News and Events

Introducing the Catalight Language Guideline

Words are important. In telling a person’s story, we want to make sure that person’s preference on how they’re portrayed is upheld. It’s necessary, however, to have a baseline direction for language use for articles, copywriting, news, presentations, social media and...

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Applied Behavior Analysis and Modern Autism Care

Applied Behavior Analysis and Modern Autism Care

Modern care for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has expanded beyond the traditional "gold standard" of applied behavioral analysis (ABA) over the past few years. It's a move driven by several key factors: research demonstrating ABA is most effective with a subset of...

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Equity in Behavioral Health

Equity in Behavioral Health

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health equity is a state in which everyone has an equal opportunity to be as healthy as possible. That includes physical as well as behavioral health. However, achieving health equity has long faced...

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The Term Neurodiversity Is Good, But Not Good Enough

The Term Neurodiversity Is Good, But Not Good Enough

Twenty-five years ago this month, the word neurodiversity appeared in print in a September 1998 article in The Atlantic. Judy Singer, an Australian social scientist, introduced the word in reference to autism. In 2000, Kassiane Asasumasu, an activist for the...

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Telehealth: Is it Right for Parents and Children?

Telehealth: Is it Right for Parents and Children?

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the availability of telehealth for autism and other developmental disorders has exploded. Now that we are mostly post-pandemic, many parents are asking: “Is telehealth still the right choice for my child’s treatment?” There is no single...

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Words Matter

Words Matter

Language is the primary tool we use to understand and relate to each other. Using inclusive language to refer to people in communities different from our own, reflects our respect for and understanding of that community. A few words can mean the difference between a...

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Virtual Support, Real Progress

Virtual Support, Real Progress

Telehealth has gone through a major transformation since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Once narrowly used, it was widely adopted during the lockdowns of 2020. Many families turned to telehealth to continue essential care for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and...

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Preparing for a Lifelong Career in Behavioral Health

Preparing for a Lifelong Career in Behavioral Health

If you’re interested in making a significant impact on the wellbeing of others, a career focused on supporting people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or intellectual developmental disabilities (IDDs) may be the perfect fit for you. While certain skills and...

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Solving the Access Issue Once and For All

Solving the Access Issue Once and For All

With today’s behavioral health care staffing shortages and increasing prevalence of developmental disabilities and autism, it's a major challenge to create enough capacity to be able to serve these communities. But payers’ network adequacy is a key factor affecting...

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Successful Careers in ASD and IDD Care

Successful Careers in ASD and IDD Care

The shortage of clinicians who specialize in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) has been in the making for years, as ASD continues to increase in prevalence. The CDC recently reported, based on 2020 data, that the...

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Catalight CEO Named to Forbes 50 Over 50

Catalight CEO Named to Forbes 50 Over 50

WALNUT CREEK, CA – Catalight, the nonprofit behavioral health care organization, announced today that the company’s CEO, Susan Armiger, has been named to the 2023 Forbes 50 Over 50 List. The annual list honors women in four categories: Lifestyle, Impact, Innovation...

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Forbes Announces 50>50 List 2023

Forbes Announces 50>50 List 2023

Catalight President and CEO, Susan Armiger was recognized on Forbes’ 2023 50 Over 50: Impact list for her leadership at Catalight and for creating a more equitable world for people with developmental disabilities. Know your value. Age can be your superpower. Just ask...

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5 Ways Paraprofessionals Can Drive Better Client Care

5 Ways Paraprofessionals Can Drive Better Client Care

As a skilled paraprofessional, you play a key role in implementing the treatment plan for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. Helping them improve their overall wellbeing and achieve their goals is a rewarding part of your day-to-day job,...

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Beyond Goal Attainment

Beyond Goal Attainment

Historically, measuring outcomes in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) focused specific behaviors. More than a dozen scales and measures exist to gauge these outward behaviors: examples include the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS)...

