Araceli Dorado is a compassionate BCBA with a background in education and child and family dynamics who loves to help families living with children on the Autism Spectrum.

Araceli was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and immigrated to the US when she was 3 years old. Her father was a cook earning minimum wage, while her mother cleaned houses. Being the child of an immigrant family, Araceli seeks to help those who may not have the same opportunities as others. Being that her parents didn’t speak English, she remembers having to translate for them and take on more responsibility as a child, something that would later inspire her to help children in similar situations.

Araceli was the first in her family to go to college and after having gotten halfway through her Bachelor’s in education, she decided it was not the path she wanted to take in working with children. She decided to get her Bachelor’s in a broader area, Family and Child Science, hoping that the right calling would come to her only knowing that she wanted to work with children and families. After a couple of years of graduating and going from job to job as an educational assistant for special education, she found her passion for working with children on the Autism Spectrum as an RBT.

Araceli started her job as a new RBT in 2016. After gaining experience in her job she went on to organize and lead the social skills group aimed at teaching social skills to small groups of kids on the Autism Spectrum. She later earned an internship with the company and went on to earn a spot as a lead RBT, taking on the role of helping new RBTs in development and training. Knowing firsthand what it’s like to take on more responsibilities as a child, she further expanded her capabilities and became one of three certified Sibshop coordinators at Aprendamos Intervention Team in 2019. This is something she prides herself in as Sibshops aims to provide a day of honoring siblings of individuals with disabilities by engaging in team-building activities, and more low-energy activities where they are able to talk about experiences they have had being a sibling of an individual with a disability in a safe space while connecting with other siblings who may share similar experiences. These are things Araceli experienced as a child and recognizes siblings of children with disabilities do too. As an RBT he worked with many kids of varying disability and thought she would be able to further help these kids as a BCBA.

Araceli became the first in her family to earn a Master’s degree. Her Master’s is in Education from Arizona State University. As a bilingual onsite BCBA, Araceli serves bilingual families in Dona Ana County with children on the Autism Spectrum!