Line Stepping
with Erika Preciado
Behavior Bites Podcast - Ep30Jan 3, 2024Have you ever been told you’re too emotional?
Do you feel like you have to remove part of yourself in order to be professional?
During today’s meal— I speak with a behavior intervention developer about their role models, how to use empathy and emotions to remove barriers with caregivers, and advice on ethical mentors. We also talk about being Scorpios and eating figs!
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Amuse-Bouche
Who are your role models and why?
Appetizers
How did you get into Behavior Analysis?
How have you combined your parenting style and behavior science while raising your two children?
Palate Cleanser
What’s your favorite dish with figs?
Entrees
What’s something you wish you could have told yourself when getting started?
What advice would you like to give based on your experiences?
Dessert
What’s an “insult” you’ve received that you’re proud of?
Excerpts from the Episode
(*Paraphrased highlights)-
My parents are both my role models and my biggest inspirations. I grew up in a traditional Mexican Catholic family where my father came to California through the amnesty at 22 and my Mom came with a passport at 12. Their immigration stories were very different. My Dad wanted to be a citizen so badly to be able to vote. I remember being 5 years old walking to the local polling site on Election Day with my Dad so he could cast his vote. He made it a point to vote every year until his death in 1993. After my father lost his battle to cancer, my Mom put my brother and me through college with no stepdad, no inheritance, no nothing. Through me, I have fulfilled their dreams of going to college. I'm glad I was able to do that for them.
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I have a lot of visual schedules and token economies that I use with them. We have a chore board and we have a reward board so everything is clear. There's no question. There's two of them, so there's always that comparison like, well, he got to do this or she got to do that. This keeps it level. This keeps it the same. So there's no question about why did he get punished? I think ABA helps with structure because there's no guessing, it's just there, it's on this whiteboard. They figure out like, is the punishment going to be worth the reward? It's up to them what they want to do. I think it's helped a lot.
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I think the most important thing when entering the field of ABA, when you're working towards your hours and towards that BCBA title, is to find a strong ethical mentor.
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I have been told that I can be too emotion driven. However, those same people have told me that they love my passion. Families have told me it's that "passion" and "emotion" that has them pair with me because no one has ever advocated for their child like I have.
ABOUT Erika
Erika Preciado, M.A.
Erika is an Angeleno who works simultaneously as a Behavior Intervention Developer (school based cases) for an ABA agency in the San Fernando Valley, and a statewide ABA agency as a Clinical Case Manager (in-home cases) in Los Angeles. Erika began her ABA career in 2018 in San Diego. In May 2020, in the midst of COVID, she moved to Los Angeles with her 2 children after accepting a mid-tier position with an ABA non-profit agency in South Central Los Angeles.
Erika is a mother and Cane Corso dog owner, who enjoys reading, walking & training her dog, as well as taking drives down to the beaches of north county San Diego. She is an active parent volunteer at both of her children’s schools within LAUSD. Erika volunteered and attended her first CalABA conference in Long Beach, CA. in March 2023.
Erika received her B.A. in American History from California State, Northridge in 2002 and her M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Loyola Marymount University in 2004. She is also an alumna of Lambda Sigma Gamma Sorority, Incorporated. Erika is currently wrapping up the last classes to complete the 5th edition tasklist at Florida Institute of Technology.
CONNECT with Erika
Instagram: @a.habitual.line.stepper 
Visit my Podcast page to learn more about Behavior Bites!
