About

In 2011, I completed a bachelor degree in Special Education with distinction, from the University of Macedonia, in Thessaloniki, Greece. The following two years, I worked in mainstream primary schools in Greece, where I supported children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), learning disabilities, learning difficulties, down syndrome, hearing loss and challenging behaviour. I have also led various voluntary programs for children with ASD and learning disabilities, with a focus on promoting functional skills.

In 2012, I participated for the first time in a course series on Applied Behaviour Analysis, led by a private clinic in Athens, in Greece. After I applied the knowledge I gained from the course in my work, I realised the positive impact this approach had on children’s skills and I decided to continue my studies with that area of focus. In 2013, I completed a Master of Science in Tizard Centre, in the UK. Following two years of working in a specialist ABA school in London for children with autism aged 6 to 16 (rated Ofsted Outstanding), I qualified as behaviour analyst. The certification process involves successfully passing the relevant exams, after completing the necessary theoretical and practical requirements (BACB). Alongside my work in the school, I also led various private home programmes, largely focusing on early intervention, with children aged 2 to 5 years old. Some of the target behaviours in those programmes were social interaction, communication (with verbal and non-verbal children), academic skills (such as reading, writing and maths), sensory needs, reducing ritualistic behaviours and decreasing challenging behaviour in the form of self injurious behaviour, physical aggression and property damage. Having worked as part of different teams in various behaviour analytic programs, I have experienced the practical benefits of behavioural interventions which led to children acquiring socially significant goals, based on their developmental needs.