The desire to learn and the desire to travel – inner and outer journeys – have always broadened my horizons.

My life’s journey has often connected me with people on the spectrum: During a school internship at a day support center, I met an autistic person for the first time, which ignited my curiosity.

At that time, however, no one could tell as to why autistic people are different. During my stay of several years at ‚Garvald Community‘, I learned to appreciate many of the strengths and skills of autistic people in their everyday interactions.

My degree in special needs education in Bremen was arguably my greatest journey: I learnt about the self-organisation of living systems, which is based on an active-dynamic approach of development. Closely linked to this is the understanding of ‘self’ and ‘other’, just as dialogue is the prerequisite for any form of development. This knowledge led to a new and comprehensive perspective on autism, to an understanding of the underlying difficulties, and it enabled me to develop a broader view of autism.

At present, I work in early intervention with children on the spectrum, which gives I greatly enjoy. My work focuses on exercises to reduce early childhood reflexes. I use mirroring interaction as a basis for initiating communication and language. Together with the children and their parents, we develop practical life skills.

Based on my research on autism and language acquisition, “Why Verbs Are Green,” I am creating a range of lectures and training courses.

My expertise is based on many years of practical experience and solid theoretical knowledge – both of which I am happy to pass on to you!