We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Theresa Alexander Inman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Theresa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?

I have always been in helping positions. I left my position at a juvenile justice facility to run a domestic violence center as a survivor of domestic violence I felt it was my calling. It was actually more stressful and not what I expected. In February, less than a year after I started as the executive director, I felt the urge to leave and started looking for another job. While trying to fill the position, I was preparing to exit. No one I spoke to was interested. I stayed because I felt they ‘needed me’. At the beginning of July, it became increasingly clear it was time to leave, and I still stayed. At the end of July, I was fired. The reason they gave was I was not good with staff, which was ironic as I held weekly meetings so everyone could air grievances and problem solve together. That was on a Monday. Ironically, we had just a staff meeting and on the way to my office, I called my husband and said I was tired of managing people and only wanted to manage myself. About an hour after I arrived a the office, board members showed up while I was speaking to the state head of the coalition about leaving board members I had not seen in months showed up and the office. I thanked her for her support as I knew it would be the last time we spoke. I was summoned to an office. Four board members were present, two male and two female. The two male members, one a police officer and the other a contractor/bullder, flanked me with their arms folded, as I was told I could resign or be fired. They presented me with a letter of resignation. I chose to be fired as I thought I would take a month to get much-needed sleep while collecting unemployment. That dream was dashed after reading my Bible while in my bed two days later. The verse said speak things that are not as if they are and I said, okay Lord, today I am a board certified behavior analyst. I called the owner of an agency and asked if I could work with him to complete the 1200 supervision hours still needed. I offered to work without pay if necessary. He asked where I was with my studies, and I told him I had completed my coursework and he responded, I can hire you as an analyst. And the journey began! I remember telling my husband I finally found what I want to do when I grow up and have been loving serving families ever since! I have been serving families with autistic children since 2009 and became certified in 2012 and have never looked back. i continue to find ways to increase the services I offer to families as there is great need.

Theresa, 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?

I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist, Certified Infant Massage Coach, podcast host, child-development expert and author, dedicated to empowering families raising autistic and neurodivergent children. I provide individualized ABA services, parent training, and early-childhood support that focus on communication, independence, emotional regulation, and compassionate, trauma-informed care. Through my podcast, *Parenting on the Spectrum*, I interview experts and advocates to share practical, hopeful guidance with families. I also write, train, and develop inclusive childcare programs and educational resources that help parents and providers better understand, support, and celebrate neurodivergent children. My book is titled Pathways to Early Communication. It is a compilation of stories from my practice. I share strategies that have helped my clients develop communication and independence. I am most proud of the quality of life improvements that I have seen in my clients. Sometimes within minutes, hours, days, and weeks! It really excites me to have a child who said nothing at two years old and at three, inviting me to a tea party and having conversations about the food they were offering me, etc. What sets me apart? I teach children through play and empower their family members to do the same. Parents have named my the child whisperer as their children often say their first word or make their first functional request as a result of my interactions with them. It truly excites me to discharge clients after they have attained their goals. My goal is to work my way out of a job.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Succeeding in my field takes far more than training and technical expertise. It requires deep empathy, patience, and a genuine commitment to human connection. I must stay flexible and creative, adapting my approach to each child’s unique strengths and needs while supporting families through moments of uncertainty, frustration, and hope. Clear communication, cultural humility, and ethical integrity guide every interaction. This helps me build trust and collaborate effectively with parents and professionals. Most importantly, it takes resilience and strong boundaries to sustain this work, along with the courage to advocate for children who cannot always advocate for themselves. The general public as a whole do not understand people who are different and it takes a level of strength to take my clients into the community to work on skills. In many instances I have had to instruct and support embarrassed parents to ignore what they perceive to be looks of judgement while their child is having a meltdown in public. Or respond to the well-meaning ones who offer to help in ways that would go against what we are working on.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

I certainly would! I started out with the dream of being a nurse like one of my aunts. Could not stand the thought of losing a patient. Studied hairdressing and owned a small salon in my mother-in-laws basement. Lost interest and studied electronics and worked as a computer technician briefly before going to baking school. There after I worked in several juvenile justice programs, a domestic violence center before finding my calling working with autistic children and their families. It is the longest I have been in any field and will continue until…

Contact Info:

• Website: https://parentingonthespectrum.co
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