals of all ages, abilities, skill levels, cultures, and settings. Professionals in behavior analysis, special education, and therapy will find the program invaluable for enhancing their practice while parents, guardians, and caregivers will gain essential skills to support their loved ones effectively.

This program is ideal for:

Early intervention specialists, foster care and adoption agencies, community and recreational program staff, and childcare providers will also find the program's insights beneficial for creating supportive environments.

Additionally, federal, state and local educational agencies and advocates can utilize the program to better assist institutions and families in navigating the complexities of special needs education and care.

Testimonials

“One of my concerns about parent engagement and education is that parents may tell me things that are outside my scope. This helps by giving me the tools to build a relationship and respond when parent concerns are outside my scope . I feel comfortable using this and it reduces the anxiety that comes with building relationships with clients and families.”

– BCBA

“For the first time we felt like we weren’t being judged. We were able to share exactly what we were going through and have an action plan forward and through. I can’t thank you enough!”

– Parent 1

“There are so many great tips and tricks out there, but it is hard to take what I see and know what to change. This was a step-by-step system to getting my family system to function in a way that worked for everyone. Highly recommend.”

– Parent 2

“This program allows me to fully engage with the family team because it flows naturally and doesn’t require prep time . ”

– BCBA

Program Summary

Scope and Sequence

Begin with the Onboarding Trainings. Before you facilitate caregiver education and engagement sessions, go through these courses that were developed just for you. You will explore Fast to Slow Thinking, Cultural Humility, and more. We honor the work that you do and everything that has shaped your journey up until this point. We are so excited to support you through this work. Revisit these trainings when you run into challenging situations.

In the initial assessment you will learn more about the specific needs and strengths of the client and family. In each assessment, you will watch a short engaging introduction video to gain an overview of key concepts and strategies in ABA. Follow each video with guided discussions to relate the concepts to the current family system and uncover necessary information for program development. “The Art” walks Family Teams through the process of developing a collaborative relationship, exploring how the concept and strategy impacts the family system now and develops a shared language unique to the Family Team. Now that your Family Team has been introduced to the concept or strategy, made connections with what is currently happening in the family system, and developed shared language to ease discussion around it, it’s time to introduce the science. “The Science” further breaks down the complex concept into everyday language and connects it to evidence-based practice. The Family Team is now equipped with the understanding and language to offer their expertise to create, adjust, maintain, and generalize effective programming. Engaging interactive worksheets and activities reinforce learning, reflect on the content, and personalize the information.

Implement the evidence-based strategies in practice, using the guidance provided in the program. Integrate mindfulness and ACT techniques into your sessions to support emotional and mental well-being and enhance the effectiveness of your interventions. Utilize the data collection tools to track progress and make informed decisions, and employ the rating scales for easy and accurate reporting of progress and outcomes.

By following this path and utilizing the program's components effectively, you will be able to create a supportive and responsive environment that fosters growth and success for the client.

Topics and Content

Our program features engaging videos that break down the science of shaping behavior and applied behavior analysis (ABA) into everyday language. The program prioritizes both the art and the science of child development and is inquiry-based, emphasizing the importance of sharing knowledge and experiences among family teams.

The program uses Guided Discussions that individualize the application of development strategies, consider cultural and environmental barriers, and then offer a thorough explanation of the science supporting how and why the strategies work. It leads Family Teams through the inquiry process to discover how their experiences and unique contexts provide the care team with the necessary information while planning effective child interventions.

In addition to the Guided Discussions, each course includes an Introduction to the concept, a Mindfulness Moment , strategies designed to help the Family Team mentally and emotionally prepare to engage with the content using tools that help calm and regulate the nervous system, stimulating a readiness to engage with the content, The Art , which guides the Family Team through intentional relationship building, and The Science , which connects what we’ve learned about the unique family village to the evidence-based practices. Now, caregivers are ready to Generalize the skills their learner uses to situations and settings outside of session.

Course Sequence

The program’s course sequence has been intentionally ordered to maximize its efficacy based on the order in which the topics and science supporting effective development naturally interconnect.

