The ABA Spark
When I was around 12 years old, I knew I wanted to help people. My grandfather was very ill and I would help my grandma take care of him. I always knew I wanted to work with children because my adopted mom worked with children so I was always around them. I am the oldest out of a total of 5 biological siblings and 3 more adopted, so taking care of children has always been a part of my life.
The two youngest biological siblings I have are on the autism spectrum. When they were both about 4 years old, they both were in ABA. Now, they are teenagers and they haven’t needed ABA in years.
The Training Behind Becoming a Psychiatric Technician
I wanted to learn about the mind and how it worked, especially with mental illness and learning disabilities. So, I went through a psychiatric technician trainee program. I worked with adults with severe mental illness, but I still wanted to work with children.
Getting to Do the Work
When I was 21, I stumbled upon an ad for a Behavioral Technician position. I didn’t think I had any of the qualifications, however I still applied. Lo and behold, I got the job and immediately fell in love with the work. I struggled at first, learning the ropes and figuring out what each child needed from me. When I started getting the hang of it and the children showed progress, all of the hard work paid off. I felt like I was making the difference I set out to make when I was 12.
I continue to see the change I am making in these children’s lives and their parents and I want to continue to do the work needed to help these children have a brighter future.
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