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
Director of Operations
Sarah Wrenn is the Director of Operations for The Autism Helper, Inc. In this role, she helps manage The Autism Helper Professional Development Membership, as well as The Autism Helper’s weekly podcast. 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 the last 10 years in the legal field, she is excited to change directions and start something new with The Autism Helper, Inc.
Fran Homan
Social Media Director
Fran Homan, MTA, creates content and helps manage the various social media channels for The Autism Helper. She has a passion for graphic design and graduated with degrees in international business and marketing at Loyola University Chicago. She is a small-town Wisconsin native but also calls Rome, Italy and Chicago second homes. Fran has is currently working to obtain her Master of Business Administration from George Washington University.
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.
Gina Crovetti
Social Media Manager
Gina Crovetti helps manage social media content for The Autism Helper, Inc. on both the Facebook and Pinterest platforms. 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.
Our Blogger Team
Sarah Gast
Speech Language Pathologist
Sarah Gast is a speech-language pathologist with experience in the school setting and with private clients. Sarah shares strategies and resources she uses to help facilitate communication with her students. She received her undergraduate degree in Audiology and Speech Sciences from Purdue University and has a Masters in Speech-Language Pathology from The Ohio State University.
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.
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.
Chrissy Kelly
Parent
Chrissy Kelly is a mom, a writer, a picture taker and world changer. She lives in the Central Valley of California and relentlessly photographs everyday life and shares her family’s story in the hopes that there’s as much good in the world as she sees in her two boys with autism.
Stephanie Kennedy
Education Director
Stephanie Kennedy is the Education Director of a private-day school in Virginia for students with high support needs. While earning her Master of Education in Special Education, Stephanie taught at George Mason University’s Mason LIFE Program. Stephanie has worn many hats including classroom teacher in both private and public settings, literacy and assessment specialist, as well as, education supervisor. Stephanie is passionate about holistic school improvement and staff development
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.”
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.
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.
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.
Raegan Strange
Special Education Teacher, Grades K-5
Reagan Strange is a special education teacher for students on the autism spectrum, grades K-5. She received her bachelor’s degree in Unified Early Childhood Education and her Master’s degree in Low-Incidence Disabilities, both from the University of Kansas. She is passionate about finding meaningful opportunities for inclusion and independence and is also passionate about utilizing her therapy dog, Ollie, to create a loving and fun environment for all students.
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.