Influential Woman · Behavior Specialist Autism

Katie R.

Behavioral Specialist for Children with Autism / Registered Behavioral Technician, --

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor's Degree in Digital Media and Communication Cert Registered Behavioral Technician

Her Story

About Katie

My journey to becoming a behavioral specialist has been unconventional but deeply meaningful. I originally went to school for digital media and communication, and after graduating with my bachelor's degree, I found it very hard to consistently have gigs in digital design. During the day, I would work in education - whether that was being an after-school teacher, substitute teacher, working at a daycare center, or even as a nanny. I loved working with children so much and was always babysitting for family members. My nephew has autism, and my cousin would constantly call me to help her around the house with him. At some point, it just made sense to combine working in education specifically with individuals who have autism. That's how I came to be at the school I currently work at, and it's so beautiful and rewarding working with them each and every day. Although I'm not like my peers who went to university and studied from start to finish how to work with special needs children, whether in education or the clinical side like speech therapy or behavioral therapy, my coming to be into this school means that I have just a more different approach. But I work really well with these kids, and I've seen a lot of growth and changes within them. In this school specifically, I've been there 2 years, and as a behavioral specialist just one year. I can't tell you how rewarding it is to work with them - they're so precious.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Katie

01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I would say to pace yourself and have a routine. For me, it always works best to have a way to release all this energy that comes about, because it's a type of work where you give a lot of yourself to these kids. Each and every day when I show up, I make sure I show up as my best self. So outside of work, I'm at church, I'm going to yoga on Saturday mornings, I'm doing leisurely activities. It's so mellow and chill, and that's kind of the vibe I want to bring when I'm working with these children. I'm known as one of the calmest co-workers at the job site, so that's just how I do things. It definitely helps alleviate the stress. You definitely do get a lot back out of these kids though.

02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

As an opportunity, I definitely see that since there's a lot more awareness coming about for the autistic community and everyone with special needs, I see a lot of opportunities in future careers and working in this field. I've seen how different types of therapies are being implemented - art therapy was an example I gave, speech therapy is another - but there's starting to be a higher demand with employers looking for employees. That is one way to really move up the ladder because there's an abundance of opportunities here. The difficulty I see is that if you're not necessarily familiar with children with special needs, it may be hard to fully understand and grasp what you're doing. I've seen how there's a local college that allows nurses or students that are in training to be a nurse or medical professional to come into this school and visit on a tour with their university and professor alongside the principal of our school, just so they get exposure to what different types of clients they may have. Now since there's so much awareness to this population, there's lots of schools and programs that are training the up-and-coming professionals to be aware and to have sensitivity behind them. So when they're in their industry, respectively, they know how to work with people with special needs.

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