Onboarding Training: Cultural Humility, Trauma-Informed Care, Self-Care.
Introduction: Million Possibilities
How Learning Occurs: Neuroplasticity
Consistency: If…Then (Premack Principle)
The A-B-Cs of Behavior: Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence
Functions of Behavior: Access and Escape
Unmet Needs: Behavior as Communication
Consequences That Work: Response to Behaviors
Shaping: Successive Approximations
Motivation: Creating Conditions for Success
Behavioral Momentum: The Magic Trick
Assessing Skill Level: Meet Them Where They Are
Modeling: Actions Speak
Clear and Concise: Break It Down, Task Analysis
Managing Big Emotions: Practice and Mastery
Managing Big Emotions: The Escalation Cycle

All of the above courses incorporate a variety of strategies that are research-based and informed by the latest in the science of behavior: behavioral momentum, understanding how learning occurs and neuroplasticity, assessing skill level, emotional regulation, mindfulness, modeling, motivating operations, and more .

Unique Features and Benefits

Our program is packed with unique features designed to make learning and implementation both engaging and effective for families and professionals.

Here’s what you can expect:

Engaging Videos : Watch and learn with a collection of short videos, typically less than a minute each, that bring concepts to life and make it easier to understand and apply strategies in real-world situations.
Interactive Worksheets : Provided worksheets are designed to reinforce learning and provide hands-on practice, helping you to solidify your understanding of key concepts. They allow caregivers to reflect, personalize, and connect the information with their own memories, experiences, and emotions, fostering empathy and aiding in maintaining the learning.
Guided Discussions : Participating in these guided discussions help deepen understanding and collaboration. They also ensure that everyone is working towards common goals. This process involves learning about the concept, connecting it to personal experiences, applying it to the team dynamic through inquiry, and recognizing its evidence-based nature. This structured approach ensures that families feel comfortable discussing topics, having already identified their relevance to their own lives and systems.
Evidence-Based Strategies : We offer evidence-based strategies ensuring that the techniques you learn are backed by research and have a track record of success.
Mindfulness and ACT Techniques : Incorporate mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) techniques to enhance your overall approach, promoting emotional and mental well-being alongside behavioral success.
Science of ABA in Everyday Language : We break down the science of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) into everyday language, making it accessible and easy to implement, even for those new to the field.
Generalization : Now we co-develop a plan for generalizing the skills to the caregivers, across different people, situations,
Rating Scales for Easy Reporting : Our rating scales simplify the reporting process, allowing for quick and accurate assessments that can be easily communicated to others.
Culturally Responsive Practices : Our program is committed to culturally responsive practices, ensuring that strategies honor and are inclusive of diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Trauma-Informed Care : We integrate trauma-informed care principles to create a safe and supportive environment for all participants, recognizing and addressing the impact of trauma on behavior and learning.
Empowering Providers : We empower providers to show up as both learners and trusted experts in their specialty, fostering a community where continuous growth and mutual respect are prioritized.

These features are designed to support your journey in a way that feels informed, coherent and successful. Whether you are a family member or a professional, our program provides the tools and support you need to create meaningful and lasting change.

Notes on Copyright

All content provided through our service subscription, including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, images, and software, is the property of Shape our Village: A Million Possibilities and is protected by international copyright laws. Unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of this content is strictly prohibited. For permissions and inquiries, please contact Shape our Village: A Million Possibilities at (619) 940-7085 . S ubscription content in UnitusTI is restricted due to copyright and cannot be directly modified or altered and is removed entirely from the account once the subscription to the content is canceled.

What Happens to the Content if the Subscription is Canceled:

Upon cancellation, all Shape Our Village content will be removed. Data collected during the SOV subscription period will be retained if you maintain an active subscription to UnitusTI. If you choose to end all UnitusTI subscription plans and close your account, all data will be destroyed and you may export your data collection history.

How to Implement

Follow the suggested sequence or get to know the content and assign according to need. Use clinical judgment.
Start with the BCBA Onboarding sessions for professional development and preparation to showing up as a newcomer in the family village with honor, respect, and cultural humility..
Either on zoom or in person: Open up the course and start with the “Getting Started” page. Follow the videos, questions, and visuals to guide the conversation.
Capture opportunities to connect client programming and observations to the concepts and strategies.
Remember that learning occurs over time and that goes for parents too. They need time to be introduced to the concept/strategy, connect it with what is already in their repertoire including memories, emotions, etc.
Make time and space to listen to them. Don’t rush to get down to business. Sometimes just listening is an intervention.

Links to Videos

Watch these quick videos to learn how to navigate Shape Our Village, UnitusTI, and use the tools and resources provided in the "For Provider" sections.