Mari-Luci Mesoamerican Indigenous woman, wife, mom, Autist, and board-certified behavior analyst with over 20 years experience working with Neurodivergent individuals and their families. A former special education teacher, behavior specialist, and inclusion coordinator of 17 years, Mari has a deep passion for advocacy work with both schools and clinics to develop trauma-responsive, neurodiversity responsive practices. Her work focuses on shifting language and systems used in practice to reframe and move away from unintentional ableist frameworks that are often rooted in traditional therapy and educational settings. Much of this work pulls from IRM (Indigenous Research Methods) and models of care rooted in Cultural Safety and Responsiveness. She recently opened her own trauma-responsive center, The Lighthouse Learning Center in Lubbock, TX with the goal of creating a model of true neurodiversity affirming and assent-based practices. Mari is also the co-founder of the The LEAP Institute, a non-profit with a mission to address the disparity of diverse practitioners in the ABA field.
