Sacramento Internship Sparks A Passion For Autism Education

April is Autism Awareness Month, and a 2012 California senate bill now requires health insurers to cover behavioral health treatment for autism and developmental disorders. In 2014, a CDC report indicated that one in 68 children were identified with autism spectrum disorder. Patricia Schetter of Sacramento says that statistic was only one in 10,000 when she started her career.

Schetter, coordinator of autism education initiatives at UC Davis' CEDD and founder of Autism and Behavior Training Associates, says these factors have led to an increasing demand for qualified professionals. EDD projections for 2012 – 2022 indicate an additional 140 special education teachers will be needed in Sacramento County alone.

Schetter says she barely knew what autism was when starting her bachelor's degree studies in psychology at California State University, Sacramento. But the program required an internship, which she did with a collaborative Sac State/UCLA project on early autism. "I worked with a 3-year-old autistic boy and that was it – I knew this was what I wanted to do." She says the internship gave her the chance to apply the knowledge she learned in the college classroom. Schetter ultimately earned her B.A. in psychology with certification in applied behavior analysis.

Schetter then got her master's degree in psychology, and earned BCBA certification (Board Certified Behavior Analyst). The master's program was an eye-opener for Schetter. "Instead of working with 90 people who were all like me," she says, "We worked on multi-disciplinary teams." This encouraged a more holistic viewpoint, understanding that "no one person has all the answers."

Continuing education is part of BCBA certification, and Schetter notes that it is a valuable element to her professional growth.

"Now, I'm working more with teachers and other providers, mentoring and coaching so they can succeed in this field and help even more kids." she said.

Valerie Heimerich is a freelance writer out of Sacramento. She typically covers animals and community issues. She has volunteered and worked for many organizations helping animals and people.
Her work can be found at Examiner.com.