In this inspiring episode, Dr. Jamie is joined by Natalia Santamaría, a psychoeducator and expert in Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs), who shares her powerful journey into NDBI practice and her work to bring parent-mediated, evidence-based interventions to families across Latin America. Natalia describes how her early work in Montreal led to a deep appreciation for Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) and later the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). She recalls reaching out directly to Dr. Lynn Koegel for mentorship when formal certification was financially out of reach — a bold move that shaped her trajectory. After returning to Argentina, Natalia became a driving force in translating and adapting NDBI materials into Spanish and expanding access to caregiver coaching and naturalistic intervention strategies across the region. Natalia reminds us that while research is important, accessibility matters. Her passion for culturally adapting materials and building bridges across languages shines through, offering a compelling vision for what it looks like to bring high-quality early intervention to families everywhere — not just in English-speaking or high-resource contexts.

 Episode Highlights:

• Natalia’s professional path from Argentina to Canada and back again — and how her multicultural, multilingual experiences (Spanish, English, Portuguese, French) shaped her clinical approach.

• The state of NDBI in Latin America, including the translation of the ESDM manual and the impact of Spanish-language resources on regional dissemination.

• The power of coaching over training, and how parent-mediated interventions are not just practical in low-resource settings, but essential to embedding learning in everyday family routines.

• Misconceptions about NDBI being "too unstructured" — and why it actually requires highly skilled professionals capable of balancing child-led interactions with intentional teaching and fidelity.

• Natalia’s practical recommendations for professionals interested in deepening their NDBI practice, including reading core manuals (JASPER, ESDM, Project Impact), self-assessing with fidelity tools, and building community through mentorship and shared learning spaces.

“NDBI is not easier than traditional ABA. It’s harder. You are teaching in the real world. But the beauty is that you’re building real-life skills, right from the start.”