May Newsletter

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After the national events last month, with the Boston bombing, and the explosion in West Texas, I think it’s important for all of us to count our blessings. How fortunate are we to have a place to live, to be surrounded by family and friends who love us, to have a job that allows us to truly make a difference, and most importantly, to be in good health and safe. Many times our most primary needs, which so many people in the world are lacking, are something we just assume and forget to truly be thankful for. 

At a time when their is a lot of turmoil in the world, we want to always have hope, that good will prevail over evil, that those grieving will find comfort, that those injured will heal, and that those who are weak will find strength. 

When everyone was running away during these tragic events, the first responders rushed in and in West and Boston many of them lost their lives. The heroic efforts of those that responded rescued many of the injured and led to an arrest which will hopefully prevent more tragedy. These first responders should give all of us hope.

When there are tragedies, it makes us all pause and remind ourselves of what is important. This month, I hope that we all can appreciate each other a little more and recognize how special our Behavior Exchange team is and how lucky we all are to have one another.  When someone leaves this world, it is common to think, “I would have done so many things differently”, “I would have told them how much I cared”, “I would have spent more time with them”, etc. So, at The Behavior Exchange, I hope that we can operate more from our hearts, more from our soul, and appreciate each other knowing that their is no guarantee about tomorrow. 

Our work is not unlike first responders. Although we may not be running into fire or dodging bullets, we deal with our fair share of problem behavior. But, I will argue, that our work is also important and heroic. We TRULY can make a REAL difference in the life of each family we touch. We can set the child’s life path on a much more positive and meaningful course then may have been possible had we not intervened. This in turn can transform a family and everyone they touch.

How lucky are we to have this opportunity to help so many people? So, in a sense, we are first responders, we are the ones who rush in when others may be retreating. We give each child a chance and work so hard to help them connect to others in this world, to want to be better, and to help them reach their full potential. 

This month, let’s focus on hope. I hope that those affected by the recent tragedies will find comfort and strength so they can begin healing.

Let’s help the families that we are helping find hope that their child and their future will be bright and to know that we are their partner throughout this process.  

Keep Boston and West in your prayers and let’s all have the courage to really operate from the heart with each other and each of the families we serve.

Tammy Cline-Soza, MS, BCBA

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behaviorexchangedfw.com

Did you know that The Behavior Exchange now has a more robust, more informative blog/website?
We believe that knowledge is one of our greatest allies in the fight against behavioral disorders, mental disabilities, autism, aspergers, etc…

With that in mind, we have created  behaviorexchangedfw.com . A place where we will collect as much information as possible for your knowledge and benefit. We will also post inspirational quotes and images as well as tip-and-tricks to help you with any behavioral needs your family may encounter. It is our hope this will be your expert-guide-blog stop. We hope you browse around, learn something, perhaps teach us something. Hope you like it.

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Summer time is fun time.

The Behavior Exchange’s Summer Camp  and Social Skills Group want you.

Summer Camps and Social Skills Group are a 10-week long group intervention and school readiness programs. 

Using unique curriculum, developed by The Behavior Exchange, experienced Behavior Trainers will engage students in fun activities that enhance their individual behavioral goals and expand on their previous learning using ABA therapy techniques. Our camps will focus on communication, school readiness, participation, and social skills while working in a group setting. 

Your child will enjoy:

•  Our unique Behavior Exchange social skills curriculum 
•  Structured social skills lessons and applied activities 
•  Our awesome staff 
•  Fun, age-appropriate play 
•  Cooperative skill-building and “get-to-know-you” activities 
•  Science, art, music and academic enrichment 
•  Technology and gaming activities

Our sessions begin June 10, 2013.

We will do our best to accommodate your schedule and the needs of your child.

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This month we bring you:
Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion

Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, “They don’t pay me to like the kids.” Her response: “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.’” A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

If you have a TED video you would like us to share, please email us at walter@behaviorexchange.com

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It’s May!
You’re not spending all of your time indoors, are you?

We don’t know if you have noticed, but the weather around the DFW metroplex during the month of May is pretty much…how shall we put it…AWESOME.
Old man winter is definitely behind us, spring is in full force and some of those nice warm nights are just around the corner. Tis the perfect time to be out-n-about!

Check out some of the cool things to do around town.

May 5
Cinco de Mayo Parade

May 10, 11, 12
Swiss Avenue Historic District Home Tour and Mother’s Day Celebration

May 11-19
12th Annual Butterfly Festival

May 17, 18, 19
Main Street Grapevine Festival

May 26
Annual Dragon Boat, Kite & Lantern Festival

May 27
Memorial Day Weekend Celebrations
There are many events happening this weekend honoring our brave soldiers who have given the ultimate sacrifice to our country.

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Ashvina attended University of Bombay and graduated with a Bachelors of Commerce. She got her Montessori Diploma in 1985 and taught ever since. Ashvina came to TBE in January of 2016 as Admin Assistant. During the years she got the opportunity to learn and work in different departments such as HR, Finance, Office Manager and Executive Assistant. Last summer TBE bought billing in house and her current focus area is Revenue Cycle Management. She is detail oriented and enjoys working with people. Ashvina volunteers to deliver meals to seniors and local shelters on the weekend. She loves to spend time with her family and grandkids. Ashvina loves her job because she enjoys hearing different points of view, and she feels her contributions help fuel the direction of our company.

