Our mission is to nurture each child’s unique skill set in order to encourage a successful pathway towards independence.
Amanda Struss
FOUNDER, M.Ed.
Our Story
In 2009, Amanda was in the process of obtaining her Masters of Education Degree from the University of Connecticut, NEAG School of Education. During this time, she pursued an internship with a local school district where she developed and implemented Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), primarily to provide intervention in their elementary Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) program. It was during this time that Amanda developed her love and passion for supporting the development of students, more specifically, those who accessed their environment in unique ways.
Amanda went on to work with and advocate for students with autism and developmental disabilities as a special education teacher and autism specialist for over 14 years. Her roles and responsibilities while serving students both in public school and non-public school, as well as in their homes and communities, allowed for significant creative freedom and the ability to build a firm foundation to reach each student in a way that encouraged growth and independence while facilitating a safe environment to learn new skills. She developed the ability to create nurturing and meaningful pathways in order for students to be as successful and independent as possible.
Our Values
As Amanda initiated the formation of Nurturing Pathways, she began thinking about how she wanted to differentiate her work from other ABA organizations. In an effort to shift the paradigm, she chose to form an independent, ethical ABA company that: prioritizes the interests of the clients and their families, renders the highest quality of services available, provides extensive supervision for staff, and creates a compassionate organization that promotes the growth of both clients and team members.
As the organization has rooted, it has become apparent that the cornerstone of Natural Pathways’ strengths lie in:
Ethical therapy implementation
The establishment of reinforcing interpersonal relationships
Collaborative and cooperative team members
Humanistic approach that emphasizes empowering the clients and their families
Creating an inclusive community
As a company, we strive to continue providing the most successful programming possible for each client and look for ways to evolve in developing new programs to benefit the community, the clients we serve, and the strengths of our team members.
