I am special education teacher that has a Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscientist that applies my skills in behavioral analysis daily in a 2nd-5th grade special education classroom. In this role I focus on students with severe disabilities that have behavioral problems that curtail the student's potential for success. I have found teaching elementary special education to be the most rewarding decision in my life.Before I became a special education teacher, I was an academic neuroscientist. I studied the cognitive, physical, and intellectual disabilities that result from genetic disorders such as Fragile X syndrome, severe anxiety disorders, Down syndrome, and autism among others. I found this fulfilling, but I always had the idea that I needed to apply my skills in the classroom to directly impact the lives of disabled students. I’m truly passionate about my work and always eager to connect with other teachers. While I enjoy all aspects of teaching special education, I think my favorite part is working with the students to help them develop the skills to handle their own problems and develop their own solutions. As we go through that collaborative process, the ideas start to flow and the fun truly begins when the students volunteer their own well thought out solutions.As part of my professional learning community, I developed a "Behavioral First Aid Kit"​ that can be used to develop Tier 1,2, or Tier 3 interventions and collect data on any progress. A similar "Academic First Aid Kit" is under development.I have a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of California, Davis and a BA in Biology from the University of Utah.I’m always interested in hearing from former colleagues, managers, or just interesting creative folk, so feel free to contact me if you’d like to connect.