On this episode, Amanda is joined by Dr. Melissa Welch, a youth advocate for the Arc of Larimer County. Melissa has a PhD in Sociology from the University of South Florida and over ten years of experience working in everything from early childhood to higher education. Together, they discuss what being a youth advocate means, the importance of individuals on the spectrum having a youth advocate, and how you or your child can find one in your own community.

The Arc of Larimer County promotes and protects the civil rights and overall wellbeing of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through individual and systems advocacy and education to foster lifelong inclusion in every aspect of community life.

https://thearcoflarimercounty.org/

On this episode, in celebration of Autism Acceptance Month, Amanda got to interview Dr. Patti Weiss. Dr. Weiss specializes in neuropsychological assessments for middle and high school students and also tests young adults for ADD/ADHD and various other focusing/concentration difficulties. In addition, she works with teens and adults with concussion histories as well as personal injury cases. Together, they discussed teen diagnoses, why it's important to get one, how to navigate it, and common recommendations.

If you have any questions or would like to see a topic or guest on a future episode, please email [email protected].

Dr. Patti Weiss' Website

To contact her: Call (415) 816-6185 or email [email protected].

On this episode, in celebration of Autism Acceptance Month, Amanda got to interview Dr. Patti Weiss. Dr. Weiss specializes in neuropsychological assessments for middle and high school students and also tests young adults for ADD/ADHD and various other focusing/concentration difficulties. In addition, she works with teens and adults with concussion histories as well as personal injury cases. Together, they discussed teen diagnoses, why it's important to get one, how to navigate it, and common recommendations. 

If you have any questions or would like to see a topic or guest on a future episode, please email [email protected].

Dr. Patti Weiss' Website

To contact her: Call (415) 816-6185 or email [email protected].

On this episode, Amanda Scoggins interviews Dr. Melinda Docter, assistant professor and ABA coordinator for Northcentral University. They discuss NCU's ABA program, the benefits of choosing their program, and the amazing partnership between Kadiant and NCU that will help grow and develop the number of accredited BCBAs.

Northcentral University's:

Website

Twitter

LinkedIn

On this very special episode of ITAV, special host Nikki, a Lead Behavior Tech in Portland, is joined by Jeremy, a Program Supervisor in Atlanta, and Sharon, a BCBA in Sac. Together, they share their experiences working for Kadiant, working in healthcare during the COVID era, their thoughts on the term "BIPOC," and on being unapologetically, vulnerably, and authentically Black.

These 3 had many pages of topics they wanted to speak on, and they only were able to touch upon a few! Keep an eye out for them as they return to talk more about being Black professionals in the ABA field, the accessibility of ABA in the Black community, and a variety of other important topics.

On this episode, Amanda interviews Kadiant team member Nikki Robinson, a senior behavior technician in our Pacific Northwest region. She shares with Amanda and our listeners her experiences of being a Black professional in the ABA field, the barriers she's had to overcome to get where she is now, and how far many agencies and other professionals in the field have come in helping create a more equitable environment. She also candidly shares her personal thoughts on what else needs to change in order to reach that equity.

Please note: we understand Nikki is only one individual, and we don't expect her to speak for the entire Black community. We encourage our listeners to do the work and listen to your Black friends and coworkers in order to help address some of the important issues discussed in this episode.

If you have any questions or would like a specific topic discussed on our podcast, please reach out to [email protected].