Happy 4th of July! We hope you’re staying warm in the heat this summer. Need a feel good story to get you through it? Check out our “People Making a Difference” story below!
Here’s what we’re reading!
Check out what the Rethink BH team is reading this month!
Erin Mayberry, Director of Community Engagement: Muluneh, M.G. (2021). Impact of climate change on biodiversity and food security: a global perspective – a review article. Agriculture and Food Security, 10:36.
Nick Green, unofficial Data Unicorn: Nightingale Magazine, Issue 3 – The journal of the Data Visualization Society.
Employee Spotlight
Joy Helsel, Customer Success Manager
Lives in: Mount Joy, PA
Family: 1 cat, 1 dog, 2 children
Favorite Food: any kind of seafood
Favorite Food: Beatles
If you could be any superhero, who would you be and why? Professor X, so that I could read minds.
Favorite place you’ve traveled: I just got back from Puerto Rico so that is probably my new favorite. My husband’s uncle, whom we were very close to, just passed away and he was from PR, so it was very special to be able to travel there just before his passing. It is also an amazingly beautiful island.
People Making a Difference
Jen & Caleb
In April, Rethink shared stories on our ABA After Hours podcast from professionals and families impacted by autism to celebrate Autism Awareness & Acceptance Month. One of those families was Jen and Caleb, a mother-and-son duo living in rural Virginia.
When we initially reached out to invite Jen and Caleb to our podcast, Jen regretfully declined, saying she did not think they were a good fit as Caleb was 13 years old and had never received ABA services, despite being on waiting lists for several years with local companies. We thought this was just as important to share, as children with autism living in rural areas of the U.S. are less likely to receive timely and medically necessary treatment. Caleb joined our podcast and told his story, saying he wished his classmates would not be rude, and that thinking differently is ok. His mom shared that one of her biggest concerns was the lack of education of the school staff on special education and autism in general. She said beyond her son, there were countless children being pushed aside through a lack of resources in their community. Rethink was able to share parent resources with her and even connected her with an ABA company with availability, but the company was unfortunately not a fit due to their extremely rural location.
A few weeks after the podcast aired, Jen reached out to update us that she had been emailing their state governor about the lack of resources in schools in her community. She shared the podcast and received a response from the governor’s office and the Virginia Board of Education offering assistance and considering training and education for public school employees.
Since then, Jen has shared the podcast with others, and through that has been connected with a behavioral health organization with immediate openings. In her last IEP meeting, she was able to successfully advocate for and secure a full time aide for Caleb next school year, extended school time to allow him to complete assignments virtually as needed, and a behavior plan including scheduled breaks, staff responses to identified triggers, and communication strategies for both him and his school staff.
Jen and Caleb remind us that Autism Awareness and Acceptance are just the first step in Action and Accountability. Thank you for sharing your story with us, Jen and Caleb! You are truly remarkable!
"Find a cure for allergies, be happy, have many different jobs - be a police officer dressed like Spiderman, a plumber like Mario, a paleontologist, and a Ghostbuster!"
July 2023 Events
5 Ways to Boost Staff Productivity Using ABA
July 13th @ 1:00 pm ET
Authorized hours left on the table due to low staff productivity can greatly impact client progress, your company’s finances, and parent satisfaction. Melissa Druskis, founder & CEO of ABC Behavior Training, will show you how to improve your staff’s productivity by using strategic systems of training, performance monitoring, and reinforcement.
Radical Values
July 18th @ 1:00 pm ET
Explore the impact of misalignments in personal and professional values as an underlying cause of perpetual burnout among ABA professionals on the next episode of Our Next Guest. Portia James, Founder & CEO of Behavior Genius, joins Dr. Bridget Taylor to discuss how we can pinpoint misalignments and take actionable steps toward reducing burnout.
Women in Behavior Analysis
July 20th – 21st, Nashville, TN
We’re excited to be part of the Women in Behavior Analysis conference again this year! We’ll be showcasing women’s talents and previewing our BH Analytics module at our booth. Stop by to learn more and show off your unique talents
In Case You Missed It
Selective Eating Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Our Next Guest hosted Dr. Keith Williams in June to discuss strategies for picky eaters.
ABA After Hours podcast
There are 2 new episodes of the ABA After Hours podcast featuring Dr. Pete Gerhardt and Dr. Keith Williams. Get caught up on Quality of Life with Individuals with ASD and strategies for increasing diet variety in picky eaters.
Available wherever you get your podcasts!
July Feature Updates
This month, Rethink is planning to release the following new features and feature enhancements. Be on the lookout for emails and updates in our Facebook User Group for more information!
- UnArchive appointments
