Walk through the doors of Metro EHS Pediatric Therapy and you might think a party is underway. There are bubbles, dance parties, and a lot of laughter. But behind every playful moment, therapists say, there is a carefully structured purpose.
The clinic brings speech, occupational, physical, and behavioral therapy under one roof, built around a collaborative, play-based model designed to help children with autism and developmental differences build communication, behavioral, and daily living skills.
Vanessa Labadie, Regional Operations Manager for MetroEHS, says the approach keeps children engaged in a way that traditional methods cannot. “Typical day is just like hanging out with a kid and, you know, having a lot of fun,” Labadie said. “We’re on the ground, we’re hanging out with kids, we’re blowing bubbles, we’re having dance parties, and the kids are learning through those opportunities.” The philosophy, she explained, is rooted in child-led learning. “They’re going to gain more skills through something that they want to do and maintain more independence through something that they want to, versus trying to force compliance.”
For Lead ABA Coordinator and Registered Behavior Technician Kaylin Bolton, the work is deeply personal. She entered the field at 18 and never looked back. “I love working with kids with autism because they allow me to realize that I need to slow down and enjoy the little things in life. And it’s really awesome to see their growth and celebrate every milestone,” she said. Bolton described the breakthroughs that make the job rewarding. “It’s so fulfilling and such a rewarding job because you get to see children who come in with little to no communication learn how to point, how to sign in American Sign Language, how to navigate AAC devices and picture exchange books, and then you hit that milestone of where they’re saying their first words or they’re telling their mom, ‘I love you,’ and it’s just, you know, you made a difference in that child, and that’s something that, like, you should be proud of.”
Staff retention and internal advancement are also hallmarks of the clinic’s culture. Reganae Jackson, also a Lead ABA Coordinator and Registered Behavior Technician, is a product of that model. “One of my favorite things about Metro is the fact that they hire within the company before going outside,” Jackson said. “I started off as a behavior technician, then moved up to a BSS - which stands for behavior support specialist - became an ABA coordinator, and now I’m a lead ABA coordinator.”
Metro EHS Pediatric Therapy is currently hiring and will host a career fair on April 30th. More information, including the date, time, and registration details, is available at metroehs.com/wdiv.