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Ryland is a Basic Communication and Behavior Specialist with Acceptional Minds. They started their position in September of 2023. They love sports and anything with four tires! Ryland says Acceptional Minds is a wonderful place to work because everyone is caring and supportive and always willing to lend a hand when needed. They also love that we help kids with social and emotional learning and teaching them new skills in their day to day life.
Tina is the Administrative Assistant for Acceptional Minds. She has worked for AM since February 13, 2023. She came to Acceptional Minds because she was told it was an amazing place to work!
Sarah is Supervisory Coordinator for Family Support and Mentoring Services. She started working for Acceptional Minds in November of 2019. Sarah enjoys making homemade soups and fostering rescue dogs. She says our wholistic approach to working with clients and families makes Acceptional Minds a great place to work, and being able to see families grow and move forward makes the job rewarding.
Sabrina has been with Acceptional Minds since January 4th, 2023, and currently operates in the position of Middle and High School Coordinator. Sabrina is from the Green Bay area. She graduated from West De Pere High School in 2012. She enjoys roller skating, taking walks, visiting family and friends, coloring, doing nails and weightlifting. Sabrina enjoys working at AM because the environment is so welcoming. She believes that AM is a place where staff feel they are people with lives outside of work. AM treats clients and staff alike with respect and dignity. AM is a place where hard work and effort gets noticed and shouted out without hesitation! Mistakes are treated as a learning experience, within reason. Staff concerns and ideas are heard and set into motion in a timely manner. She says AM is also a great place to work because “we make a difference, no matter how small it may seem.” Their clients know they are safe and are in a place that will fully accept them with open arms! A quote Sabrina lives by is, “Happiness is like a butterfly, the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to the other things around you, it will gently come and sit on your shoulder,” by Henry David Thoreau.
Randy has been working as the Associate Director of Alternative Education at Acceptional Minds since 2020. This means that he is in charge of setting up curriculum and work closely with the other directors for our elementary, middle, and high school students. He also coordinates lessons with the student’s home schools and works with and communicates with their teachers and student services directors. He works part time at Acceptional Minds, but keeps himself busy working with several non-profit organizations. For over 33 years, Randy has enjoyed working with students and creating a positive learning relationship. He has worked and coached in several school districts, the longest is the Ashwaubenon School district for 24 years. He enjoys many different outdoor activities. Randy has a small Boston Terrier named Lilly. He enjoys time with his children and grandchildren. Every day is a new day and one that he is grateful for.
Kate started with Acceptional Minds in January 2024 as an In Home Coordinator. She has worked with children of all ages for the last 7 years and enjoys every age and stage! She is currently enrolled in university to eventually become a Chemist. When she isn’t at school or with her Acceptional students, she can be found at home hanging out with her dachshund puppy. Kate loves plants, baking, reading the most interestingly titled books she can find, and playing farming video games.
Boone is an “old Marine” that finds great fulfillment in working with children. He left the factory life in 2014 and began a new career working with children who have needs that require empathy, compassion, and consistency. He believes that as one who supports, he must look beyond behaviors and identify needs that are not being met. Boone is a former single foster parent of five years, and spends his off time studying etymology and theology.
Ookie started in Acceptional Minds in spring 2023. After a short break, Ookie returned to work full time. She loves arts and crafts, outdoorsy sports, and hanging out with a variety of different people to experience new things. She loves meeting different personalities and interacting with different beliefs. She says AM is a place where she understands people, and people understand her.
Nekita has been working for Acceptional Minds officially since 2017. He has worked with people with developmental disabilities, trauma, and mental health struggles throughout his life. His lived experience includes his own mind, family, friends, and eventual clients that he has helped along his journey. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Professional Writing and Publishing, with a minor in Creative Writing. He utilizes this degree by teaching staff communication, designing marketing materials, and writing various tools and programs for the company.
Morgan is the Communication and Behavior Administrator at Acceptional Minds LCC for our Acceptional Youth Academy and afterschool program. She started at Acceptional Minds in June of 2023 as a Brown County In-Home Coordinator and recently was promoted to the Communication and Behavior Administrator. Prior to working at Acceptional Minds, Morgan has experience working at a Residential Care Facility for children with disabilities, along with providing ABA therapy to children in homes. Morgan graduated from the University of Wisconsin Platteville with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Education with an emphasis in biology. Morgan’s favorite part about working at Acceptional Minds is the opportunity to work with such a diverse group of students, who all have their own unique challenges and talents and are able to help teach us something new every day. In her free time Morgan likes to stay busy with many hobbies, and enjoys going golfing, hiking, visiting National Parks, snowboarding, weightlifting, reading, or anything outdoors. Morgan is from Kaukuana, where she lives with her 2 fur babies Freckles and Elanore.
