Sarah Steinberg has a bachelor’s degree in developmental psychology from the University of California at Santa Cruz. She then received her Master of Science degree in Psychology: Applied Behavior Analysis from California State University, Los Angeles. She is a board certified behavior analyst with over 20 years of experience working in home, school, and clinical settings. She has given numerous behavioral workshops to parents at Kids First Pediatric Partners and conducted a series of training seminars to pediatrician residents at Rush University Medical Center.
Background: Sarah grew up with a younger brother named Joshua who has autism. Joshua is three years younger than Sarah. She also has another younger brother David. Growing up with Joshua, daily life embedded sensitivity at a young age. Inviting friends over to her house was a challenge because of Joshua’s behavior. Going to a restaurant was always difficult, as Joshua would scream if a drop of sauce touched his pasta, or the pasta was the wrong shape. Once at Blockbuster video, when the Nintendo game Joshua wanted was not in, he knocked down an entire display. Sarah knows exactly what life is like for SBS families.
Getting Started: When Sarah got to UC Santa Cruz, her first job was at the Disability Resource Center recording books onto audio tape for students with dyslexia and proctoring exams for students that needed more time. When she saw a flyer for in-home ABA therapy for a child with autism, she knew that nobody could do that job better than her. She started working with that child, and that began the road to her formal training in ABA therapy.
Her Family: Sarah is a wife and mother of seven young children. Sarah lives in West Roger’s Park with her husband Shmuel. Shmuel is a Doctor of Audiology and is the founder and director of Elite Hearing Center in Skokie.
As a mother to her own children, she connects with the daily struggles that all mothers face. Combined with her childhood memories of the struggles her mother faced with Joshua, she connects with each family in a very special and unique way. She envisions each SBS therapist going into a families home, as if that therapist were going into her childhood home and working with Joshua. That connection is where her commitment to excellence comes from and her dedication to hire only the best and most experienced therapists that will truly change each child’s life.
Fun Fact: Sarah is a dedicated CrossFit athlete and works out at the CrossFit gym five days a week. She also loves cooking and baking. She rarely buys baked goods from a bakery for her family. She bakes fresh bread and dessert for her family every week!
