Our Founder and Principal Practitioner, Ria Choquette, resides in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX metroplex with her family and two Newfoundland dogs. Raised in Massachusetts, Ria grew up with an exceptional sister who had developmental delays. Ria spent much of her growing-up years helping her sister acquire and build skills, which fostered Ria’s love for helping exceptional people. As a result, Ria went on to earn a Master of Science Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Bay Path University in Longmeadow, MA. Since doing so, she has gained experience in all settings working with children and adults who have developmental delays and diagnoses. Ria is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and is licensed in multiple states throughout the US.

Ria was blessed with an exceptional child in 2012, who, at age 5, was diagnosed with ADHD. Ria spent much of her time battling, arguing with, and babysitting public school officials to make sure her child’s 504 plan was implemented and properly maintained. After 4 long, difficult years in the public school system, the Choquette family decided that homeschooling was a better choice. Ria was left feeling defeated and confused.

Ria asked herself: Why doesn’t the school system just do what they are supposed to do? There has to be a way to help kids like mine succeed in school.

By that point in time, Ria had spent a decade serving hundreds of families from all walks of life. Ria observed another startling trend in her research and work: Clients were not maintaining learned skills in the community. Ria’s client families would express frustration that they lacked educational support for their exceptional children, and, they didn’t know where to find resources. Ria recalled when her neurodivergent child struggled in public school and remembered how difficult it was to get her support. She knew that Applied Behavior Analysis, as a field, could do better, but it seemed as if no one in the industry was willing or able to make changes to “how it’s done”.

Ria realized that home was where the change began, and that the solution to these problems was Creative Parenting Collaborative.

Ria founded Creative Parenting Collaborative to support all families during their journey through the public education system. She wanted to help families not just survive, but thrive!