Working with children comes naturally to Angela. Her mom was a special education teacher for 30 years and often had Angela join her for Take Your Child to Work Day. And in high school, Angela spent every summer as the nanny for a little boy with an autism spectrum disorder. It was this experience where her passion for working with children with autism started to blossom.

From there, she went on to graduate from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Sciences. She learned about Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in a non-normative development class and from that moment knew that ABA would be her life’s work.

Angela moved to the DFW area shortly after and began working at The Behavior Exchange as a therapist. She worked on her Master’s in Behavior Analysis at the same time. A year after graduating, she earned certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.

Now, as a Clinical Director at The Behavior Exchange, she brings a life-long passion to her work, holding a special place in her heart for children with limited language skills and working closely with families to develop healthy sleep habits.

Danielle’s passion for working with families is deeply personal and from the heart. Her younger brother has an autism spectrum disorder, and through their journey as a family, she found her purpose in life as an advocate for individuals with special needs.

After graduating from the University of North Texas with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies, Danielle began volunteering at The Behavior Exchange. She saw passionate therapists, meaningful change for clients, and families with hope for the future. After a summer of volunteering, she officially joined the team as Director of Admissions and found her home with The Behavior Exchange family.

With her extensive experience working as a client advocate with insurance providers, Danielle perseveres to help individuals of all ages and abilities receive the services they need to reach their full potential. She feels truly honored by each and every family who entrusts The Behavior Exchange to be part of their journey and is committed to the organization’s core values, mission, and goal of being a beacon of hope for the community.

Adam has always had a passion for helping individuals of all ages thrive and reach their full potential. He’s also an enthusiastic musician, songwriter, leader, and devoted family man, who has been helping children and team members grow with The Behavior Exchange since 2010.

Prior to joining the team at The Behavior Exchange, Adam was a mortgage loan consultant and grad student, pursuing his master’s degree in Education at the University of North Texas. He graduated in 2013 and also earned a graduate academic certificate in Autism Intervention. The following year, after years as a Behavior Therapist and seeing first-hand the power of ABA and the meaningful impact it can have on children and their families, Adam became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. He then commenced from the Stagen Leadership Academy after completing the Integral Leadership Program (ILP), a 52-week practice-based program designed to develop executives serious about transforming themselves, their teams, and their organizations.

Adam is truly grateful to be a part of a dynamic, inspiring and compassionate team, and he’s dedicated to bettering the lives of all children and their families through the delivery of the highest quality of ABA services, while supporting the amazing team at The Behavior Exchange.

Soraya is from South Africa and moved to Texas in 1996. She graduated from The University of Texas and pursued a career, at that time, in Education. Soraya taught at a Montessori school for a few years and then took on a leadership role.

During her time in the education system, Soraya realized her passion was to assist children with special needs. So she joined The Behavior Exchange as a therapist, transitioned into a supervisory role in 2017, and a year and a half later, was promoted to Clinical Operations Manager.

She quickly learned the ins and outs of ABA operations and scheduling and successfully collaborates across departments to ensure The Behavior Exchange continues to provide quality services to clients and their families. She’s thankful to be part of such an amazing organization and excited to see what the future holds.

You could say Walter’s career started when he spent hours as a young child drawing superheroes and coloring maps. This passion, along with extraordinary swimming skills, landed him a full swimming scholarship at Texas Christian University, where he graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communication Graphics.

During the next 13 years, his design and art direction skills, conceptual-thinking abilities, and marketing-savvy know-how were honed at a few prestigious advertising and marketing agencies around the Dallas area. In the mid 2000s, he helped his wife Tammy Cline-Soza (founder and CEO of The Behavior Exchange) create a unique and concise brand for her new business. From logos and websites to uniforms, brand voice and visuals, Walter has been the main creative force for all things The Behavior Exchange.

Aside from giving birth to The Behavior Exchange brand, Walter is helping Tammy raise two amazing, beautiful children, River and Sierra. In his spare time (the two minutes he’s got per week), you can find Walter illustrating iconic landmarks of Dallas and Texas or looking around for this next open-water swim. Once he gets back in shape.

After 20 years of building The Behavior Exchange, literally from the ground up,
Tammy couldn’t be more proud of the team, culture, and organization that it has become.

As a family helping families, The Behavior Exchanges looks for opportunities that will make the biggest impact and produce life-changing outcomes – for clients, families, and even for team members. Tammy believes that if a team, a family, a community takes care of each other, the possibilities are endless and the relationships built along the way can make life more enriching and challenges easier to navigate. You could say her goal has been to build a kind of utopia full of support, love, and expertise that brings the best services possible to the community and ensures more families have access to those services.

Tammy and her family have dedicated their lives to the mission of The Behavior Exchange and continue to grow, learn, cultivate, challenge, support, and create better models for success. To that end, she is committed to her own leadership development and actively participates in advanced training, mentoring, and deep self-exploration on how to live out her purpose to love and support her family and help others reach their full potential. She takes her position very seriously and tries to serve as a channel for what the universe wants to come to fruition.

She also loves travel, gardening, being creative, MUSIC!, tennis, yoga, meditation, journaling, reading, being in nature, adventures, and more than anything, spending time with her husband Walter and their two beautiful children, River and Sierra.