Michelle works as a basic support specialist. She started on December 2023. She has worked with many different types of kids with special needs. She has a sister that is deaf and has learned sign language to talk with her sister. She has worked with people with serious brain problems or deficits for years. She enjoys learning new things about people. She has 30 years experience in the health industry. In her free time, she does puzzles and reads books.
Matt is the IT/Security Manager at Acceptional Minds. He’s a graduate of the Computer Support Specialist program and has a certificate in Networking from NWTC. He has worked here since the conception and loves to do all the behind the scenes work to keep the business going in a positive direction. One thing he loves about his job is the flexibility. He also loves seeing our clients and staff grow and reach milestones they thought they could never reach. It makes him glad to witness a difference we are making in the world.
Madison’s role at Acceptional Minds is a Basic Communication and Behavior support specialist. She enjoys spending time with her daughter, boyfriend, cat, friends, and sister. She loves to get to know the kids and staff at Acceptional Minds.
Lucas started as a Basic Communication and Behavior Specialist in October of 2023. Lucas enjoys fashion and choosing outfits. He also enjoys playing video games and cooking food. He says AM is a wonderful place to work because it is a supportive place for staff and clients alike.
Lisa is a Basic Communication and Support Specialist at Acceptional Minds. Her favorite activity is surfing, she loves the water. She has two kids, a boy and a girl, and a dachshund named Copper. She loves Acceptional Minds because they do miraculous things, and she says they are one of the best jobs she’s ever had. She truly believes they are a job and a family.
Karen is excited to join the team at Acceptional Minds as the Elementary School Communication and Behavior Coordinator. She feels passionate about creating an environment of collaboration where people feel safe, connected, and have what they need to be successful. She still solves the daily NYT Wordle and Connections puzzles. She likes black coffee best! In her free time, it’s likely she would be on a walk, reading a book, or spending time with family. Her background includes experience in the areas of psychology, education, and parenting. She graduated from UW-Green Bay in December 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. While her recent coursework provided valuable academic and research training, her qualifications also include many years of being a stay at home mom and home educator. Her children have been some of the best teachers. She looks forward to combining professional and personal experiences to benefit the families at Acceptional Minds!
Katie is one of the Acceptional Skill-Building Coordinators at Acceptional Minds. She started working here in December 2021 as an Assistant Coordinator before becoming an Acceptional Skill-Building Coordinator. In her free time, she works on small crafting projects and takes care of her cat, Grim, and his new kitten sister, Ham. She says Acceptional Minds has provided her the skills and tools that she uses daily to better nurture our clients’ futures; she takes great pride in being the support they can count on in their times of need.
Jocelyn started working at Acceptional Minds in October or 2021. She is an advanced support specialist in Winnebago and Outagamie counties. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse with a bachelors in psychology. Currently Jocelyn is working towards her MSW/LCSW at the University of Wisconsin- Green Bay. Her favorite part about working for Acceptional Minds is seeing the progress that children and their families make!
Jewel (she/her) was born in Buffalo, New York, reared in Atlanta, Georgia and currently resides in De Pere, WI. She completed her undergraduate degree in Nashville, TN at Fisk University, and her Master of Science in Psychology from Perdue University. Currently she is in pursuit of her Doctor of Education with a focus in Traumatology. She is married with four children, ages 11, 7, 5, and 4, two of which have Autism Spectrum Disorder and Expressive Language Disorder. Music, dance, photography, traveling, thrifting, crafting, and teaching are hobbies that she really enjoys. Since beginning her journey with the company in 2020, she has worked across all three groups (Elementary, Middle, High), and with all the programs at Acceptional Minds during her career thus far. She currently is operating under the title of Supervisory Coordinator For Center Operations. Her favorite part of working for Acceptional Minds is the culture of inclusivity. This is a safe space and safe place for all, and it creates the opportunity for children like hers to learn forever skills. These skills will create a quality of life that will ultimately afford them the opportunity to live a life they choose, not the life that is chosen for them.
Jessica started working in Human Resources for Acceptional Minds in April of 2019. Her favorite part about working for Acceptional Minds is finding great staff to join the team and watching them grow alongside of our clients. She also enjoys the parenting skills and resources she can utilize in her personal life. She is excited to see Acceptional Minds continue to grow and serve more and more families in our community.
Jen started working for Acceptional minds starting February 27th 2023. She mostly works with the elementary school kids. She enjoys road races, horseback riding, downhill skiing, and video games in her spare time. She has a black belt in taekwondo. Her favorite thing about Acceptional Minds is the close-knit family everybody becomes and that we are always there to help each other out.
