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Episode 21
What Makes NDBIs Work? Core Components, Active Ingredients & Real-World Impact
About This Episode
In this episode, Dr. Jamie sits down with Dr. Kyle Frost, Assistant Professor at UMass Chan Medical School and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, to explore her research focused on optimizing early intervention for young autistic children. Dr. Frost’s work bridges research and practice, with an emphasis on improving the effectiveness, fit, feasibility, and equity of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) in community settings. Together, they discuss Kyle’s development of the NDBI-Fi, a fidelity tool designed to assess the shared components across various NDBI models, and explore its potential in research, training, and implementation. The conversation also highlights her ongoing studies on the active ingredients that make NDBIs effective, as well as practical strategies for supporting their scaling and sustainability in real-world environments. A spotlight is placed on Reciprocal Imitation Teaching (RIT) as an exemplar of a focused NDBI that is both accessible and effective.
What Makes NDBIs Work? Core Components, Active Ingredients & Real-World Impact
Dr. Kyle Frost
About Our Guest Speaker
Dr. Kyle Frost
Dr. Kyle Frost is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UMass Chan Medical School and a clinical psychologist dedicated to advancing early intervention for young autistic children. She earned her PhD in Psychology from Michigan State University and completed her clinical psychology internship at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Frost’s clinical expertise lies in supporting families through parent-mediated interventions and coaching models for children with autism spectrum disorder. Her research focuses on early social communication interventions, the implementation of evidence-based practices in real-world settings, and promoting equity in service access for diverse communities. Her work bridges developmental science and implementation research to ensure that interventions are not only effective—but also feasible, scalable, and accessible to those who need them most.
Show Notes
In this episode, Dr. Jamie sits down with Dr. Kyle Frost, Assistant Professor at UMass Chan Medical School and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, to explore her research focused on optimizing early intervention for young autistic children. Dr. Frost’s work bridges research and practice, with an emphasis on improving the effectiveness, fit, feasibility, and equity of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs) in community settings. Together, they discuss Kyle’s development of the NDBI-Fi, a fidelity tool designed to assess the shared components across various NDBI models, and explore its potential in research, training, and implementation. The conversation also highlights her ongoing studies on the active ingredients that make NDBIs effective, as well as practical strategies for supporting their scaling and sustainability in real-world environments. A spotlight is placed on Reciprocal Imitation Teaching (RIT) as an exemplar of a focused NDBI that is both accessible and effective.
Episode Highlights:
NDBIs share common features rooted in developmental science, applied behavior analysis, and naturalistic interaction.
The NDBI-Fi helps identify and measure core strategies that cut across different intervention models.
Scaling NDBIs requires attention to fit, feasibility, and equity in real-world settings—not just controlled trials.
Focused models like Reciprocal Imitation Teaching (RIT) offer clear, practical strategies for promoting spontaneous imitation and engagement.
Implementation research can help identify what elements are essential for positive outcomes and what can be adapted for flexibility.
Favorite Quote:
“The goal is not just to have interventions that work—but interventions that work in the settings where families live and providers work.”
—Dr. Kyle Frost
Episode Resources
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