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Tips for Summer Trips

Tips for Summer Trips

Summer is a season of change. The established routines of the school year have come to an end and new patterns take their place. For many families, summer vacations are the ultimate change in their routine. If you have a child with autism, this can be both an...

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Getting Ready for Summer Camp: Tips for Parents

Getting Ready for Summer Camp: Tips for Parents

While kids prepare and look forward to the fun of summer break, as a parent you may be feeling stressed about months of hectic schedules, impromptu events, and later bedtimes. Let’s face it, for parents, summer’s promise of fun can quickly become a difficult and...

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The Power of Parent-Led

The Power of Parent-Led

Today, more families face the challenges of seeking support and care for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as diagnoses increase and the shortage of qualified applied behavioral analysis (ABA) paraprofessionals continues. Finding treatment in itself can present hurdles....

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Awareness for All

Awareness for All

Every parent worries about their children. How will they do in school, how do I keep them healthy, how do I help ensure they have a better life? Today, 1 in 36 families will discover they also must learn about how autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will affect their...

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One Size Doesn’t Fit All

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

A diverse array of needs requires new thinking and new treatment options to better support people with developmental disabilities. Given the expanding autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis and the introduction of parity laws to better support people with...

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Catalight on the World Stage

Catalight on the World Stage

For the first time since 2019, the world's premier autism research conference was back in person, this year in Stockholm, and I attended with my colleagues Dr. Linsey Sneed and our CEO Susan Armiger. We were reminded of how important it is – both for us as researchers...

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Paraprofessional-Mediated ABA: Do hours matter anyway?

Paraprofessional-Mediated ABA: Do hours matter anyway?

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is an evidence-based intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). With the rates of ASD continuing to rise (Maenner et al., 2023) and all 50 states requiring behavioral health treatment for people with ASD...

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Does my young child need ABA every day?

Does my young child need ABA every day?

Applied behavior analysis or ABA is an intensive behavioral treatment for autism and related developmental disabilities. ABA has been shown to improve the communication and social skills of young children and decrease challenging behaviors. The fact that ABA is...

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Overcoming Stigma to Create More Inclusive Communities

Overcoming Stigma to Create More Inclusive Communities

April is Autism Awareness Month and World Autism Day was April 2, 2023. These observances create important opportunities to break down existing biases and build more inclusive communities where all people are valued for their unique abilities. While greater awareness...

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Conversations on value

Conversations on value

test While more than half of all overall healthcare payments today are still based on fee-for-service1, the trend toward value-based care (VBC) has accelerated in recent years as legislators and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have enacted...

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Seeing the big picture

Seeing the big picture

For clients with developmental disabilities and their families, it can be challenging to find the right level of care and support—especially with today’s current practices. Often, they are faced with a disjointed care journey and inconsistent outcomes. Traditional...

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Values-Driven Culture and Care

Values-Driven Culture and Care

Six years ago, after working for a large healthcare organization for 20 years, I made the decision to leave and join Catalight and I have never looked back. Catalight, a non- profit, supports individuals with developmental disabilities including autism by removing...

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Employee Accommodations for the Neurodiverse

Employee Accommodations for the Neurodiverse

Can you believe there are twice as many job openings as people are looking for work? The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced in June 2022 that job openings totaled 10.7 million. But, of course, the 5.9 million people looking for work do not include the millions of...

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Navigating Your First 100 Days of Employment

Navigating Your First 100 Days of Employment

Congratulations, after all your hard work, a company is reaching out with an offer to start work. You now face many decisions about salary, benefits, accommodations and work schedule – to mention a few. This article will cover how to navigate these critical decisions...

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Finding a Lifetime of Employment on the Spectrum

Finding a Lifetime of Employment on the Spectrum

I have spent the past several years providing career coaching to neurodiverse adults in hopes of assisting them in finding that job that will propel them into a lifetime of employment. It has been one of the most rewarding and difficult challenges I have faced since...

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