I was diagnosed with selective mutism in third grade. I got therapy for around 6 months and then they discharged me because I was supposedly progressing quickly. I still would not talk to my therapist. I was bullied by teachers, doctors, and other adults. I was called rude and difficult. People always posed a similar question, "How do you ever expect to get a job if you won't talk?" I was a kid and had time to grow as a person, but some people did not see that. I was pressured to talk and that made me clam up even more. There were people who actually believed in me and tried to make me comfortable. My mom was a big supporter and I probably would have been worse if I did not have her constantly standing up for me. After failed attempts to get doctors to listen about getting me back into some sort of therapy when I was in middle school and still not progressing a lot, I decided that I had to be my own therapist. I would force myself to do things that I did not feel comfortable with. I made goals to talk to certain people for the first time on this day and I would create scripts and play them over and over in my head. I stuttered a lot and absolutely hated when people made a big deal about it. I appreciated the people who just acted like it was normal. It was a very difficult process, but I got through it. Today, I still have social anxiety, but I have a lot of people who support me. I have even gone out of my comfort zone by doing a new activity in public by myself. It was a long way in the making, but I have made huge strides in my progress. I am currently pursuing a Master's in Applied Behavior Analysis. I currently work with people who have autism and other co-occurring mental health issues as a Direct Support Professional and a Certified Employment Support Professional. It was important to pursue higher education for a couple of reasons. For one, I am very stubborn and took other people's negativity toward me as a challenge. Another is I want to show others that no matter what life throws at them, they can be successful and find things that make them happy. I use stories of what has happened to me and how I dealt with it to encourage others and build rapport with them. Nobody is perfect and I absolutely want to show the world that anything is possible. No one can define me or my future. Only I can.

I am currently a Direct Support Professional and Certified Employment Support Professional for people with autism. I am going to school to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. I continually openly listen before speaking and give advice when asked. I have similar stories to those I work with and they benefit from stories of how I turned things around and roleplaying situations. I myself have selective mutism and was bullied in the past, mostly by adults, for being "different." I actually started out as a nursing major and switched to psychology in my undergraduate degree due to discrimination. The instructors threatened to fail me because I did not talk enough in their opinion. While it hurt at the time, I actually am happy that I ended up in this field and really enjoy this job. I aspire to make others feel heard and comfortable around me. It builds a good rapport when they are able to relate to you and know that you are human too and not someone who thinks you are better than them and know what is best. I listen to interests and observe what others are into and what may trigger them. I have been known to give suggestions to for interventions that include special interests of individuals to the Behavior Specialist on the case to make learning more fun and interactive. I plan to continue to do this when I become a Behavior Specialist in the near future. It is important to tailor interventions to the individual and change approaches if they are not working. I am a person who is willing to look at every angle and try everything that may be helpful. I am even open to suggestions from the client. They are the most important person in their plan. I also am a huge advocate for others who have difficulty or are unable to communicate for themselves. If a staff is treating an individual poorly and it comes to my attention, I do my best to help them through the situation and report it to the correct people. I have had a high sense of justice since I was a kid. When others are in trouble, I do not like it and want to help in any way I can. I feel that I have made many steps already to positively impact those with special needs and want to keep going. I am looking forward to earning my Master's so I can do even more for the community.