Episode 281 - Neurodiversity - Creating Autistic Supported Goals w/ Dr. Kate Chazin

Meet Your Podcast Guests

Kate Chazin is a doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) at TRIAD – The Autism Institute at Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. She completed her M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Special Education at Vanderbilt University, with concentrations in Early Childhood and ABA. She serves as a researcher and consultant on capacity-building projects for caregivers and teachers of young Autistic children. She is also an integral part in coordinating TRIAD’s Autistic Advisory Network, which incorporates feedback from Autistic and Neurodivergent individuals to guide practice and research. Her current research primarily centers on (a) self-determination in early childhood, (b) assessing and honoring child assent/dissent, and (c) collaborating with autistic adults to improve social validity of behavior analytic practices. Kate identifies as Neurodivergent (medical diagnoses of ADHD and postpartum psychosis) and Allistic (scoring on the cusp of autism screeners). She has lived experiences receiving coercive and restrictive procedures (e.g., restraint, extinction) while in psychosis, and strongly supports the Mad Pride and Neurodiversity movements. She is the proud parent of two amazing young children, and she credits her behavior analytic training with giving her practical tools and strategies to be a more heart-centered, kid-centered caregiver.