Avondale House is pleased to welcome Tarah Bowser to the day
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Tarah Bowser, BCBA, works with
Lance in class. |
school's behavior support team. Tarah is a board certified behavior analyst, or BCBA.
Her job is to study how our students interact with their environment in order to determine what types of behavioral interventions would improve our students' quality of life. She will also develop Behavior Improvement Plans, or BIPs. The interventions a BCBA implements are backed by scientific evidence, and the BCBA continuously monitors behavior to ensure the goals are being met in ways that are most beneficial to the individual.
Let's meet Tarah:
Q: Where did you go to school?
A: I received my bachelor's degree from the University of Nevada, Reno. I majored in psychology and minored in human development and family studies. It was there that I was first exposed to working with children with autism. For my master's degree, I attended the University of Houston, Clear Lake (UHCL).
Q: How did you discover your passion for working with children with special needs?
A: All of my past work experience involved children, but I really discovered my career path during my first job as an ABA therapist. During the time I was providing in-home therapy to young children with autism, I observed both the immediate and lasting effects the therapy had on those individuals and their families. That made me fall in love with the field and want to pursue my master's in ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis).
Q: Where have you worked prior to Avondale House?
A: Prior to working here at Avondale, I worked for a clinic in Pearland. My focus was on teaching adaptive and communication skills to individuals with autism. During my graduate school years I focused primarily on problem behavior reduction. I worked as a consultant for one of the school districts, then coordinated the severe behavior clinic at UHCL.
Q: Tell us, what has your first month at Avondale been like?
A: Avondale House is amazing! The staff are warm, positive, and committed to improving the lives of our students. I adore the group of students we have at the school. They are all so bright and full of character. I couldn't ask for a better work environment.
Parents and families, you will be working closely with Tarah through the ARD process and when developing behavior plans for your student. Please join us in welcoming her to Avondale House.
