N.L.R.C. Speakers

Jeff Snyder

Session Title:  Autism in Disney Characters: Volume 1 and 2.

Jeffrey “Jeff” Snyder is an autism and neurodiversity advocate and public speaker and founder of “Going the Distance“.  Jeff has shared his story since 2021, and speaks on topics that use examples from mainstream media to illustrate key points for audiences that include neurodiverse families, autism professionals, educators and employers.  

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Jeff became the first special education student on the autism spectrum to complete an entire education within the Seekonk Public Schools system.  He was also awarded the Massachusetts Secondary School Administration Association (MSSAA) Principal’s Leadership Award and the Student Leadership Award. After graduating in 2008, Jeff founded the Jeffrey Snyder “Go the Distance” scholarship which goes towards graduating Seekonk High School students who had been on an Individual Education Plan or IEP’s that are seeking college acceptance.  To date, we over $10,000 in scholarships have been awarded.  

Jeff has held administrative volunteer positions as Core Team Leader for the Autism Tree Project Foundation in San Diego, California since 2019, and as a member of the Junior Board and later Board of Directors for the Unicorn Children’s Foundation in Boca Raton, Florida.  More recently, Jeff has been designated as a Flutie Fellow for the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism since September of 2022.  Jeff’s mission and life story have impacted hundreds of lives and he hopes to inspire others to “GO THE DISTANCE.” 

Armando Bernal

Session Title: Who’s behind the Mask – The effects and consequences of masking.

Armando Bernal is a neurodivergent, board-certified behavior analyst who supports patients between the ages of 2-18 years old. In addition, Armando provides autistic consultation, parent and therapist consultation, speaking engagements for companies across the nation and supervision and mentorship to other BCBAs and therapists.

Armando has participated in several collaborations with Vanderbilt University and the SUNY Empire State College meant to further support self-advocacy and independence for individuals with autism. Armando is also the founder of Autism International Consulting, PLLC – a self-advocacy centered in-home ABA organization, as well as the distributor of the podcast, “A Different Path.”  Armando also hopes to spread awareness and acceptance of autism by interviewing and sharing the stories of other individuals with autism.

Heather Anderson

Co-hosted Session: Creating Successful Home Learning Environment for Neurodiverse Individuals.

Heather is the Founder and Director of Classeteria since 2020. She is originally from Northern California and I has been homeschooling since 2004 – a decision inspired by a lack of quality education in her local town. 

As a homeschooling parent, Heather spent 15 years in the California charter school system and fought for parent choice. As the years went on, that inspiration quickly turned into a motivation and passion for leading community-centered education. She lead community social and parent-led homeschool co-ops for 15 years and observed many successes across all learning styles that inspire her drive to support families in homeschool.  

In addition, Heather worked for Cultural Homestay International as a Teacher Coordinator for recruiting homeschooling host families for homestays with exchange students.  Heather is a sincere visionary and is constantly seeking new and innovative ways for home based learning connected with the community.

Tamyra Telles

Co-hosted Session: Creating Successful Home Learning Environment for Neurodiverse Individuals.

Tamyra Telles is honored to be part of this event. She has been an educator in various capacities for over 30 years and loves to share her experiences and learning with others. She has taught various age groups from 1 to 100 and helps educators around the world. 

Tamyra is an international speaker, a researcher, an entrepreneur, a musician and artist, a reading specialist, and a lifelong learner. She is the founder and CEO of Infinite Learning Academy, Inc. that allows families to choose the learning they need while matching them with an educator that matches those needs. 

Tamyra’s newest adventure is HELLO Homeschool that combines virtual learning with in person hands-on lessons with family meet ups that lends itself to assisting neurodiverse learners in a positive and natural way. ILA is on a mission to ensure everyone is allowed to learn in an environment that feels safe and welcoming every day. She is happy to be of assistance when it comes to navigating the depths of IEPs for parents and educators. For she firmly believes that it is only “Together we succeed”.

Toni Boucher

Session Title: Creating an Autism Friendly Lifestyle: Strategies for a Healthy Home and Work Environment.

Toni Boucher started working with individuals on the autism spectrum over 30 years ago as a foster care and emergency respite provider after graduating with her BSW.

She was the director of a residential and day service program for adults before becoming the director of the CARE Clinic where she provided autism evaluations and determined eligibility for The South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs- Autism Division. There she discovered the need for further research and information about females on the spectrum and began to devote time to training professionals how to effectively identify and provide supports to women.

Her book Autism Translated is the result of the wisdom and insights her clients have shared with her throughout these years. Today Toni is a speaker, writer and consultant. She runs numerous social groups and programs for teens and adults on the spectrum.

Kerin Sullivan

Session Title: Understanding Reading Disabilities in Neurodivergent Students.

Kerin is a certified teacher/special needs teacher grades preK- grade 9 from Massachusetts who has advanced training in literacy. She now owns Rainbow Row Dyslexia Services in Charleston and provides reading services across the country.Additionally she is a certified Orton Gillingham Associate, and is fully trained in Lindamood-Bell LiPS, Visualizing and Verbalizing, and in Language Circle’s, Framing Your Thoughts.

In 2018 Kerin stepped away from public education to start doing, “what works”. She was hired by the Professional Training Institute of Commonwealth Learning Center who trained her to understand Dyslexia and to give research-based instruction. At her training center, she was given the opportunity to work with neurodivergent students with Autism, Apraxia, Downs Syndrome, NVLD, and brain injuries.

She hopes to share her expertise with Homeschool parents so that they are prepared and equipped to provide the best learning possible for their children.

Katie Hodgson

Session Title: Understanding the Social Mind & Improving Social Connections.

Katie is a licensed, ASHA certified speech-language pathologist with more than a decade of experience working with children and adults with social communication, executive function and emotional regulation challenges.

She first became interested in working with individuals with social communication challenges while providing speech therapy services to middle school and high school students. During her ten years in the public school system, Katie became the expert in the evaluation and treatment of individuals with social communication, executive functioning and emotional regulation challenges for her district. Additionally, she was an integral member of the Transition Team, which developed policies and procedures, curriculum, professional development and creative solutions to meeting the unique needs of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

As her passion and expertise flourished, so did her desire to make a greater impact for individuals with social challenges, which led her to Social Thinking® Boston. Currently, Katie is excited to be achieving her dream of owning her own private practice and building connections within the neurodiverse community