Rocco Catrone

I have served in several roles in the field of disabilities and behavior analysis since 2011. I started out as a program aide in a special education school, then became an in-home therapist for a few years before starting graduate school at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale (SIU-C). After being a manager on in-home ABA teams, I moved to children's hospital where we focused mainly on creating environments of success for parents and staff working with children diagnosed with various developmental disabilities.

Through my research lab called Behavioral Leadership in Education, Novel Science, and Dissemination (BLEND), my areas of research focus are effective training methods for parents/caregivers and healthcare staff within the field of disabilities as well as the analysis of stigma to help create protocols to reduce prejudice for those diagnosed with disabilities. These projects have resulted in thousands of dollars in grant funding, publications, and several conferecne presentaitons.

By creating environments of success (training staff, parents, and reducing stigma) I hope to help the families I work with advocate for their child while also being able to not be overwhelmed when living with the various stressors that come with being a parent.