Center-based learning can feel overwhelming in ABA and self-contained classrooms—especially when staffing is tight, learner needs vary widely, and data collection feels nonstop. In this episode, Caitlin and Audra break down how to actually run centers in an ABA classroom without burning out your staff or your students. From staffing rotations to flexible grouping, this conversation focuses on practical, realistic ways to make center-based learning work in real classrooms.

🔑 Key Takeaways
• Centers ≠ small group instruction 📍—they serve different purposes and need different planning.
• Not every learner needs intensive teaching at the same time—shrinking DTT groups reduces pressure and chaos.
• Plan staff and student rotations intentionally 🔄—rotate people, not just activities, to prevent burnout.
• Structured play is work for many learners 🎲—design play centers with intention and support.
• Start small 🧩—introduce centers in short bursts before increasing expectations or duration.
• It’s okay to pause data collection 📊—focus on routines and transitions first when rolling out centers.

📦 Resources Mentioned
• Related Episodes:
Ep. 9 Superhero Skills to Battle Burnout → https://abainschool.com/ep9
Misfit Minute 17 How to Make Transitions Easier for Students with Autism → https://abainschool.com/mm17
• Misfit Behaviorists Facebook Group → https://abainschool.com/misfits
• The Misfit Behaviorists Podcast → https://abainschool.com
• School-Based BCBA & Teacher Resources → https://abainschool.com or https://beltransbehaviorbasics.com/

🙌 Join Us & Share
• How do you structure centers in your ABA or self-contained classroom?
• What’s worked—or totally flopped—for your team?
• Share your ideas in the Misfit Behaviorists Facebook Group → https://abainschool.com/misfits

• Know a teacher or BCBA struggling with centers? Send them this episode 💙

Join the Facebook group for collaboration and freebies: The Misfit Behaviorists

😍 More, you say? We’re here for you!

• Apple podcast | The Misfit Behaviorists
• Instagram | @‌themisfitbehaviorists
• YouTube | @‌themisfitbehaviorists

👋 Find us!

• Audra | ABA in School
• Caitlin | Beltran’s Behavior Basics
• Sami | B.A.S.S.

🖱️ Rate, Review, Like & Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Showing this love helps us get out to more educators out there!

Talking with families about hard things is part of the job—but it doesn’t have to feel awkward, cold, or overly clinical. In this Misfit Minute, Caitlin shares four practical tips for sharing difficult behavior updates, regressions, or service concerns with families in a way that builds trust and keeps the relationship collaborative. The goal isn’t to deliver “bad news.” It’s to partner with families and open the door to problem-solving together.

🔑 Key Takeaways
• Start with a strength or shared goal 🌱—ground the conversation in what’s working and what you’re working toward together.
• Be direct, but kind—objective language builds clarity without blame.
• Drop the jargon 🧠—families don’t need deficit-heavy or technical language to understand concerns.
• Invite collaboration 🤝—ask what they’re seeing and frame concerns as a shared problem to solve.

📦 Resources Mentioned
• Join the Misfit Behaviorists Facebook Group → https://abainschool.com/misfits
• The Misfit Behaviorists Podcast → https://abainschool.com
• School-Based BCBA & Teacher Resources → https://abainschool.com or https://beltransbehaviorbasics.com/

🙌 Join Us & Share
• How do you share difficult updates with families while keeping trust intact?
• Drop your strategies in the Misfit Behaviorists Facebook Group → https://abainschool.com/misfits
• Share this episode with a teammate navigating a tough family conversation this week

Join the Facebook group for collaboration and freebies: The Misfit Behaviorists

😍 More, you say? We’re here for you!

• Apple podcast | The Misfit Behaviorists
• Instagram | @‌themisfitbehaviorists
• YouTube | @‌themisfitbehaviorists

👋 Find us!

• Audra | ABA in School
• Caitlin | Beltran’s Behavior Basics
• Sami | B.A.S.S.

🖱️ Rate, Review, Like & Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Showing this love helps us get out to more educators out there!

Ever feel like your BCBA schedule is just one long game of “calendar Tetris”? Between driving to in-home sessions, juggling billable hours, supervising staff, and trying to have a life outside of work, it can feel impossible to fit it all in.

In this episode, Audra and Caitlin break down 10 practical, doable strategies to help you build a sustainable schedule—whether you’re clinic-based, school-based, or driving from house to house—without sacrificing supervision quality or your own sanity.

🔑 Key Takeaways
• Plan backwards from priorities. Start with non-negotiables (IEPs, supervision, contract hours, family time). Protect those boundaries before adding anything else.
• Stop nickel-and-diming your time. Say “let’s debrief later” instead of responding to every hallway request. Constant yes-ing leads straight to burnout.
• Cluster your work. Group by location, building, or grade level to cut down on travel and get more quality time where it matters.
• Build in buffer time. Avoid back-to-back scheduling. Use small breaks to wrap data, reset materials, and mentally transition.
• Theme your days. Assign predictable “observation,” “feedback,” or “planning” days to make unstructured tasks easier to manage.
• Use hybrid & overlapping supervision. Mix in-person and telehealth when appropriate, and overlap tasks (observation + data review) when allowed.
• Enter with a focus. Know your purpose before you walk in—modeling, feedback, goal review, or program check—and prep staff so everyone’s aligned.
• Reinforce staff intentionally. Use specific praise, tailor feedback style to each person, and follow up with quick notes to build strong relationships.
• Use tools that fit you (and your team). Digital or paper—organize systems in ways that make efficiency possible and accessible for everyone.
• Protect your own reinforcement. Schedule admin time, hold boundaries, unplug when needed, and prioritize mental stamina so you can do ethical, effective work.

📦 Resources & Links
• Grab the 10 Tips visual → https://abainschool.com/reg7
• Related Episodes:
Battling Staff Burnout → https://abainschool.com/ep9
Managing paras → https://abainschool.com/ep47
• Join the Misfit Behaviorists Facebook Group → https://abainschool.com/misfits

🤝 Join Us
💬 Tell us your best tip for managing travel time. Drop your thoughts in the Misfit Behaviorists Facebook Group.
🎧 Subscribe on YouTube or your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode.
📢 Know a BCBA or teacher drowning in their schedule? Send them this episode so they know they’re not alone.

Join the Facebook group for collaboration and freebies: The Misfit Behaviorists

😍 More, you say? We’re here for you!

• Apple podcast | The Misfit Behaviorists
• Instagram | @‌themisfitbehaviorists
• YouTube | @‌themisfitbehaviorists

👋 Find us!

• Audra | ABA in School
• Caitlin | Beltran’s Behavior Basics
• Sami | B.A.S.S.

🖱️ Rate, Review, Like & Subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! Showing this love helps us get out to more educators out there!