We were lucky to catch up with Crystal Ruse recently and have shared our conversation below.

Crystal , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My mission, what drives me really; is to help people understand behavior; specifically student behavior. This is really important to me because I see students everyday in a variety of schools and situations. I see challenging behaviors and unfortunately I see frustration from staff that are tasked to help them. I see this as a lack of training supports and services to those individuals tasked with supporting out students. Teachers, paraprofessionals, case managers, evan school psychologists; can be so taken by the effect maladaptive behavior has on the classroom and the enviornment that it leads to frustration and even blame on the student. As a Behavior Analyst who has been supporting classrooms for too many years to say my passion has become educating and supporting these professionals to learn more about behavior so they may positively manage behaviors to get lasting results. I have found that once impowered with knowledge, positive change for out studnets happen.
My mission is to Uncomplicate Behavior; to help providers, caregivers, and anyone working or supporting individuals with challenging behavior make positive and lasting behavior change.

Crystal , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My journey and experience in the world of Special Education began working as a para-professional in a Moderate to Severe classroom. Honestly, my journey really began out of frustration. I was frustrated with my work as an aide in a special need’s classroom. I saw the same repetitive patterns; not in the kids but with treatment of behavior. I saw no positive change, no growth in behavioral skills and I got frustrated again not with the kids or even my coworkers but because there was no helping us; the paraprofessionals or even the teachers. I untimately left the field and persued fashion. I quickly realized there was no passion in the fashion world for me and I desparately missed being in the classroom but I knew I couldn’t back without being able to make some change.

I knew there was a better way to work more proactively and positively with kids. That search led me to Applied Behavior Analysis. Once the ball started rolling and I was able to work with an amazing BCBA and see how powerful and meaningful the science of Behavior Analysis was; I was hooked. That was back in 2008!

Since then, I received my Master’s in Special Education, completed all the post graduate requirements, worked through over a thousand field work hours and supervision, sat for the nearly impossible test to pass (but I passed, first time while pregnant…just saying) and have been a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst for more than ten years.

In that time, I have worked for school districts, clinics, and provided in home support. My best work started in 2017.

In 2017 I began conducting Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA’s) through Individual Educational Evaluations (IEE’s). This service has provided me the opportunity to work with so many families, professionals and schools. It is by far the most meaningful work I have done to this point. Through the FBA process I assess students individually in their environment and support the family and school team in understanding behavior, the functions of behavior and how to provide proactive, positive and research-based treatment. I have assesed and supported over 500 students and attended more IEP’s than I can count. My work has evolved to expert testimony, expert consults, classroom development, team and invidual tranings.

The best part of my job in assessing is yes finding the solution but educating and problem solving is my true passion. Yes, I can detail the strategies for you, but I found I want to do more I want to make sure you know who to use those strategies and why they are so important.

I have learned through understanding behavior; we can put aside everything else and truly focus on positive treatment. Knowledge is power and power to positively change behavior in the life of someone who is struggling is the most important thing I can do to help someone.
I have seen first hand the power and change that happens when staff is supported, educated and trained to positvley manage challenging behavior. While there are many positives to my work and I love what I do there is a certain heatache and saddness that drives me as well. It is hard to see the frustration and a lack of positive supports that is happening in our school systems today, and to be very honest I have left school observations and have had to get in my car and cry. This has led me to persue helping on a broader scale. Helping is what motivates me, I love behavior, I love solving problems and I love seeing change.

So that’s who I am, I am a helper at heart, a behavior problem solver and a passionate educator who wants to give familes, educators and caregivers the best tools I have.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I am honest. Whenever I write a report, present information, give my opinion I let honesty guide me. There are times especially when I assess that parents, advocates, lawyer, and schools want or expect me to say or withhold information or recommendations. Those things can be supports like aide services, placement changes, higher level of support and sometimes that’s just not what my experience and education tells me; so I am honest. I feel like if I am always honest I will never have to look back and say well I shouldn’t have said that or made that call. More often than not our special education stuents are being underserved and staff supporting our students are not equiped and supported to help in ways that are positive, proactive, and lean into teaching new skills. I have to be honest about what I see; and that definately makes people and certain districts and IEP teams angry with me; but again if I’m not honest about what I am seeing then change can’t happen.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

My greatest source of new clients are my previous clients. I focus all my efforts into serving my current students and familes, and providing quality reports with positive supports and interventions. I don’t spend time or even money on marketing or promoting myself. My name cannot be found on any provider lists. If a family has heard of me it is because of referrals and previous clients. My goal is to serve the families and studnets I support well. I I recently started and am praying for the time and organizational skill to continue; my podcast that provides free information on Behavior Analysis for familes, caregivers and providers. My podcast; Uncomplicate Behavior is another way I can serve my community and familes that need more understanding. The best source of new clients for me is investing my time and heart into what I do and ensuring the work I put out is honest, usable, and understood by those who are going to be doing it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.accessbehaviorsolutions.com
• Instagram: @uncomplicatebehaviorpodcast

Image Credits

Kiley Shai photography
https://www.instagram.com/kileyshaiphotography