Meet Our Staff

Meet Carla A.

ABI Skills Trainer

Carla grew up in Los Angeles, also living in Mexico for four years before starting the first grade. She was inspired to work with children after volunteering in a youth after-school program while in college. Her favorite part of working at ABI is getting to see a child master a skill after working on a program with them.

When asked about one of her favorite memories with one of her clients, Carla shared, “One of my clients is non-verbal. He really enjoys being tickled so we play like that often. Then one day when I was tickling him he suddenly screamed, “NO!” I was so shocked that he had spoken and within the correct context! I was so proud because it showed lots of improvement.”

Her advice to new skills trainers is, “not to give up. Sometimes it gets difficult having to deal with challenging behaviors, but you just have to be patient, and it ends up being very rewarding.”

When she’s not at work, you can find her at the gym or spending time with her family. And if she was ever to find herself on a deserted island with only three things, they’d be here mom, her boyfriend, and a good board game.

Thanks for all your hard work Carla!