In this episode, Ben Reiman speaks with Pragya Shrestha Pradhan, a parent, founder, advocate, and behaviour analyst working to expand autism and ABA services in Nepal. Pragya describes how her daughter Avaani’s autism diagnosis introduced her to a world of limited services, long waitlists, and cultural stigma around disability. That experience eventually led her to training in India, involvement in parent education, the founding of Avaani Foundation, and later her certification as a behaviour analyst. The conversation covers autism awareness in Nepal, the challenges of developing ABA services where trained professionals are scarce, the importance of parent training, and the difficulty of implementing intervention within extended family systems. Pragya also discusses collaboration with other professionals, concerns about ABA being offered without proper training or supervision, and her vision for university-level behaviour analysis education and future service development in Nepal. In This EpisodePragya Shrestha Pradhan’s journey from parent to professionalAvaani’s diagnosis and early intervention experienceAutism awareness and stigma in NepalThe founding and growth of Avaani FoundationCultural considerations in ABA and parent trainingChallenges with limited professionals and access to servicesCollaboration with schools, families, therapists, doctors, and universitiesThe need for culturally responsive ABA models in NepalBuilding local capacity through education, supervision, and trainingWatch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/iD5UjGWmrOEContinuing Education Credits (https://www.cbiconsultants.com/shop)BACB: 1.0 EthicsIBAO:  1.0 CulturalQABA: 1.0 EthicsCBA/CPD: 1.0 Cultural DiversityFollow us!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/behaviourspeak/LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/behaviourspeakTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@behaviorspeak LinksPragya Pradhan on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/pragya-shrestha-pradhan-003406181/Avaani Foundationhttps://www.avaanifoundation.org/Autism Care Nepal Societyhttps://autismnepal.org/Related Episodes:Autism Advocacy in Pakistan with Dr. Shumyla Noreenhttps://www.behaviourspeak.com/e/episode-204-autism-advocacy-in-pakistan-with-shumyla-noreen-bcaba-iba/