Katie Wheeler, M.S.Ed.  completed  her undergraduate degree at California State University Fullerton (CSUF) in Psychology while earning both her Adaptive and Functional Credentials.  After having worked in the classroom setting,  Katie completed her graduate work at CSUF.  Katie has held a variety of positions while working with persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), she has been a para-educator, teacher and currently is the Autism Specialist with a Kansas service center.   Katie has spent a great deal of time developing Comprehensive Autism Program Systems (CAPS) for a number of students in her district and as a result is considered one of our most experienced CAPS coaches.   Katie has had a great deal of training outside her preservice coursework.   Katie has been trained in Applied Behavior Analysis, Structured Teaching, Augmentative-Alternative Communication, Comprehensive Autism Planning System and the Ziggarut Model.  Katie’s passion for her work is illustrated each day as she works to improve the services provided to persons with ASD.

Dixie Teeter , M.S., CCC-SLP,  completed her undergraduate and graduate work at Fort Hays State University with a  degree in Speech-Language Pathology and a minor in Psychology. Currently, Dixie is enrolled in the Autism Program at the University of Kansas.  In addition to being an SLP in a school district, Dixie serves as a member of the Autism Interdisciplinary Team.  Dixie taught at Fort Hays State University in the Communication Disorders Department; through her work experiences, Dixie developed a strong interest in working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).  The combination of her training in speech pathology and psychology allows her a perspective that is beneficial in developing programs for students with ASD.   Dixie approaches the challenges that face persons with ASD by interpreting the communicative intent of the behavior and then developing a viable communication system to support the individual’s attempts at communicating.

Helen Miller, M.A., CCC-SLP is the Autism Coordinator for USD #383 Manhattan-Ogden School District.  She received her degree in Speech Language Pathology from Kansas State University and has many years of experience working with children with a wide variety of speech and language needs. Helen has specialized in the developmental and learning challenges faced by students with ASD. She currently guides school staff in their assessment and provision of research based interventions to students on the spectrum. She is particularly interested in the socio-communicative challenges of autism and in finding effective interventions that can be used both at school and at home.  Helen has presented on numerous topics, she is widely recognized as a terrific Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) coach.  Helen has recently received an M.S. in Teaching and Leadership from the University of Kansas and is co-author (with Josefa Ben-Arieh) of An Educator’s Guide to Working with Children With Autism, scheduled for publication in 2008 by Corwin Press.

Lori Chambers, M.S., CCC-SLP, serves as a Speech-Language Pathologist for Arrowhead West Inc. in Dodge City, Kansas. She has worked with individuals with autism and other disabilities for 20 years. Ms. Chambers earned a bachelors degree from Oklahoma State University and Masters in Communication Disorders from Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center.  After graduation, she worked for the State of Oklahoma Department of Health in Child Guidance and Early Intervention Services where Ms. Chambers was involved with Project Peak, Programming and Assessment for children with Autism. She then worked as a speech pathologist and graduate student supervisor at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. After moving to Kansas in 2000, Ms. Chambers began working for the Southwest Kansas Cooperative District as a speech pathologist in the schools where she served as part of their district autism team.  In 2006, she was recognized as Autism Teacher of the Year by Autism of Southwest Kansas. Ms. Chambers has particular interest in teaching social communication and relationship building to students on the Autism Spectrum.

Teresa McVey has an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education, a Masters degree in Special Education, Certification in Early Childhood Handicapped, and Early Childhood Education all from Emporia State University.  Teresa was a Kansas Outreach participant from University of Kansas.  It was a graduate program with emphasis in autism.  Teresa has worked for the Institute of Logopedics (Heartspring), ANW Special Education Coop and Tri-County Special Education Coop #607 for a total of 23 years as an Early Childhood Special Education teacher and an autism consultant for the past 10 years.  She has worked with young children and adults on the autism spectrum, specializing in structured teaching, inclusion, challenging behaviors, and transition.  Teresa has attended several levels of TEACCH training in North Carolina, and K-CART Autism Training Program at the University of Kansas.  Teresa is an independent Autism Specialist for the autism waiver for the state of Kansas.

Kim Meyer, Ed.S., earned her M.S. in Clinical Psychology in 1993, with an emphasis in M.R./D.D. and completed an Ed.S. in School Psychology in 1995 from Pittsburg State University. Kim worked as clinical psychologist at Parsons State Hospital and Training Center in Parsons, Kansas and as a behavior consultant for the Joplin Regional Center (an agency of the Missouri Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities) before beginning her work as a school psychologist. Kim has been a school psychologist for more than 13 years, specializing in working with children who have developmental disabilities, including ASD, who engage in severe, challenging behavior.  Kim developed and coordinated a team (Behavior Assessment & Intervention Team--BAIT) that supports building level educational teams by conducting functional behavioral assessments and developing behavior intervention plans for students with significant problem behaviors, and served as a coordinator for an elementary day school. Kim has had the opportunity to participate in intensive training in positive behavior supports provided by Glen Dunlap and Lisa Fox and through the Institute for Applied Behavior Analysis (IABA) with Thomas J. Willis.   Kim is a Mandt and CPI certified instructor.