Capturing the positives of Autism
ABOUT
Meet our Pros that are here to help you and your family.
Dakota Johnson
Dakota was diagnosed with moderate to severe Autism at the age of 10. After years of work and struggle he graduated from high school and moved on to college. He attended Valley City State University where he played football and graduated with a degree in Psychology. With the education he received in school along with his own life experiences, he is able to provide inspiration, hope and help to both children and adults living with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Barb Johnson
Barbara Johnson is a special education teacher, author/speaker and the mother of three boys with disabilities - two who are on the autism spectrum. Barbara has a Master’s degree and over thirty years of experience in special education. While working with Dr. Jennifer Hefter, she co-created a graduate program at Minot State University in the area of Developmental Disabilities/Autism Spectrum Disorders. She also served the state of ND as Family Support Specialist with the Great Plains Autism Spectrum Team through the North Dakota Center for People with Disabilities (NDCPD) As a mother and teacher, she has developed a genuine concern for the complex social, emotional and spiritual needs of today’s children and their families. This concern drives her writing/speaking and volunteer efforts. Her publications include A Ray of Sunshine, Word Among Us Press, 2002; Ray-Ray‘s Dream, 2002; and Mirror/Mirror: Reflections on Autism, 2009; Created Perfectly for a Purpose, 2017; and Like a Diamond in the Sky, 2019; and Life is a Stage: A Theater Curriculum with a Social Twist, 2020. Barbra is also the co-founder of Camp Ray-Ray, a camp for children and families affected by HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Jennifer Hefter
Jennifer Hefter, is an educational specialist with a doctoral degree in Teacher Leadership with a concentration in Autism Programs. For 30+ years she has served children, youth, and adults with developmental disabilities, emotional disorders, learning disabilities, orthopedic conditions, and most extensively, autism spectrum disorders. In the last 15 years she worked in the ND university system teaching graduate and undergraduate students in the area of special education. While working with Barb Johnson, she co-created a graduate program at Minot State University in the area of Developmental Disabilities/Autism Spectrum Disorders. She also served the state of ND as an assessment/clinical specialist with the Great Plains Autism Spectrum Team through the North Dakota Center for People with Disabilities (NDCPD) and also served as a lead diagnostic specialist for the North Dakota Human Services Autism Waiver project. She works with a number of families through public school systems, grants, waivers, and as an owner/operator of Capturing the Positive Autism Services. She was one of the chosen specialists asked to develop the ND Autism Guidelines and Guidelines for Emotional Disorders through the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. She has extensive training in evidence-based autism programming. Recently, she was a technical specialist for the ND University System; developing an online Master of Arts Program in Secondary Education. Presently, she works as an assessment scorer for edTPA at Pearson Publishing as well as presents at Professional Development events.