09/01/2024
Meet Danika Lang, RBT:
“Nebraska Behavior Supports offers so much flexibility. As an RBT, I have the opportunity to build my own schedule and meet the needs of clients in more rural areas. This flexibility has allowed me to work part time while finishing my PhD in special education and will allow me to continue working as I further my education in pursuit of my BCBA credential. I believe one of the most important objectives in applied behavior analysis is the pursuit of social validity.
While the study of human behavior has immeasurable value in and of itself, it is also imperative that this knowledge is used to improve the human condition, especially for vulnerable populations in need of additional support. This includes individuals with special needs such as intellectual/developmental disabilities, emotional/behavioral disorders, or autism spectrum disorder, among others. For the past decade, I have worked in the field of special education as a private academic tutor, teaching assistant, special education teacher, and graduate research assistant. Over the course of my career, I have conducted educational research, taught undergraduate courses to preservice teachers, and have worked one-on-one with students with a variety of special needs in grades K-12. Although each of these roles was invaluable to my professional growth, none of them were quite the right fit. I was drawn to specific elements of each position, but, on their own, none of them completely satisfied my desire to use evidence-based instructional practices to improve the lives of individuals with special needs and their families. I didn’t find that level of professional fulfillment until I began working as an RBT.
For me, the best part of the job is getting to spend time with some incredible kids. There are so many days when I come home and think to myself, "I actually get paid to be present to individuals with special needs and provide the support necessary for them to simply live their best lives." I go where they go, do what they do, and try to provide them with the tools necessary for engaging in effective communication, interpersonal interactions, and completing activities of daily living with the highest possible level of independence.
In my free time, I love doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I've been training at Lincoln Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Center for two and a half years now and have been involved in martial arts on and off for the past 20 years.”