We’re back, and we are highlighting How to ABA’s other half, Shira. Shira is sharing what brought her to the field of ABA and the journey of creating How to ABA, as well as advice for fresh BCBA’s.

I (Shira) started off on a not so straight path in my career. I was very interested in working with kids and early interventions, but the options out there just weren't for me. After leaving a physical therapy program, I began a master’s in Special Education and became a teacher. After so many experiences with hard-to-reach children and the professionals around me unable to help, I wanted to do more. A family member told me about ABA and connected me with Shayna. After getting a ton of resources for her, I did all I could and was excited about the field.

After a lot of volunteering and soaking up information about ABA, I gave birth to my third child and was able to find a job with a family, where I again reconnected with Shayna. It was then she pushed me to become a BCBA. I had three children under 5, and I was still working and pursuing my BCBA all the same time, receiving it in 2014. Throughout my early time as a BCBA I’ve worked as a home-based consultant, and now I am the director of behavior services for a private school where we have really merged ABA and education.

As I kept working with Shayna, I was always so amazed by her ability to write these programs. It took me back to discovering the field and not knowing anything and having to search all over the place for information and resources. We knew we needed to share these tools and in 2017 we started How to ABA. On our main blog, we share our unique resources and programs with our members to benefit our professional community.

I think it is so important to broaden the scope of ABA and make it more accessible for all of our caregivers and teachers. If you’re a new BCBA out there, be open-minded and try all of the resources you can. To achieve good ABA, just keep learning, keep trying new things, be fun, and be prepared.

What's Inside:

• About Host Shira Karpel 
• What is ABA?
• Making ABA more relevant and accessible.
• The importance of unique resources and approaches.
• Merging ABA and Education.

Mentioned In This Episode:

HowToABA.com
How to ABA on YouTube
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