Bio

Maggie Haraburda is an Autistic Behavior Analyst and the owner/founder of Unfurling Littles LLC as well as Clinical Director. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont; initially studying in Early Childhood Education but when she took a position working as a Personal Care Assistant for a 6 year old Autistic child, Maggie quickly changed her major to Special Education. She fell in love with building a connection with this child through his special interest, Thomas and Friends. Maggie saw the power of child led play in those hours she spent with him playing with trains on the floor. She found when she looked at the world through his eyes, she could share and celebrate his joy. 

During her undergraduate studies Maggie interned in a Reggio Emilia inspired preschool within the infant classroom. She again saw the power of taking a child-led approach and noticed a sense of exploration and imagination in these children that she had not seen before. When she began her student teaching, Maggie was placed in a Trauma-Informed preschool in which many of the students had complex needs. Her first class lesson was on mindfulness and how to process through emotions; already she was dipping her toes into ACT. Maggie's final placement came after receiving the OSEP Grant from the state of Vermont in which she was placed within the state run Early Intervention (EI) program. 

Maggie loved the opportunity to support families from so many different walks of life throughout the state of Vermont and help them to connect with their child and one another. She moved back to Philadelphia in 2018 where she received her Masters Degree from Drexel University in Applied Behavioral Analysis. Maggie continued to work in EI throughout her course work and received a certification from The University of Delaware in a program called Attachment Bio-Behavioral Catchup (ABC). She utilized ABC with infants under the age of 2 who had experienced trauma or were identified as at risk. Maggie also participated in a research project with The University of Pennsylvania to become certified in Project ImPACT. This program was created by a BCBA and an SLP that is rooted in a Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention (NDBI). 

Maggie is very grateful to have had a strong connection to a trauma-informed child led interaction style prior to stepping into the field of ABA. Throughout her masters she found herself stuck within this place of agreeing with the science of ABA although disagreeing with the way in which the science was being utilized. She pushed forward because of her love of working with Neurodivergent children. Maggie attempted to take a few positions within ABA but these roles were all short lived, she was not able to bring herself to use some of the interventions that were demanded of her by her superiors.

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Maggie founded Unfurling Littles LLC to create a model of ABA that is child-led, trauma informed and neurodiverse affirming. She believes that Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) must be utilized within the field of ABA in order to help shift the field in a more compassionate direction.