Amber Badgett has 14 years’ experience in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA). Her diverse experience includes: ABA training and supervision from Center for Autism and Related Disorders (California & New York), co-founding and operating Options for Autism, which provided home based ABA services in Louisville and Southern Indiana, and working as an elementary school teacher in Jefferson County School System. Amber graduated with a M.A. in Education and a Rank 1 in Special Education from University of Louisville. She received her certificate in Behavior Analysis and Therapy from Southern Illinois Carbondale and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She is currently pursuing her certificate in Organizational Behavior Management from Florida Institute of Technology.
In 2008, she found a home in Meaningful Day Services (MDS) an agency that has provided quality therapy services to individuals with developmental disabilities across the state of Indiana for over 20 years. MDS is where Amber developed an ABA program that treats children and adolescents with developmental disabilities in a multi-facility campus in Southern Indiana. In recent years, in addition to her leadership role her focus has turned to addressing the larger barriers that the families and individuals with autism face through the creation and development of the Autism Business Initiative through her work with the Autism Friendly Community Board. The intention of this initiative is to bring our community from awareness to acceptance with the ultimate goal of increasing employment opportunities for individuals with autism and creating a more accepting community.
Throughout her career, she has enjoyed supervising and providing hands-on training to students, other behavior analysts, behavior technicians, speech language pathologists, and occupational therapists as they develop their clinical skills. Her own personal experience in having loved ones with disabilities has made her an advocate and made her very passionate about helping people learn to express themselves and find more happiness and functionality in their everyday lives.