Our Mission
We at The Autism Helper, Inc. are dedicated to empowering those who support individuals with Autism by providing resources, tools, and the methods to measure success. We aim to support teachers, parents, clinicians, and administrators. We share easy to understand strategies through our blog, podcast, and training videos. We provide in-depth training in our CE Courses, live events, and Professional Development Membership. We create engaging and high quality academic resources and curriculum for students of all ages. Our goal is to bring value by focusing on positive behavior change, having high expectations, and utilizing data based decisions.
Sasha Long
Founder and President
Sasha Long, BCBA, M.A., is the founder and president of The Autism Helper, Inc. She is a board certified behavior analyst and former special education teacher. Sasha shares strategies and best practices through her blog, podcast, membership, and online courses. Sasha travels internationally as a speaker and consultant providing individualized training and feedback to parents, educators, therapists and administrators in the world of autism. She is a former adjunct professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Sasha received her undergraduate degree in Special Education from Miami University and has a Masters Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Matthew Long
Chief Operating Officer
Matthew Long is the COO for The Autism Helper, Inc. In addition to providing overall support for the management and execution of the The Autism Helper, Matt works to increase visibility of The Autism Helper to additional audiences through marketing and additional online strategies. He also provides direction for the development and growth of The Autism Helper.
Sarah Wrenn
Project Manager
Sarah Wrenn is the Project Manager for The Autism Helper, Inc. In this role, she helps manage The Autism Helper Professional Development Membership as well as oversees projects in various stages of development. She received her Bachelor of Arts degrees in criminal justice and legal studies from the Frederick Meijer Honors College at Grand Valley State University. After spending 10 years in the legal field, she decided to change directions and start applying her knowledge and experience to something new.
Fran Homan, MTA, MBA
Chief Operating Officer
Fran Homan, MTA, MBA, oversees The Autism Helper’s operations and implements business strategies, plans, and procedures. She graduated with undergraduate degrees in international business and marketing from Loyola University Chicago as well as her Master of Tourism Administration and Master of Business Administration from The George Washington University School of Business. She is a small-town Wisconsin native, but has a passion for travel and also calls Rome, Italy, and Chicago second homes.
Sadie Bailey
Product Manager
Sadie Bailey, M.A. CCC-SLP helps to design and create products and content for The Autism Helper. Sadie is an ASHA certified Speech-Language Pathologist and earned her bachelor and master degrees at The University of Pittsburgh. Before joining TAH, she worked for the Chicago Public School system, in private therapeutic schools, and schools for the medically complex. Sadie is excited to use her expertise to create content that supports a diverse population of educators, clinicians, students, and families.
Eleni Duchaine
E-Commerce and Curriculum Manager
Eleni manages The Autism Helper’s storefront as well as the content and user experience for The Autism Helper’s Curriculum Access. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Integrated Language Arts from Kent State University in Ohio. For the past eight years, she taught 10th grade English in inner-city school districts in Ohio, working specifically in inclusion classrooms. Eleni has a passion for integrating technology into classroom instruction so that all learners can be successful, and, as a result, she is currently working to obtain her Master’s Degree in Education with a focus on Educational Technology.
Hailey Deloya-Vegter
School Account Manager
Hailey Deloya-Vegter, BCBA, M.A., supports current and incoming school districts in finding Autism Helper resources to meet their individualized needs. Hailey is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and licensed special education teacher. She earned her undergraduate degree in Special Education at the University of Wisconsin Madison and has a Masters Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Before joining TAH, Hailey worked as a special education teacher in Chicago Public Schools and as an Autism Specialist, coach, and curriculum and professional development lead in Minneapolis Public Schools.
Brittany McGuffin
Head of Operations
Brittany McGuffin works as Head of Operations within the Autism Helper Inc. Brittany has been with the Autism Helper team since 2019 and loves to help serve our wonderful clientele and network members. She is involved in managing and facilitating all customer service needs as well as event coordination and bookkeeping. Brittany graduated Cum Laude from the University of West Florida with a bachelor’s degree in human biology. Brittany calls Pensacola Beach, Florida home and loves getting to work with all the amazing people connected within the TAH community.
Gina Crovetti
Blog Manager
Gina Crovetti LPC, ATR manages The Autism Helper, Inc’s team of bloggers and assists with the creation of content for social media. She is currently an art therapist and licensed professional counselor at a behavioral hospital offering mental health services. Gina works with children and adults with special needs in the school and hospital settings. She and her dog, Mandy, enjoy long walks through the many parks of Chicago.
