In the beginning of my coursework, I had the opportunity to be placed at Epicenter ABA Therapy where I worked with autistic kids from ages 2 to 6. Through observation and supervised application, I was able to learn methodologies which align with practices of Applied Behavior Analysis one-on-one with a child. I also learned to document on their data collection system the progress of the child I worked with. Lastly, through my observations and practice under a supervisor, I was able to earn my Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) License (see below for certification).

In the fall of 2021, I had the chance to work at Fit Learning to gain practical experience as a part of a course. While there I started to read about learned about how the coaches applied the methods of precision teaching to help kids who are in school improve their fluency in a variety of areas such as reading, writing, problem solving, math. They even asssit younger children who are just entering formal schooling to improve fluency on areas such as listening, understanding, following instructions.

You can click here to look at an artifact which discusses Precision Teaching and how it applied in the context of my Fit Learning observation experience.

In the spring of 2022, I was placed at Tremont Montessori. During this time I atttended and observed virtual meetings which consisted of Student Study Team (SST) meetings, initial and follow-up Evaluation Team Report (ETR) meetings, Behavior Plan meetings,  initial IEP meetings as well as follow-up meetings and IEP reviews for children who qualified for school-based services. I also was able to observe the roles of different professionals (parents, teachers, speechlLanguage pathologiests, occupational therapists, and school psychologist) and how they each contributed to the meetings to get a more wholistic view of the child's progress in and outside of academia, as well as collaborated to determine next best steps for the child.

You can click here to look at an artifact which reflects on some of my observations on attending meetings while at Tremont Montessori.

In the summer, I had the opportunity to take part in Parent-Toddler Group therapy sessions. During this time, I worked alongside two peers and was supervised under a speech language pathologist for the month of June in a setting where we utilized natural language strategies based in Hanen Centre principles to help foster language in children who have speech delays. In these weekly 90-minute sessions my peers and I would guide free play, a planned activity, and snack time in accordance with a lesson plan that we had collaborated on. I was also able to observe other sessions consisting of a different group of peers to note the developmental milestones of the toddlers and improve on my own skills by watching peers.

You can click here to look at an artifact that shows a lesson plan which I, along with other peers, worked on for Parent-Toddler Group, or here to look at a reflection of my progress working with kids in the Parent-Toddler Group using responsive teaching strategies.

In the summer and fall of 2022, I was placed with a developmental specialist at the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities. During this time, I attended home visits to help educate parents and model age-appropriate interactions with kids to foster communication according to the goals set up in the IFSP. I also attended virtual IFSP meetings for incoming families where my supervisor was the primary service provider, and in-person team meetings to observe how interprofessional team collaboration is utilized to better serve families within the Cuyahoga County.