SOARING EAGLES
Center for Autism
2025 Christmas Party
Once again SECA’s annual Christmas Party featured an Ugly Sweater Contest. This year there were four contestants: Rayleana Vigil, Rayner Beattie, Brook Howland and Amy Thomas.
The winner was seven year-old Rayleana Vigil, granddaughter of Billing Specialist Annette Lerma, second place went to Rayner Beattie.
1st Place Rayleana Vigil
2nd Place
Rayner Beattie
Brook Howland
Amy Thomas
Choose an Article Review
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
The abbreviation ASD has evolved over time. This is a brief timeline of its evolution.
Prior to 1980, there was no diagnoses of autism because it was not list in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders (DSM). This manual is put out by the American Psychiatric Association; they update it regularly.
Because autism was not listed before 1980, children with significant behavioral and emotional issues were diagnosed with childhood schizophrenia; therefore, the prescription for many was
institutionalization.
Then in 1980, DSM-III added pervasive development disorder or PDDs. This included infantile autism. Fast forward to 1994, when the DSM-IV unveiled that there are a group of symptoms that they labeled as autism spectrum disorder. At this time medications were developed to control symtoms.
Then in 2013, DSM-5 not only changed how autism was defined but dropped all individual diagnoses to what we now know as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
(Adapted from an article by Lisa Jo Rudy)
SECA News
As SECA has continued to develop and excel in behavioral services, we have expanded our
training criteria to include that all behavioral direct care staff who are working with clients in
specific programs become Registered Behavioral Technician (RBT). This criteria was
implemented at SECA over one year ago and has now become a stated mandate as of
December 12, 2025.
An RBT is a certified paraprofessional with 40 hours of online training followed by the implementation of a skills assessment protocol by a Board-Certified Behaviors Analyst (BCBA). Then the staff person is qualified to take the certification examination from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and become a RBT.
The RBTs work one-on-one with clients to help them gain basic life skills, lower problem behaviors, improve their communication, self-care and independence in different settings. RBTs work not only with persons on the autism spectrum but with persons with other developmental disabilities, behavioral and mental disorders.