First thing’s first

When I started my first position working with individuals with developmental disabilities, I didn’t know what ABA stood for. I didn’t want to move back to New York after completing my undergraduate degree and took the first job that was offered to me. I thought I’d work at the New England Center for Children for a year or two while I bolstered my resume and experience for medical school, a dream I’d had since I was a child. But then I learned about ABA.

One of the last cases I worked on while I was at the New England Center was with a nine-year-old boy who had recently been outplaced from his local school district. After having managed his case for almost a year, his mother told me that he needed to get bloodwork done in a few weeks and asked if there was something I could do to help. Each day, I worked with him to get used to the steps of a blood draw: he’d sit in a big chair, roll up his sleeve, and let someone tie an elastic around his bicep. I was able to accompany him to the appointment when it was time for him to get his blood drawn for real. I doubt I will ever forget how proud of him I was when he jumped into the chair, rolled up his sleeve, and stuck out his arm for the phlebotomist. She looked at me wide-eyed as she tied the elastic around his arm and prepared the needle. He then began talking about his weekend plans and that he was going to go to Maine with his brothers to visit his family. It was a career-changing moment to see how successful someone could be when effort and support was provided.

I saw how Applied Behavior Analysis could improve the lives of not only the children and adolescents I was working with but their families as well. Three years after my “temporary job”, I was graduating with a Master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis and moving to Qatar for a lead teacher position. Previously, I had worked with children and adolescents in the residential or school setting, without much interaction with families or influence on “real world” problems. That year abroad helped me realize that I wanted to spend more of my time helping families eat a meal together or play a board game together.

I’ve now been working in both home and community-based settings for four years and enjoy watching my clients make progress and learn new skills as well as seeing parents implement more effective strategies. My hope for this website is to provide useful strategies for parent training and solutions to day-to-day challenges.