When you ask Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) Becca Lenger how she ended up in the world of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), she’ll tell you it all started with some childhood awe. Her grandmother was a special education teacher, and when former students spotted her in public - rushing over, lighting up, and hugging her - Becca made a promise to herself:
“I want to do whatever she’s doing.”
And a simple childhood moment grew into a lifelong calling.
A Learner at Heart, Teacher by Instinct
Becca always knew she wanted to work with people with disabilities. It wasn’t until graduate school that she discovered ABA, a field she initially didn’t quite understand, but immediately recognized as meaningful.
She remembers walking through a job fair, spotting an ABA table, and saying the words that changed her career:
“Sign me up. I want to learn more.”
For Becca, learning is more than it is for other people. It’s her fuel.
Easterseals: A Place That Says “Try It.”
Before her time at Easterseals Midwest, Becca’s practicum site didn’t give her the hands-on experience she was so desperately craving. She wanted to go deeper. Try new strategies. Have mentors that encourage curiosity.
She found all of those things at Easterseals.
Here, she says, learning is treated as a strength, not an inconvenience. Managers push their crew to explore different methods, research new ideas, and bring innovation to the forefront in the therapy room.
“I’m a lifelong learner. My managers have always supported that: ‘try it, read it, explore it.’ I was never told no.”
It’s the type of culture that got her hooked: flexible, research-driven, and completely centered on what helps kids succeed.
Small Skills, Big Breakthroughs
Becca’s favorite part of her job isn’t the paperwork or the programming. It’s the moments, especially moments with parents.
Like the little boy who was terrified of haircuts. A fear so strong that even a trim at home was overwhelming. But together, Becca and his mom collaborated patiently until:
- He tolerated haircuts from home
- Felt safe enough for a salon
- And eventually enjoyed something that used to scare him
“That was huge,” Becca says. “It wasn’t just a haircut. It was their life getting easier.”
Or the girl who struggled deeply with transitions, whose mother desperately wanted to take her daughter places but was afraid it wasn’t going to be possible. Through months of collaborative work, things slowly began to flip:
- Her daughter learned to move through difficult moments
- She began to visit parks again
- And one day, she walked confidently into the zoo - a place her mother once avoided
Becca says that that mother’s joy is a moment she’ll never forget.
A Team That Loves to Love
One of Becca’s proudest Easterseals memories has nothing to do with a treatment plan at all, but everything to do with the team around her.
After a challenging session left a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) exhausted and overwhelmed, another RBT stayed after her shift, rolled up her sleeves, and began quietly helping to clean the area.
Then she handed her coworker a snack. Then gave her a hug.
“That’s Easterseals,” Becca says. “We support the kids…and each other.”
This culture of generosity and shared purpose guided her to realize what sets Easterseals apart.
Hard Work = Beautiful Work
Many kids that Becca supports have extremely complex needs. She remembers one boy in particular: sweet, smart, silly, but so overwhelmed by the world that even small tasks were virtually impossible. His early days were filled with running, throwing, climbing, and huge emotions.
It took months of trying, learning, adjusting, and trying again, not only from Becca, but from an entire team willing to jump in, change course, and reinvent a plan overnight.
The outcome?
- He now participates in group activities
- He walks calmly from room to room
- He follows directions
- He plays
- He can safely go out into the community
His mother said something Becca still holds close to heart:
“I used to think he wasn’t listening. Now I understand…he just didn’t know how yet.”
The Heart of the Work
When boiling the job down to one sentence, Becca says it’s this:
“I help kids learn how to communicate, connect, and feel safe, because that’s the foundation of everything.”
She sees ABA at Easterseals Midwest becoming more compassionate and responsive in the future. This is what she believes in. This is what she practices. This is what she teaches.
Big Picture
Becca doesn’t really think of the kids she works with as “clients.” She calls them her babies. She calls her wins celebrations. And she calls the work the most rewarding job she could ever imagine.
You don’t just see another BCBA when you meet Becca. You see someone who clearly learned early what it means to make people feel seen and understood. You see the next generation of “celebrity teachers,” the kind her grandmother inspired.
And you see exactly why she’s here doing this:
Because every child deserves to feel capable.
Every family deserves to feel hopeful.
And every victory, no matter the size, is worth celebrating.
