Author Archives: The World of Autism

Interview with Desiree Campos as CEO of Abel’s Dream Foundation

Did you know there are organizations out there in the world to help families with neurodiverse children and adults? Meet Desiree Campos: Desiree Campos is a CEO of Abel’s Dream Foundation. Her non-profit organization became a resource and service for families with neurodiverse children and adults based on her own experiences as a parent forContinue reading “Interview with Desiree Campos as CEO of Abel’s Dream Foundation”

Involve ALL stakeholders for success

Did you know people who are in direct contact with neurodiverse people have the right to be a part of their services? If you have a neurodiverse child/adult who receives services within an individualized education plan (IEP) at school or has a behavior intervention plan (BIP) within their ABA therapy services in and out ofContinue reading “Involve ALL stakeholders for success”

Interview with Christine Dodaj as CEO and founder of SpEd Connect

Did you know there are resources and services to help parents navigate special education in school districts throughout the United States? Meet Christine Dodaj: Christine Dodaj is the CEO and founder of SpEd Connect. Her missionwith SpEd Connect is to help families of neurodiverse children and adults navigate special education in school districts throughout theContinue reading “Interview with Christine Dodaj as CEO and founder of SpEd Connect”

IEPs V.S 504 plans

Did you know students with disabilities can either receive an individualized education plan (IEP) or a 504 plan? There is a big difference between these two education plans, so they must be really be considered based on the student’s individual needs in the education system. I will dive deeper into the differences between these twoContinue reading “IEPs V.S 504 plans”

Let’s play!

Did you know play incorporates various skills and helps autistic people learn their natural environment? In fact, there are different types of play: By engaging in play, it helps autistic people out with their friendships. Not only that, play helps autistic people develop social interactions with others cooperatively and competitively; communicate needs and wants; strategizeContinue reading “Let’s play!”

Build and develop rapport

Remember the blog story I wrote earlier this month about the power of friendships? It all starts from building and developing rapport. No matter if you are an autistic self advocate, a teacher, a parent, a therapist, etc, building a trusting and positive relationship is key for success in life. Trust and empathy can beContinue reading “Build and develop rapport”

Interview with Alyssa Latham as a behavior analyst and parent coach

Did you know behavior analysts who provide parent training in the ABA field? Meet Alyssa Latham: Alyssa Latham has over 10 years of experience working with neurodiverse people of all ages as a behavior analyst. After working with big ABA companies for so long, she made the change and created her own ABA consulting businessContinue reading “Interview with Alyssa Latham as a behavior analyst and parent coach”

Battle of tantrums vs meltdowns

I cannot tell you how many times that tantrums and meltdowns get mixed up by parents, professionals, teachers, etc. From my experiences as an autistic, I want to break down the similarities and differences between tantrums and meltdowns: Tantrums: goal-oriented (function or reason) and can be reduced by teaching communication or replacement behaviors. Meltdowns: caused byContinue reading “Battle of tantrums vs meltdowns”

Reinforcement vs Punishment

Did you know we use reinforcement and punishment all of the time, not just in ABA therapy? Reinforcement and punishment are used everywhere to shape our own behaviors. In ABA therapy sessions with autistic clients, reinforcement is used more so than punishment because behavior analysts and RBTs (Registered Behavior Technicians) are focused on strengthening behaviorsContinue reading “Reinforcement vs Punishment”