Sometimes in life, our tragedies turn out to be our calling.

 

Background 

 

I resigned my full-time profession in order to care for my now young adult Autistic daughter full-time. I now work on a independently contracted basis. I have over 10  years as a  Behavior Specialist where  I supported adults who have Special Needs, Autism, and related Developmental Delays.  I previously worked as a Service Coordinator for the Early Intervention Program, an independently contracted ABA Therapist, and as an Information and Outreach Specialist.   I assisted with the facilitation of an Undergraduate Autism course at both Queens College and CUNY City College. I was the keynote speaker at the 2007 Queens Council on Developmental Disabilities Family Support Conference.  I have ten years of experience facilitating parent support groups, parent workshops, and providing guidance to families on a one-on-one basis in order to train them how to navigate services in the community for their child/ren. I helped provide staff training on Autism sensitivity to the Queens Child Advocacy Center.  I founded and managed the  Queens County Parents Autism Coalition, Inc. (QCPAC) that is a support network for families who have children with Autism.

 

I have a Bachelor's Degree in Business from the University of Phoenix and a Masters Degree of Science with a concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) from Kaplan University. However, my most prized accomplishment  is that I am the parent of a spunky and outgoing daughter who has Autism. "There is a never dull day in our household" is an understatement. My daughter is my 3rd child of my total 4 children. 

 

I believe that a big part of effectively advocating for your child is to be educated and empowered in all aspects of the lifestyle so that you can, in turn, teach and empower other families.  Autism can be a long and lonely road. My goal is to help families by providing them with the resources they need, connecting them with other families, and to teach their children the appropriate life skills they require in order to become as independent as possible.

 

I am so grateful to my Autism family. To view photos of past events visit: https://qcpacevents.shutterfly.com/