Episode 21: What Makes NDBIs Work? Core Components, Active Ingredients & Real-World Impact

In this episode of The NDBI Navigator Podcast, 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.