Dr. Caitlin Sweetapple has been working with autistic students for more than a decade in several capacities. She was one of the founding teachers at Shrub Oak International School and is currently heading the Center for Autism Education Research at Shrub Oak which was created to explore, analyze, and call attention to a wide range of salient topics pertaining to quality education of autistic students. In addition to research, she manages the design and implementation of a robust training program at Shrub Oak that enables staff to provide a regulating and engaged learning environment for students.
Dr. Sweetapple has taught students aged 3-21 years old in various special education settings. She also has taught undergraduate courses at her alma mater, Manhattan College. Dr. Sweetapple received her master’s degree in Belgium from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, where she had extensive training from some of the top leaders in the field of special education and adapted physical education. She received her doctorate degree from Molloy University majoring in Educational Leadership in Diverse Learning Communities. Her dissertation topic focused on celebrating neurodiversity and combatting oppressive normativity in special education classrooms.
Dr. Sweetapple is a New York State Certified Teacher; Developmental, Individual-differences, and Relationship-based Model (DIR) Certified; Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools (TCIS) Certified; and an active member of the American Education Research Association.
