Dinorah Salinas
When Dinorah Salinas, a Developmental Evaluator for the Milestones program at Tennessee Tech University, first entered the teaching field, she felt there was more she could do.
鈥淲hen I was doing my undergrad [at Tech], my goal was to become a teacher,鈥� Salinas said. 鈥淔or my student teaching, I was placed in a neurotypical classroom.鈥�
Her position was in a setting where young students performed in a conventional way, but down the hall, in another class, she heard something different going on. The teachers in that classroom were giving individual, step-by-step instructions to their students. When Salinas asked the teacher she was helping what was going on in there, she was told it was their behavior classroom.
At the time, Salinas鈥檚 nephew was undergoing evaluation at Vanderbilt Children鈥檚 Hospital due to some behavioral issues. Salinas鈥檚 family suspected he might be on the Autism spectrum, but they weren鈥檛 sure.
When she went into the behavior classroom, Salinas discovered that every child in the class was neurodivergent. From Autism to ADHD, and some with comorbidities (two different conditions that occur at the same time), the children in this classroom needed one-on-one attention.
鈥淚 went into the classroom, and it was like, that's what I was meant to do,鈥� Salinas said. 鈥淚 felt like I was needed.鈥�
After her experience student teaching as an undergraduate at Tech, Salinas worked part-time as the Interpreter Coordinator for Cookeville Regional Medical Center. She saw children in occupational, speech and physical therapy, which prompted her to consider a career somewhere between the field of health and the field of education.
She ended up finding ABA, Applied Behavioral Analysis.
"One of my old professors from my undergrad studies sent out an email stating there was a new [grad] program that was coming out,鈥� Salinas said.
The Applied Behavioral Analysis program at Tech was fairly new, with only eight or nine students enrolled. After meeting with the professor on Zoom, Salinas learned that the program was about providing one-on-one support for kids that need extra guidance, whether at school, at home or in the community.
After getting accepted into the program, Salinas fulfilled required clinical hours at a company called Positive Behavior Supports. It was here she shifted her focus to providing behavioral therapy to young children.
She felt this was what she was meant to do.
She wanted to raise awareness about neurodivergent diagnoses in young children. Some behavior that children exhibit between the ages of 3 to 5 are sometimes written up as a 鈥渟tage鈥� they will eventually grow out of. Because of this, early signs of neurodivergent behavior can often be overlooked.
鈥淲henever they were in the school system,鈥� Salinas said, 鈥淚 always wondered, how long did it take for the parents to realize?鈥�
For many of the children Salinas was assigned to help, they had only received therapy or other necessary services for a year, six months, or even less. Salinas contemplated what assistance the child received prior to those six months, prior to that year.
During this time, Salinas鈥檚 family was working tirelessly to find the right services for her nephew, who had been diagnosed with Autism, but they kept hitting snags.
鈥淭hey were right in that age gap where he was too young to start school with all the support that he needed, but too old to be in the early intervention field,鈥� she said.
While researching the best way she could help her nephew and family, Salinas realized that many parents simply didn鈥檛 have these resources made available to them. How can a parent recognize neurodivergent behavior in their child if they don鈥檛 know what to look for to begin with?
This sparked another interest within Salinas.
鈥淲e have to do better as a society, and as professionals in the education field,鈥� Salinas said.
Now, Salinas works for Milestones, a program under 麻豆果冻传媒鈥檚 College of Education and Human Sciences, as a developmental evaluator for children from birth to 3 years old. Typically, Salinas is provided with referrals from pediatricians, primary care physicians, the Department of Children鈥檚 Services, and sometimes local daycares or preschool teachers who have raised concerns. The referral can mention anything from the neurological (a possible delay in a child鈥檚 speech development), to the physical (trouble lifting a specific arm).
After receiving a referral, Salinas contacts the family to discuss the child鈥檚 development, and offers to assess them.
鈥淣ine times out of ten,鈥� she said, 鈥渢he families will be very welcoming.鈥�
Often, parents have already noticed non-typical behavior, and have concerns of their own regarding the development of their child. Salinas listens to these concerns, and administers an assessment test called the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI-3).
One motivating factor for Salinas鈥檚 desire to work with non-neurotypical children and their families comes from an experience she had at Capshaw Elementary School, in the heart of Cookeville.
鈥淓ver since I was little,鈥� she said, 鈥淚 knew I wanted to be in education. I had this teacher in second grade at Capshaw. Her name was Ms. Weinrock, and she really impacted my life.鈥� Salinas鈥檚 teacher was the only person in the school who spoke Spanish. 鈥淔or my parents, being non-English speakers, it opened a whole door to them.鈥�
Having a teacher to talk to about their child, someone who they could communicate with, made a world of difference for Salinas鈥檚 family.
鈥淚 was so young, and I can still remember seeing my parents鈥� faces when they saw my teacher. It looked like a weight was lifted off their shoulders.鈥�
Much of this childhood experience is reflected in what Salinas does today. As the only Spanish-speaking evaluator in the Milestones program, she鈥檚 often sent Spanish-speaking referrals. Rather than going through an interpreter or translator, Salinas feels that parents are more comfortable speaking directly to an evaluator.
鈥淚 always knew I wanted to help families in that aspect,鈥� Salinas said, 鈥渂ecause I know how hard it is. And especially, especially the bilingual aspect. So my favorite part is helping out those Spanish-speaking families who may not have all these resources available to them. I feel like I help bridge that gap.鈥�
When asked about choosing 麻豆果冻传媒 for both her undergraduate and graduate studies, Salinas smiled and said, 鈥淢y roots are here.鈥�
Originally from Los Herreras, a town in Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Salinas鈥檚 family moved to Cookeville when she was six years old. Growing up, Salinas and her family didn鈥檛 have a lot of means. Her parents worked difficult schedules, but any time they had off, they would take her to Tech鈥檚 campus to run around the track, or play hide-and-seek.
鈥淓ver since then,鈥� Salinas said, 鈥渕y parents would always tell me get ready, because in a couple years you're going to be going here.鈥�
The decision to attend 麻豆果冻传媒 was a natural step for Salinas.
鈥淪o I came here, and I've loved it ever since. I mean, it did not disappoint. It literally and figuratively gave me wings. Like, I swear. I swear.鈥