Connie Amedore

“This is a really great profession,” said special education teacher Connie Amedore. “You get to make a difference in kids’ lives, in their parents’ lives.”

Connie earned a bachelor’s degree in Childhood Education and a master’s degree in Special Education and Literacy at Russell Sage College at Russell Sage College. When she saw the difference applied behavior analysis made in the lives of some of her first students, she returned to Sage for a master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism.

Connie said that she appreciated that many of her professors at Sage’s Esteves School of Education were active as classroom and special education teachers, literacy specialists, behavior analysts and education administrators even as they taught at Sage. 

It was really helpful, said Connie, to observe and learn from these professors in the professional setting as well as in her classes. 

Today, Connie teaches kindergartners and first and second graders with autism in Schenectady, New York. 

“To have a kid who is nonverbal, and to be able to get them to tell you what they want or how they feel — that is everything,” says Connie.

“Every kid has their own program,” she continued, giving the example of a child who was nonverbal, who eventually was able to communicate through texting. “We figure it out like a puzzle, and we’ve always been successful. We believe in them.” 

Connie also works closely with parents and colleagues to share best practices in applied behavior analysis and special education, and she’s been pleased that ABA has become more mainstream over the course of her career. 

“People are really seeing it as a research-based successful approach for students on the spectrum, and even in other situations. And that’s exciting.” 

“I have my dream job,” she concluded. “It’s so rewarding and I’m always using what I’ve learned in school.”