Jade started as a staff member at Acceptional Minds in January of 2024. She is currently studying Art and K-12 Education at Saint Norbert College and is in her junior year. Previously she has worked in a daycare center, an after-school program, and as a nanny in the summer. Outside of work Jade enjoys painting, doing ceramics, sewing, and baking. Her favorite thing about working at Acceptional Minds is having the opportunity to help students and get experience working with different student needs.
Jada joined the Acceptional Minds team as a Brown County Family Support Mentoring (FSM) Coordinator in December 2023. Jada has worked with neurodivergent individuals since 2016 and enjoys working with all age ranges but specializes in working with younger teens to young adults! Her favorite things about being an FSM Coordinator are being able to work with both the families and the individual and seeing how positively life changing our services can be! When Jada is not working, she enjoys spending time with her dog Buddy, listening to music, going on hikes, and spending time with her friends!
Jake is an Advanced Communication and Behavior Support Specialist. He’s been with Acceptional Minds since June of 2021. He works with all ages groups, in and out of the home. He loves his job for the constant challenges and opportunities to learn, and being able to make a tangible difference in the lives and education of those in need. Jake served in the Army in OIF, and studied Mathematics and Education at the University of Wisconsin Steven’s Point.
Elizabeth is a Communication and Behavior Specialist. Her favorite thing about Acceptional Minds is that they help change the world to understand and accept each other. They genuinely care about clients as well as staff.
Heavan has been with Acceptional Minds since November 2019 and currently operates in the position of Quality Control. Heavan is from Wisconsin Dells, and graduated from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 2010 with a degree in Human Development and Psychology. Heavan enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 kids, baking, thrift shopping, and reading.
Harley’s position at AM is a Teen Group Facilitator, She started in October 2023. One big personal interest of hers is music, and she especially loves show choir. She believes AM is a good place to work because we, as a team, are helping people and changing lives every day.
Erin is an Acceptional Skill Building Coordinator and has been at AM since June 2021. Her favorite thing about working at AM is seeing the clients grow and learn more skills. She really likes to read. Erin is also currently attending UWGB for her Masters in Social Work.
Elise is an Advanced Communication & Behavior Support Specialist that has worked for Acceptional Minds since June 2020. She enjoys spending time with her son, friends and family watching the Packers, going to the zoo, walking on trails in nice weather, and relaxing at home. Elise has nearly 20 years lived experience with children with significant needs, having raised her son who has experienced similar struggles as the clients at Acceptional Minds. She also has over 3 years of experience working directly with clients varying from ages 7 to 17 with a wide range of needs and struggles. Elise hopes to continue in this role with this company for many years to come.
Dill is both a Brown County Family Support Mentoring (FSM) Coordinator and an Advanced Communication and Behavior Specialist with Acceptional Minds LLC. Dill started working with Acceptional Minds in November 2022. Dill has been married for 8 years and has lived in multiple countries and states but currently lives with his husband in Green Bay. Dill went to school to become a teacher and has a degree majoring in Education/English. Dill taught English to non-native English speakers in both Thailand and Colombia and lived in both countries. Dill has lived in Japan as well and it is an amazing country. Dill also worked for two different companies online teaching English to non-native English speakers and in these companies, Dill has taught to speakers from all kinds of countries including Brazil, China, Japan, Spain, Etc. Dill also has a background in working in manufacturing which is quite out of character for him. Dill does not have any pets but desires to have two cats in the future at least. Dill works with all age ranges but particularly enjoys working with younger teens to older teens/young adults. Dill is from Escanaba, Michigan which is a very small town with only 10,000 people. When Dill is not working he enjoys working out at Anytime Fitness (Daily Habit since 2022). Dill also enjoys playing Japanese Video Games, watching 80s horror movies and listening to Nicki Minaj (Pound The Alarm is his Theme Song). Dill loves spending time with friends and playing board games and singing Karaoke. Dill is Fabulous and Slays All Day.
Corey has been with Acceptional Minds since early September 2023. He loves it that each client is unique unto themselves and he says it’s also really awesome being a part of their progress in life. The mission of this agency fits his mindset & experience in this field of work very well.
Christel has been with Acceptional Minds since inception and currently operates in the position of Assistant Director of Services. She is from Illinois, and attended Southern Illinois University many aeons ago, majoring in English and Speech Communication. Christel enjoys reading, cooking, and spending time watching her tortoises.
