About The Owner
About The Owner
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Hello! I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself so you know a little more about the person behind the vision for Learning My Way ABA. My Name is Desiree Lawrence. I was born and raised in Southern California. I grew up in a large family and was very active in team sports. I met my husband in high school and we have been together for almost 20 years. Together we have 3 sons ages 16, 13, 5, and 1 daughter, 6 months. We moved from California to Florida in 2012 to embark on a new adventure. In 2021 we moved to Maryland to pour into our passion and business. We now are prepared to settle in North Carolina to be closer to family and watch out children graduate high school and prepare for adulthood.
I studied psychology at California State University, San Bernardino and received my Bachelor’s degree in 2011. After graduation, I started working as an in-home therapist working with children on the autism spectrum. In 2012, my family relocated from California to Florida and I continued working in the field of ABA, this time working in a specialized school for children diagnosed with autism and other developmental delays. In 2013, I started working in a private school and clinic based facility for individuals with autism. In 2014, I was in church when God’s vision was shared with me to open a school for children with autism. I completed my Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Sage Colleges, Albany, New York, in August 2016, just 4 weeks before giving birth to our 3rd son. I sat and passed the Board exam in November 2016 and accepted my first client in August 2019.
During my undergraduate studies, I learned that my children were in need of speech and language services and it helped me to seek access to early intervention services. I remember my son had an early interventionist that would come to the house and work to teach him how to speak. After 6 months of her coming, he said “dada” for the first time, just after his 3rd birthday. That moment was a large part of the reason I have stepped into this field. I wanted to give hope to parents the same way it was given to me. I saw the love and compassion the therapist had when she worked with my child. Some days she would come in so frazzled and it took her an extra moment to get her thoughts together, but when she was ready, she gave her time and attention in trying to make sure my child learned at least 1 new thing by the time she left. It took 6 months for her work to pay out and we celebrated as if he had just given his first presidential speech when all his little voice said was “dada”. That is the joy I chase, the hope I wish to bring to the families I serve and the experience I pray touches each of my staff for the rest of their lives.
I am very passionate about serving my learners and helping them to reach new goals. I love empowering parents to get in there and learn and partnering with my staff to develop in them the same love I have for making a positive impact and difference in the lives of individuals with autism. I am so proud of the services we give at Learning My Way ABA and proud of the team that supports the vision.
Hayley completed her Bachelor's Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Florida State University. She was originally pursuing Speech Language Pathology, but decided to switch career paths before starting her Masters Degree. Hayley's brother and cousin both have an Autism diagnosis, and after seeing how beneficial Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) could be for those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), this quickly sparked her interest in becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). While pursuing her Masters in Special Education and later while completing her BCBA, Hayley worked as a registered behavior technician (RBT). Hayley worked as an RBT for 5 years and worked with clients of all age ranges. Hayley completed her Masters Degree in Special Education with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis from The University of North Florida. In May 2019, Hayley received her BCBA and has been a BCBA Supervisor for the last two and a half years. As of May 2022, Hayley has been working diligently as our Clinical Coordinator at Learning My Way ABA. Hayley enjoys working with our team to improve the lives of our clients and client families and takes a special interest in training and professional development for those pursuing the ABA field.
Tigist joined learning My Way ABA in 2019. From a very young age, Tigist has had a desire to work with children of all ages. Her career goal was to work with underprivileged at-risk children and young adults, particularly, those who have been diagnosed with behavioral and or emotional disabilities. She developed a love for working with children with autism when she was an undergrad student interning at the Autism Center. She was so amazed by the progress the students made with the services they received, and was inspired to learn more about ABA.
Tigist received her BA in Special Needs Education and went on to gain a Master’s in Clinical Psychology. She enjoys working with early intervention clients and is committed to helping them reach their fullest potential.
Tigist joined Learning My Way ABA in 2019 as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) and
provided direct service support to family and staff to help children achieve their goals. Tigist feels that it is an honor to learn from the children she works with and is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of their lives. In 2022, Tigist became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and is now one of Learning My Way ABA’s supervising Analysts.
Tigist says “I am grateful to my company for the opportunities provided to achieve my goals and grow in the field. I love working at LMW because I share the vision and everyone is dedicated to the mission. I love that I have a great degree of control and freedom within my job, and I like the autonomy I have because it allows me to innovate, be creative and educate myself to be the best practitioner in the field.”
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