Cheryl Temple, Principal Advocate

Cheryl possesses extensive professional and personal experience with Autism Spectrum Disorder and believes that EVERYstudent can succeed when provided with the education they are entitled to & deserve. Cheryl advocates for families to work collaboratively with their local school district in support of their children, and she strives to ensure that all families become more knowledgeable about the complex processes that govern special education & more empowered to develop and strengthen their own advocacy skills in support of their children.  Cheryl’s years of working closely alongside families and school districts have taught her that effective & empowered advocacy for our children makes a world of positive difference, right from the first transition to preschool onward through graduation. She is committed to helping families find their own voices as well as helping to ensure those voices are heard and are effective, amid what can be an overwhelming & confusing process for families.

Cheryl has advocated successfully for students in more than 30 school districts in Massachusetts & she has extensive knowledge regarding the effective, evidence-based services & supports available to children with ASD. She possesses substantial education, practical training & applied experience in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), social skills curricula and effective strategies to support Executive Function and learning challenges; she is knowledgeable about anti-bullying programs and mandates; as well as the federal and state mandates pertaining to special education, particularly as they relate to students with ASD. Cheryl routinely consults with a wide array of other proven professionals concerned with ASD and related disorders, including psychologists, Board-Certified Behavior Analysts, educational evaluators, related service providers such as Speech-Language Pathologists & Occupational Therapists, and attorneys.

Cheryl earned a BA in Psychology and earned a Certificate of Graduate Study in Behavioral Intervention in Autism. She is a member of numerous professional organizations related to special education, Autism, and advocacy; she has presented workshops on Autism and advocacy; she frequently attends conferences, seminars, workshops and training related to advocacy and Autism Spectrum Disorders in order to continually advance her knowledge of current and relevant issues surrounding special education and Massachusetts and Federal laws & regulations as they pertain to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Cheryl completed the Parent Consultant advocacy training program with the Federation for Children with Special Needs and also completed Wrightslaw's Advocacy training. She formerly taught students with autism ages 3-22 for several years in a residential setting at a private, nonprofit autism education center and global leader in the provision of effective, evidence-based educational services for children with autism and their families.

Cheryl is also the parent of a loving, talented, resilient, brave and optimistic student with Autism.