Cami is an Advanced Communication and Behavior Specialist, she has been with Acceptional Minds for 2 years. Cami works primarily with elementary/middle school students. She has a passion for building connections and furthering skill sets. Her favorite thing is seeing the kids grow and adapt to new challenges. She enjoys the inclusivity and acceptance that AM center has embraced.
Brenda is the Administrative Services Manager, aka Jack of All Trades. She has been with the company almost 5 years. Brenda came to Acceptional Minds because her son had received services through AM and she wanted to share her knowledge of autism and let families know they are not alone.
Becky has two children and a husband on the Autism Spectrum. She has been helping other Autism families since 2007, shortly after her first son was diagnosed, and became an Autism therapist in 2009. Becky has taken classes in Early Childhood, Instructional Aid, Human Development, Psychology, and Autism, as well as attending numerous conferences and trainings on Speech and Language, Behavior Modification, Autism, Sensory Processing, Social Skills, Executive Functioning Deficits, Gifted and Talented, and Dual Exceptionality. Becky developed Acceptional Minds, LLC, in 2015 to help families learn how to function with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, and to help those families and individuals struggling to find help. Acceptional Minds has branched out to families with developmental disorders, mental health issues, and/or environmental factors that are preventing individuals and their families from integrating into their communities, with a strong focus on community service, job readiness, and developing and strengthening natural support systems. Becky has created community integration programs, young adult programs, an alternative school placement program, and parent/caregiver classes through Acceptional Minds to continue forward with these goals.
Abby works as an Advanced Communication and Behavior Specialist. Her favorite thing about working with Acceptional Minds is seeing the growth of all of the clients through the struggles we work through together.
My name is Michael. I am 29 years old and was diagnosed with PDD-NOS last year. Getting the diagnosis came with a complex range of very mixed feelings. On the one hand, for instance, I was consumed with a kind of relief that there was finally something out there to explain the social and sensory difficulties that seemed to alienate me from my peers. On another hand, I was faced with the reality that I would always be different and the normal day to day things that I found so hard, and that seemed to come so naturally to those around me, would always seem unnatural to me.
The months following my diagnosis were very confusing to me. I was put on several medications. Some seemed to help, and some I didn’t like very much. One of the things to come of my diagnosis was that I came to know Becky Krisko. Our paths began to intersect when my wife was put in contact with her via my therapist at the time. And since then, Becky has conversed and counseled with me on numerous occasions, and still does so to this day.
I liked Becky immediately. Though my nature tends towards mistrust of new people, I found her to be exceptionally honest. She made me feel very comfortable being myself from the beginning, while also holding me accountable when my social logic or thought process on a certain subject was flawed.
The thing I really found to be different from my experience with any kind of counseling interactions I have had in the past, was that Becky felt and still feels to this day like more of a coach than a therapist. I found this to be a wonderful change as I personally am not a huge fan of sitting across the room from someone who is psycho analyzing me. I personally feel like a specimen and get very uncomfortable in interactions of that kind. Though I am not saying traditional therapy isn’t helpful, I personally take issue with the social parameters involved.
Becky has helped me with many things, including accepting my diagnosis and how I think, structuring my day to day life, and communicating with my spouse, which has always been a problem for me. She also has talked to my wife on several occasions and has helped her with understanding how I think and why I may be doing the things I do. In doing this, she was careful not to explain these things as crutches that my wife would have to get used to, but rather explained to me and my wife how to overcome my more problematic tendencies.
I still have a lot of working to do with Becky, with myself, and with other professionals who can help me overcome the challenges that I and others on the spectrum will undoubtedly face. But I am on the road to getting better at succeeding in a world that I’m not quite wired for.
When I leave the house I still feel as though I am wandering through a sea of faceless people. I still feel things inside myself and for people around me that I can’t quite seem to adequately share. And the world around me still feels a little harsh and accosting, but I am learning very useful skills, theories, and philosophies that help me cope with these things.
My family struggled through the diagnosis and waiting period, and had already started intensive therapy when Becky Krisko “joined” my family in 2009, as an Autism therapist. I was living in a perpetual state of crisis and chaos and I felt as though my life had been hijacked. I could tell immediately that Becky was what my son needed…and what I needed as a mom. She wasn’t just an Autism therapist doing a job. She was “walking the walk”. Her knowledge and REAL LIFE experience are priceless!
Becky taught me that in making a connection, “going through the front door” doesn’t always work. Sometimes, we have to go through the back door, or a window, or down the chimney. In other words, sometimes as parents, we get caught up trying to change our child to fit into our way of thinking. We try to teach them by using “standards” or “methods” that do not make sense in their minds. It is our job as the parent to “guide” them, which means we need to make those adjustments. Acceptional Minds can help!
