Erin Wilrigs

Psychology

Past/current experiences working in the field of disabilities: 

I’ve been fortunate to gain a lot of experience working with children with disabilities, mainly autism, over the past six years.  I’ve worked in homes, summer camps, schools, hospitals, and clinics with children aged 2-22.  I’ve also been trained in ABA, TEACCH, Son-Rise, PECS, and the SCERTS models and therapies, as well as ADOS and other diagnostic measures.  This year, I will simultaneously train at the Chicago Children’s Clinic doing more neuropsychological testing and learning how to implement Pivotal Response Training, and continue working at Advocate Illinois Masonic’s Pediatric Developmental Center as a behavior therapist in their autism program.

Goals for your LEND training experience: 

I look forward to gaining knowledge and experience in the area of client advocacy -- an area that I haven’t had direct experience with to date.  I also look forward to continued work in diagnostics and treatment through the eyes of a multidisciplinary team.  Finally, I am very interested in working on research projects that serve to benefit those with disabilities and their families.

What you wish to contribute, in the future, as a professional/family member in the field:

iving in Chicago for 5 years and learning about all of the resources available to families dealing with disabilities has opened my eyes to just how few resources are available in other parts of the country.  My ultimate goal is to take all that I’ve learned back to Philadelphia and facilitate the development of new centers and sites to help local families.  To open a clinic that could be something of a “one-stop-shop” in helping families of children with autism would be an absolute dream.