Today we’d like to introduce you to Salma Haji.
Salma, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m originally from Somalia. I was 2 years old when my family fled the civil war in Somalia. We lived in Kenya prior to moving to the US. War affects all of us in different ways. Growing up there was a time I thought I was fine because I never saw the death and gore of war or at least I don’t remember it. Now that I’m older and a mother I’m starting to see how much the effects of war influenced my life. I’m not talking about the simple things like sleeping in a room with 10 people, or not eating things like chicken or beef except a handful of times per year. I’m talking about learning the alphabet in the 4th grade, losing my father at 11, translating my report card to my mom. I’m talking about the effects of war that makes owning a business seem impossible. I believe I have to fight a hundred times harder to take every step. I’m blessed to have made it to where I am today. My Islamic faith is why I fight so hard. It gives me no choice but to better myself. It is not easy but I fight everyday and everyday fighting is getting easier.
My love for working in special education started in Freshman year High School. I wanted to get out of PE because running is never fun. I was placed in Partners in PE, a class that assigned students with special needs students. I was assigned to a kid named Dennis and although he was in a wheelchair and could not speak, we always found ways to have fun in PE. We square-danced with his wheelchair, and I found ways to make him laugh. I would go say hi to him in the hallways during passing period. He would smile big and recognize me. What surprised me was making a connection without the use of any words. From there I was in multiple roles that all involved working with individuals with Special needs. In all my roles I wanted more, more time, more resources, more individualization, more passion, more hope, more control, and most of all more progress. That’s what Meem Behavior is for me more.
Getting more is challenging. We are constantly changing and adapting to be the best we can be for our clients.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well, we did open our clinic during covid. That has been a challenge. Right now, we are struggling with meeting the needs of our staff with more pay without losing
too much profit. We are trying to increase our contract rates with insurances to keep up with the demand of payroll. We are also struggling with taking on more Medicaid Clients and preparing for a gap in pay because medicaid is taking time to pay due to it being new. We are in the process of expanding; I really want my clients to have indoor and outdoor physical play. Finding the funds for that is a struggle right now. What I struggle with most is not having a mentor. I reach out to the family and friends I know could guide us and google/Facebook groups. Having an attitude of we got this, or we will figure this out is what has helped us get this far.
As you know, we’re big fans of Meem Behavior. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand
ABA Therapy is often referred to as the “Gold Standard” for autism treatment, ABA therapy uses evidence-based strategies to spark change. At Meem Behavior, we apply a comprehensive, child-centered approach to ABA therapy. We create a team of experts such as Speech pathologist, Occupational therapist, Physical therapist or etc., to create a comprehensive therapy that addresses each deficit. Together we use a combination of Naturalistic Environment Training (NET) and Discrete Trial Training (DTT) to help create, implement, and monitor individual plans. What sets us apart is that we are a small clinic and only take on a few clients at a time and we plan on growing but very gradually. This gradual growth allows us to focus on our clients and this leads to more progress.
What are your plans for the future?
For 2023 we are expanding into a building that is almost triple our current space. We are adding a playground along with a Motorlab. We are also accepting Medicaid clients in 2023. We currently have a wait list of 150 clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.meembehavior.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meembehavior/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeemBehavior/
A client of mine on his first day without an outburst.
Ms. Ashley with a client.
Ms. Fatimah leading circle time.
Bubble time. We don’t have a playground. We are working on adding a playground.
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