About Barb
I am proudly a consultant, an author, and a trainer. Without having autism myself, I consider myself an expert in helping people better understand autism processing. The true experts are Autistic individuals themselves. Throughout my career, I have had wonderful relationships with autistic children, teens, and adults and am now passing along my expertise to others. By consulting and training parents and teams, I can help others understand the beauty and complexity of autism which leads to better quality of living at home and in the community (for all of us, by the way). It is important to me to maintain relationships and support to autistic individuals directly for my own continued growth and understanding.
I received my undergraduate degree in Psychology from the beautiful University of California at Santa Cruz, my graduate degree at the University of Oregon. I fell in love with the Northwest and now live at the base of Mt Hood near Portland, Oregon with my partner. My son is an adult now and lives and works on the East Coast as a musician. I am enjoying the more mobile living where I can work anywhere - traveling for consulting, trainings, and family, as needed.
My Background
Education
I received my Undergraduate Degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz where I studied Psychology with an emphasis in child, family, and psychopathologies. I then received my Masters Degree from the University of Oregon, where I studied Developmental Disabilities with an emphasis in early childhood development.
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Certificates
I held my teaching degree for several years before shifting to supporting and guiding families outside of the school system through Relationship Development Intervention (certification held from 2007-2017). I hold my Level 1 certification in Gottman Couples Counseling support as well as Life Coaching Certification. Additionally, I hold my Oregon Intervention System certificate which is Oregon's behavior support standard.
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Specialization
I meet people where they are in learning about autism. Some wish to be guided to understand why their children behave certain ways, others want to teach specific skills but need to understand processing to teach optimally - still others wish to better understand themselves. I specialize in listening and guiding from each person's individual learning style and needs. My specialty is helping people feel heard.
Who I Help
I help teams, parents, and individuals better understand autism processing and how to make connections more successful. I am here to help anyone surrounding someone on spectrum to appreciate and support them to greater independence and success in social connections now and in the future.
How I Do It
Serving people online has enabled me to reach people who may not be able to leave home for a variety of reasons from anxiety to lack of childcare to the current prices of gasoline and impact on our environment.
What's in It for You
I meet people where they are in learning about autism. If you are a parent needing expertise in autism to help guide your parenting or a team seeking best practice tips, tricks, and understanding in the world of autism, I am there for you.