Helping those in the autism community find their voice

Everyone has a right to be heard.

Christina Steele grew up watching her cousin struggle to be understood by those around him. It drew her to pursuing a degree in psychology from St. Cloud State University, where she also ventured into community psychology and applied behavior analysis before graduating in 2012. After going on to earn her master’s and now working through her dissertation as part of her doctorate, she has dedicated her work to those in the autism community.

“My cousin is on the spectrum, so everything was about figuring out ‘How can I help him? How can I communicate better with him?’” she said. “So that’s kind of my drive for the mental health field, getting into psychology, getting into ABA once I learned that really helps the autism community — helping them grow and develop.”

After working in Minnesota and then Texas, Steele decided to start her own clinic. She felt some of the companies she previously worked for in Texas stuck to assessment protocols too strictly, avoiding thinking outside of the box when students needed it most.

“That’s kind of what drew me into starting my own clinic, was the fact that I felt the kids I worked with at other companies weren’t excelling at a rate they should be,” she said. “They were just kind of stagnant, keeping them at a level at whatever our assessment said to do versus trying to think outside the box or pull different programs and try to build kids from different angles first, and then trying programs they struggled with then and bringing them in later.”

Steele started Building Greatness Autism Center in Houston, Texas, with the mission to help children be understood by their peers.

“Our biggest goal is to get kids ready for school, get them in general ed., being able to blend in with everybody else in our community, make sure when they go to school they have the ability to make friends, to see different social situations and stick up for themselves, or if they want to go to a party or if they want to be involved in athletics,” she said. “We want to give them the opportunity to build a voice and be able to communicate their wants, their needs.”

Building Greatness works with children from 18 months old up through 18 years old. As teenagers approach their high school graduation, the Center works with them on day programs, finding work, resume writing or college applications — whatever path the student feels is best for them.

“The biggest impact is just giving kids the opportunity to do something other than public schools. Public schools are great, but they don’t give that one-on-one attention. The goals we have seen in public schools, at least in Texas, are just very standard, very basic versus trying to advance the kids as much as we can — that’s kind of our primary goal,” Steele said. “So if we have a first-grader who’s reading really well, we will try to push them into reading fifth-grade, sixth-grade materials. That’s something schools don’t give, so we want to make sure we impact these kids’ lives all the way through adulthood, giving them the skills and everything that they need.”

Change doesn’t happen immediately, but Steele said it’s important to celebrate every milestone reached. It’s also the best part of the job.

“My favorite part is the progress the kids make. I always say it’s the little things. Things don’t happen overnight. Parents want to get our kiddos talking within the first month of being in ABA, and I have to remind parents, ‘You know, this is not an overnight process.’ Some kiddos excel very, very fast; some, it’s a slower process. But with us, and especially with me, it’s seeing the little things,” she said. “So the little things are a win. … The first word we hear from our kiddos who do develop language, that’s always an exciting moment. I know for us, for the families, just the joy we see in our families’ faces when they see their kiddos excel; it means a lot to us, and especially to me.”

While she may have furthered her education elsewhere, Steele credits her time at SCSU with building her work ethic and drive to get to where she is today.

“Working hard, knowing that things are not easy, that’s definitely a big one I learned here. Trying to be a young mom — had my daughter in high school, went to college, figured out by myself, ‘Okay, I have to get to class, I have to get to my workouts — sometimes we’d have weights at 6:30 in the morning, then we’d have practice after class, then going home and being a mom,” she said. “It definitely made me stronger, being up here, and I think that’s why I’m so successful, is the fact that I reached out, I came to St. Cloud, I got out of my comfort zone, moved away, didn’t have as much help — but it’s just knowing that you keep pushing, and good things come.”

Steele played for the Huskies women’s basketball team during her time at SCSU, and still returns regularly to assist with basketball camps at the University. For her, it’s an exciting time in women’s sports.

“It’s exciting to see women’s sports be such a highlight, especially because we haven’t always had those rights. And for me, just seeing the opportunities of other girls being able to still come play basketball here is exciting for me, just because of the experience. There’s nothing like being part of a sports team. It does keep you grounded in college,” she said. “I did love the program when I was here. I had my ups and downs, just like any team, but it definitely — when I got on the court, it was like me against the world, so it was kind of my outlet from everything else in life.”

On a recent visit to her alma mater, Steele was able to tour The Linda ’74 and Richard Offerdahl Autism Discovery Center. The OADC opened in 2023 and aims to teach clinicians of all levels and backgrounds proper treatments for clients and their families in central Minnesota and beyond. Steele was impressed with the facility, and said it offers an exciting opportunity for current and future Huskies, as well as those in the autism community in need of better services.

“I think it’s amazing. I’m really happy that they did put in something for the autism community, because that’s very big. Most universities don’t have that,” she said. “I think that support is amazing, because the biggest goal with somebody who is diagnosed with autism is to make sure they can be around people and general population because they’re no different than me and you. They need the same opportunities that we have; sometimes they just need extra support.”