In the latest installment of our “10 Questions With…” series, we spoke with Brittany Bosi, BCBA. Brittany has worked at the Eden School since 2014. She began her Eden career as a Teaching Assistant before joining the Speech Department as a Speech Therapy Aide. In 2018, she joined the Clinical Team where she currently works as a Lead Behavior Analyst.
What’s a typical day like as a Lead Behavior Analyst?
Lead Behavior Analyst Brittany Bosi with a student at the Eden School
That’s the nice thing about this role — there really isn’t a typical day. When I first come in, I try to get to as many emails and paperwork as I can before the kids come in. Staff trainings are usually conducted in the mornings as well. Once the students arrive, I spend a lot of time on the floor — observing in classrooms, collaborating with teachers, and conducting various assessments.
Why did you choose a career working with individuals with autism?
I always had a desire to work with children in special education, but I knew I didn’t want to run a classroom. When exploring various Master’s programs, I was really intrigued with Applied Behavior Analysis and chose an emphasis in Autism studies.
What is your favorite thing about working with the students?
I love that I get the opportunity to work with a variety of students and get to learn their strengths, preferences, and dislikes. I enjoy being able to incorporate those preferences and getting creative when developing behavior plans. I had one student who was really into superheroes. I created a game board that tied into his reinforcement system and he was really motivated by it.
Also, any time we get to expand a student’s communication skills — when I see a student increase their communication and decrease their frustration and behaviors, that’s one of my favorite parts. You open up a whole new world when you give them a form of communication they can navigate and use functionally on a daily basis. I love working with the speech department and being able to collaborate to find modes of communication that work best with each of our students. It’s one of the best things about Eden — we have such an interdisciplinary approach and it’s really nice working with other professionals to achieve the same goal.
If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice on your first day at Eden, what would it be?
Brittany and her family
‘Get comfortable, you’re going to be here for a while!’ When I started at Eden, I came for supervision for my fieldwork experience that is necessary in order to sit for the board exam. I had no idea that this would be a place where I would really start my career, but I’m so grateful that it worked out that way!
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
I loved going to Italy. I’ve been there twice. I have family there so anytime I have the opportunity to travel, it’s going to be back there.
What is the most recent show you binge-watched?
With three kids, I don’t get to watch shows very often. I really like to read. I just finished a B.A. Paris book called Bring Me Back. I love psychological thrillers.
What do you enjoy most about the holiday season?
I’ve always loved the holiday season — the festivities, the decor, and now that I have kids, it’s so much fun creating traditions within our family. We take them to the Shady Brook Farms light show every year, build gingerbread houses, and keep our fingers crossed for snow! Their excitement for the holiday season makes everything worthwhile.
What do you enjoy doing most in your time off?
I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. During the summer, we love going to the beach nearly every weekend. On the off chance I have a day to myself, I enjoy spending time in a sauna, reading a good book, and a cup of coffee that is still hot!
How has Eden changed since you started working here almost 10 years ago?
There have been lots of changes, many of them positive. As science evolves, changes have been made in the organization to keep up with current research and best practices. There are also things that have remained consistent, such as the teamwork environment. When working in the classrooms or various departments, there’s always a sense that during challenging behaviors, everyone has your back here. That level of support isn’t always evident in other places within the field.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Seeing how the students grow and increase their ability to achieve things that we work on every day. Sometimes the progress takes time, but it’s so rewarding to look at a case you’ve been involved with for many years and see them accomplish something they weren’t able to do, request for something they weren’t able to communicate before, or handle a change or situation that used to be really challenging for them to accept.
Another rewarding part is the students’ families. We work so closely with many of them and being able to have such a great rapport is definitely rewarding.