Acceptional Minds is a valuable resource for helping individuals and families make those adjustments. Even more valuable is the fact that Becky Krisko created Acceptional Minds to offer help for ALL ages and stages of life. Many of the resources available are limited to children; however, they aren’t there when your Autistic child reaches puberty. I am thrilled that Becky has created Acceptional Minds!
My name is Nekita. I am Becky Krisko’s eldest child, and I was diagnosed with PDD-NOS when I was eight. My younger brother, Ian, was diagnosed a year earlier at three with “classic autism”. I knew I was different. I was the weird kid who always played with the same “Clifford the Big Red Dog” stuffed animal in the kindergarten play room, and would run away from people in first grade, but I didn’t know that it was okay and had a name until second grade, a year after my brother’s diagnosis. I remember, right after Ian got diagnosed, I asked my mom if I had autism, too. She replied with ‘no’. I knew I was different, and I thought there was a name for it, but I shrugged it off and went along with my life.
For an entire year, my mom read all the books there were on autism, and went to all the websites and all the lectures. She became an expert, with a natural knack for children. And she slowly started seeing subtle signs that I was, in fact, different. Possibly even autistic. She went to get me tested, but the doctor we went to at first only wanted to test me for ADHD. My mom, at this point read up on almost all mental disorders, related and non-related to autism, wanted me tested across the board. The doctor refused. If I had been diagnosed with ADHD, I would have been given Adderall, and even though it works wonders for kids with ADHD, kids with sensory processing disorder (like me) would go off the wall. My mom asked a psychologist that she worked with at the time, who agreed to test me across the board. Sure enough, I was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, a sensory processing disorder, and anxiety. We tried medications at first, but my system wouldn’t take them. They did either the complete opposite of what they were supposed to do, or they just wouldn’t do anything. My mom researched natural supplements, and they work phenomenally.
In middle school, I tried to open enroll into another district, but they wouldn’t accept my transfer due to my school diagnosis. So my mom uprooted her life temporarily, and got me into the school I needed.
Then the fight for sensory tools came. Gum and hats were “banned” in my middle school, and if we were caught with any we would get a “major referral”, the school’s largest punishment under suspension and expulsion. The only two things that were banned in my school were two sensory tools that I needed to function at the time. Gum was first, because most people don’t understand how it can be used as a sensory tool. We fought for the use of gum, and we explained it to teachers and principals and specialists, and eventually got it in my IEP that I could chew gum in class. That caused an uproar in the students, with friends and strangers alike asking “can I have some?” or “why do you get to chew gum and I can’t?”, and it got frustrating. I would explain to close friends, but I didn’t feel the need to explain myself to every student in the school. Finally, one afternoon at the after school study program, it got so annoying and the entire class and the supervisor ganged up on me, that I stood up and shouted “I HAVE AUTISM, OKAY?”, and I sat down and cried. The supervisor told me it was okay, how brave I had been to admit that. I wasn’t brave, I was frustrated. My mom stood up for me, and explained to my peers about Autism, sensory needs, and how everyone has baggage.
Hats weren’t as big of an issue. After the gum fiasco, word spread through the grade that I was autistic, and wearing hats wasn’t as big of a deal. Sure, substitutes and teachers I didn’t really interact with were a hassle, but my mom stood up for me every time, if only in spirit or in the little voice in the back of my head. I learned to stand up for myself instead of evading the problem, and soon the entire school knew that I was special. When I got to high school, the fight started all over again, with even my IEP supervisor questioning me. “Why can’t you just wear a headband? It agrees with school policy”. But a headband wouldn’t give me the pressure I needed, nor would it give me the pressure in the right places, and there wouldn’t be a brim that would block out extra sensory. Administration even tried to get me to consent to my IEP being changed, to trick me into agreeing with something that would be easier for them, but my mom was having none of that. My IEP meeting was in a week, and I told my mom all about it and how I didn’t agree to anything. She came in to the meeting prepared as ever, and made sure that never happened again. They eventually agreed on a compromise.
My mom has fought through thick and thin by my side, from my diagnosis to present day. I’m sixteen now, and she still fights for me on a daily basis. I’m glad that now, I get to help her out with her company, and she can do for other kids what she did for me for the last eight years. Ian, too, she’s fought for, and she fights for friends and clients the same way she fights for her own kids. She poured her blood, sweat, and tears into my education, and my social skills, and if I were to be tested today, I most likely wouldn’t meet the criteria for autism. But without my tools, I would spiral downward, like I did when I was eight. My mom will never stop fighting for me, and she’ll never stop fighting for anyone else, either. Go get ‘em, Mother Hulk.