Show Notes

Discover what’s possible when values inform the method.


What does a culturally-informed approach to ABA look like?


If you’re interested in the intersection between neurodiversity, race, and community, you’ll want to listen to this conversation with Autistic BCBA Mari Cerda, which was originally released on April 22, 2021.


Mari provides professional development training for teachers and schools on various neurodiversity-affirming topics. As a Latina Mestiza, she’s passionate about supporting migrant families and their children with disabilities trying to enroll in the American school system. Mari is also the co-founder of The LEAP Institute, a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase equitable access for marginalized groups entering the field of ABA, or applied behavior analysis. 


This episode is part one of our conversation, and we discuss:



  • Mari’s process of discovering and accepting her late diagnosis

  • Cultural perspectives on autism in Native American and Latinx cultures

  • The intersection between neurodiversity and race

  • How Mari’s family reacted to her diagnosis 

  • How her husband acts as her social compass

  • The Double Empathy Problem


To learn more about Mari Cerda, please visit her Instagram account @autie.analyst, where she aims to educate and mediate between the worlds of autism and ABA.


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