Rachel Blackburn, BCBA

Background

• She holds a Master's degree in Applied Behavior Analysis. As an undergraduate she majored in psychology and minored in American Sign Language.
• She started out as a Registered Behavior Technician in 2018, then moved through trainer and fellow roles before sitting for the board exam. She passed the BACB exam in February 2019 and earned her BCBA credential that spring. Her earlier team spotlight covers that stretch of her career.
• Sign language is not a line on a resume for her. She uses it in sessions as a working bridge to communication.
• She is a DORA licensed behavior analyst, as every behavior analyst at Budding Futures is.

Approach

• Therapy is assent based. When a child opts out of an activity, that is information, and the plan changes.
• Skills get taught inside real routines. Naturalistic teaching means a goal is practiced during breakfast, dressing, or play, not only at a table.
• Plans start from assessment. She builds goals from the VB-MAPP or the ABLLS-R rather than from a template.
• Hours follow clinical need. There is no fixed weekly number that every child receives.
• Communication comes first, whether a child speaks, signs, or uses a device.

What Rachel does

• She writes and updates every treatment plan, and reviews progress against real session data.
• She supervises the behavior analysts and technicians on each case. Supervision runs at roughly 20 percent, about four times the BACB minimum.
• She signs off on behavior technicians before they work with a child. Each one completes 40 hours of training and passes a competency assessment.
• She coaches parents, so the skills hold when the therapist is not in the room.
• She reviews the parent guidance published on this site, including the early signs of autism guides.