About Me

The Quick Version (Because I Know You’ve Got Enough on Your Plate)

Hey, I’m Veneta. For the past 20 years, I’ve been walking alongside families raising autistic kids—mostly little ones, mostly right at the start of their journey.

I never set out to specialize in toddlers. But they kept showing up, and I kept saying yes. These days, I coach parents using the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)—a play-based, relationship-first approach that meets your child where they are, and helps you meet yourself there too.

My work blends science, heart, and the real-life chaos of parenting. No pressure. No perfection. Just presence, partnership, and practical tools for the everyday mess and magic.

(Credentials? They’re just below, if you’re into that.)

The Long Version

I’m Veneta—a daughter, partner, mother, friend, and parent coach who believes that presence—not pressure—is where every meaningful change begins. I’m also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and co-founder of Ausblick Therapie GmbH, a multidisciplinary practice supporting U.S. military families raising children with autism and developmental differences.

Over the past decade, serving this community has given me a uniquely intimate window into early autism parenting. I didn’t plan to specialize in the early years—but again and again, I was entrusted with toddlers just beginning their journey. And slowly, it became clear: this was where I was needed most.

For over 20 years, I’ve worked across early childhood education, school counseling, and applied behavior analysis (ABA). My focus on early intervention for children ages 0–5 has taught me that progress isn’t just built through therapy—it’s built through trust, rituals, co-regulation, and small moments that add up.

I’ve stayed local and visible to the U.S. military community in Germany over a decade—on base, at events, in living rooms and clinics, walking this road with families I know by name. And now, as I expand into virtual work, I carry that same relational grounding with me. I’m both thrilled and a little tender-hearted about what it means to reach families who aren’t just down the road. My hope is that even through a screen, what matters most still comes through.

Rooted in science and nourished by heart, my work blends research with relationship. I offer virtual parent coaching based on the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)—an evidence-based, play-focused approach to supporting young children with autism. My mission is to guide parents not with scripts or pressure, but with presence and partnership. I’m not here to fix—I’m here to understand. Not to push—but to connect.

A Journey of Unlearning and Reimagining

I earned my MA from Teachers College, Columbia University in New York, where I was immersed in cutting-edge research on language development. I’ve worked in domestic violence shelters in the Pacific, in American and European schools, on U.S. military bases, and in playrooms on three continents.

Along the way, I’ve been reshaped by children who “could conjure up a behavioral storm,” by mothers who’ve forgotten what rest feels like, and by my own growing discomfort with deficit-based thinking and rigid labels. What began as a clinical path has become something more grounded, more relational—less about correction and more about connection.

In 2014, I launched Teaching Tree as a solo practice—the first clinic-based ABA therapy service for U.S. military families stationed in Germany. What began as one woman in a room with a few toys and a vision, grew organically into an organization, and eventually into Ausblick Therapie. Today, I continue to offer parent coaching sessions through our clinic in Kindsbach, though I’m less involved in daily operations. Over time, our team has grown self-sufficient, allowing me to shift my focus while remaining connected to the field.

My work is deeply informed by trauma-sensitive care, attachment theory, somatic work, and developmental science, woven together through the lens of functional contextualism. I also draw inspiration from nature and indigenous worldviews—where the word “disability” is often absent, and difference is simply part of being.

I bring a mix of analytical clarity and parasympathetic calm, modeling curiosity, playfulness, and presence—even in the clumsy or chaotic moments that parenting often brings.

When I’m not working, you’ll find me walking with my dog, reading, dancing in the kitchen, or making art and comic strips with my daughter.