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Lifelong learner

My first goal is to be a lifelong learner. In my professional career, I truly am not content unless I am learning and growing. Going back to Michigan State University for my master’s degree in education was not a matter of “if”, but of “when”. My master’s degree is another step in the right direction of continuing to learn and grow. I look forward to continuing my education after I receive this masters degree. Once completed, I will continue learning and growing by taking courses to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). I will continue working for my current company and they will support me in gaining the necessary supervisor hours and courses to sit for the exam. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board has been one of my main resources as a behavior therapist. It contains all of the necessary information for me concerning what I need to accomplish to obtain my BCBA certificate. I am thankful to have this resource and support as I continue to learn through more graduate level courses and grow at my current position.

 

Leader

The second goal I have for myself is to be a leader in the field of applied behavior analysis. I am hoping to take on more leadership roles at my current job. With this master’s degree, I will have the skills and experience to supervise and mentor new behavior technicians and college interns. I look forward to passing on my knowledge and skills to the new employees. I hope that my passion and love for this job is passed on and will inspire others to become board certified behavior analysts and benefit more children with autism. To be a leader, it is crucial to learn and grow. I plan to attend at least one conference in the next year about applied behavior analysis.  The Association for Behavior Analysis International website lists all of the upcoming conferences for an anyone interested in learning more about the field of applied behavior analysis. I want to take what I learn from these conferences and use this knowledge to lead others.

 

Innovator

The third goal I have is to be an innovator in my field. I plan to take what I learned about supports for children with autism and use them to benefit my students. Throughout this program, I have learned many new techniques to support and work with students who have autism and/or challenging behaviors. I will continue to innovate and use assistive technologies on a daily basis with my students. With this degree, I hope to expand my “toolbox” of knowledge and continue to learn and grow to be the best I can be in my career. Throughout this program and my job, I have found many websites that are very helpful and knowledgeable on assistive technologies for students with autism. One in particular that I find to be a wonderful resource is on the Autism Speaks webpage. This page will be one I will continue to use in the future as I learn more about technology as related to children with autism. Another resource that I will continue to use and that I have found to be very helpful is the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. It has many articles that I have learned from and will continue to learn form in the future. In being an innovator, I always look for ways to improve the lives of my students. This journal had a very interesting article on the picture exchange communication system (PECS) that I use with my students. After reading this article, I felt more confident in the effectiveness of PECS and am able to explain it better to parents and other therapists. I look forward to exploring this journal and checking out other articles that will make me a better therapist.

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I am excited to use my new skills that I have learned during this program in my future career. I plan to never stop learning, leading and innovating. It is my responsibility to grow and learn in order to benefit the children I work with on a daily basis.