Paige Marley
Digital Marketing & Design Manager
Paige Marley is the Digital Marketing & Design Manager at The Autism Helper, Inc. In this role, she designs dynamic content, oversees social media channels, and works to bring The Autism Helper brand front and center. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Psychology, realizing that every aspect of design, whether images or words, has an immense purpose and role in digital marketing. Before joining The Autism Helper team, Paige taught in public school, outdoor education, and in an ABA setting before pursuing graphic design and digital marketing full-time. When she is not designing, Paige can be found enjoying time outside, en route to her next travel adventure, or working on her latest creative projects.
Our Blogger Team
Jen Koenig
Primary Special Education Teacher
Jen Koenig is a special education teacher in a K-2 self-contained classroom and is working towards becoming a BCBA. Jen shares strategies and ideas from her classroom including data collection, classroom setup, and curriculum options.
Ashley McClain
Parent
Ashley resides in Connecticut with her husband, two children, and their German Shepherd. She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology with a Community Clinical Focus from the University of New Haven. Ashley is also a collegiate dance team coach at her alma mater. She has worked in both the social services industry and higher education for close to fifteen years. Most recently, she has become a stay-at-home mom and cares for the needs of her children. Ashley is hopeful that the journey with her son and his autism diagnosis can aid and support other parents.
Michelle Lindenmuth
Primary Self-Contained Special Education Teacher
Michelle is a primary self-contained teacher in a Southern California autism program. Prior to becoming a teacher, she worked as a paraprofessional. She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology as well as a Master’s Degree in Special Education. Michelle has a passion for mentoring new teachers. In the classroom, she thrives on teaching her students independence and social skills as well as creating memories and lasting relationships with students and their families.
Katie McKenna
Occupational Therapist
Katie McKenna is an occupational therapist working with students in the school setting. Katie has worked with students of all ages, from early childhood up to high school transition. Before she was an OT, Katie worked as an in-home respite worker as well as an inclusion aide. Katie earned an undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Saint Louis University, and a Masters degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Amy Nielsen
Author & Former Educator
Amy Nielsen is a former educator of nearly 20 years where she worked with children of all abilities. The youngest of her four children has autism. Helping families like her own, as well as supporting educators who work with students with autism is her passion. Additionally, she is the author of “It Takes a Village: How to Build a Support System for Your Exceptional Needs Family” and “Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder.”
Holly Bueb
Primary Special Education Teacher
Holly Bueb is a low-incidence cluster teacher. Holly has worked as a general education teacher, a paraprofessional and a resource teacher. Holly writes blogs to share different strategies, materials and curriculum she uses in her classroom to help students with academic subjects. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Seattle University and has a Masters in Elementary Education from Loyola University Chicago and a Masters in Special Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Gina Russell
Preschool Special Education Teacher
Gina Russell is a special education teacher with experience working in the elementary school setting from self-contained to partial, limited, and full inclusion. Gina has collaborated with Sasha in creating a comprehensive classroom and developing professional development for her county. Gina received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Salisbury University and has a Masters in Special Education from Wilmington University.
Heather Hoeft
Preschool Special Education Teacher
Heather Hoeft is special education teacher in the preschool setting. Heather shares strategies and ideas from her self-contained classroom. Her classroom utilizes Applied Behavior Analysis instructional methods of discrete trial training, pivotal response training, and teaching functional routines. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood from Northern Illinois University and Masters in Special Education from Concordia University.
Ashley Linz
Autism Specialist
Ashley Linz is an Autism Specialist in the school setting, working with students from early childhood through 12th grade. She has experience at the secondary level as a paraprofessional and special education teacher in a self-contained classroom, as well as a swim instructor for children and adults with Autism. Ashley shares ideas, strategies, and tips from her experiences in and outside of the classroom. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Leisure, Youth, and Human Services with an emphasis in programming and youth services from the University of Northern Iowa and Masters degree in Special Education from Pittsburg State University in Kansas.
Susan Bitler
Parent & Teacher
Susan is a mom, a writer, a teacher, and a lifelong learner. She lives in Wyomissing, PA with her three children. She hopes that her experiences with her daughter, who was diagnosed with Autism at age two, can help build awareness and acceptance for individuals with Autism.
Kristie Owens
Homeschooling Parent & Former Special Ed Teacher
Kristie is a former special education teacher who currently homeschools her 3 amazing sons who have Autism Spectrum Disorder. Kristie loves to share her ideas, tips, and tricks to make every family’s homeschool adventures easier and more enjoyable!